What We Can Learn from Watching Reality TV
By Aaliyah Freeman
After a long, exhausting day, I usually find myself in great need of some time to relax and recenter myself. Recently, and quite ironically, that relaxation has manifested as watching reality television.
Reality television has had the world in its hand since the early 2000s. It first achieved prominence with the creation of shows like Big Brother, Survivor and The Bachelor, which have survived for years as successful franchises, according to Screen Rant.
Now, I feel like a new reality television show comes out just about every year. And just about every year, millions of people flock to their devices to watch them
.
It’s fair to admit that there’s something alluring and comforting about a good reality television show. Some people may contest that reality television is popular because the drama and conflict that happens amongst the casts showcases the absolute worst in people.
It’s fair to admit that there’s something alluring and comforting about a good reality television show. Some people may contest that reality television is popular because the drama and conflict that happens amongst the casts showcases the absolute worst in people.
This, hence, causes viewers to feel good about themselves, because we can sit back and think, I can be terrible sometimes, but at least I’m not that person.
The narratives of people that are crafted reality tv shows tend to form villains, heroes, comics, and more out of everyday people, creating characters we either relate to and love, or feel superior to and hate.
I however, disagree with the idea that reality television is only appealing because it fuels our superiority complexes. Sure, that’s likely one reason for many viewers’ infatuation, but I enjoy reality television because I feel like there’s a lot I can learn from it as a college student still trying to figure life out.
Between the messiness, lies, love and betrayal, lies a lesson waiting to be learned. Below is an abbreviated account of some things I have learned from watching reality television:
Our words have a great impact.
From reality television, I’ve learned the importance of words. It’s extremely compelling to watch two real people have a tense argument from a third-party perspective. I get to monitor the emotions and body language of them both in a seemingly intimate experience that is often afforded to me in real life.
From my perspective as a viewer, it’s interesting to see the pieces of a conversation that elicit certain reactions, and to psychoanalyze the reasons for them.
This has been an oddly educational aspect of reality tv-watching. It has led to me being much better at having tough conversations, choosing my words correctly, thinking before I speak and ultimately being able to put myself in the other person’s shoes.
Think into the future.
What has always made me so anxious about reality television is the fact that so many cast members say or do things as if it will never get back to them.
Reality television is insanely karmic; everything is on camera. Oftentimes cast members receive backlash once the show comes out for things they said or did during filming. From this phenomenon, I have learned to not be shortsighted in my actions.
When it comes to college, it can be easy to feel pressured to do morally controversial things that could come back to bite you in the future, like cheating on a test or paper.
We may not have camera surveillance in our everyday lives, but that shouldn’t stop us from making thoughtful decisions when it feels like no one is watching.
Many people judge before they know you, so make good impressions.
There’s no doubt that reality television stars receive intense volumes of judgment, usually online, for their actions in their show.
Reality television does such a slick job at creating archetypes out of real people, that it becomes hard to remember that we will never know cast members’ entire life stories, true motives, beliefs and more.
Nevertheless, many reality tv stars are not given the benefit of the doubt, and are scrutinized by the masses.
If nothing else, from others’ scrutiny, I’ve learned the importance of making good impressions wherever I go. Most interactions with others will only provide a snapshot of who you are, so make it a good one.
Mindless activities can be great.
In its essence, the act of passively watching a show without explicit educational content, like reality television, can feel mindless at times.
However, as Honors students with challenging coursework, jobs, extracurriculars, homework and more, I would argue that sometimes engaging in what feels like a mindless activity can sometimes be great, and even healthy.
Once you’ve finished an episode, you might even come to realize that you’ve learned something.
Photo Courtesy of Pexels