Digging its nails into the consumer with the utmost speed, reality television can hook and quickly enthrall watchers. Often with taboo, controversial themes, these glorified lifestyles portrayed within modern shows influence wide demographics of people.
Gaining traction and life through word of mouth, everyone wants to be included in the conversation around avid opposition or excited support for the trends from “trash” television.
Popular across all streaming platforms, shows such as Love Island, Love is Blind, The Real Housewives, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives have reached incredible popularity. These series provide easily digestible entertainment. Minimal thought needs to be given to them, making them an easy option to watch.
The difficulty that then arises with heavily consumed media—especially by an often unassuming audience —is the trends and encouraged ideas that come from television.
Simon Bonfiglio, a Junior at Wilsonville High School, explains his stance on these shows; “I think a lot of TV series just try to get clicks by making trashy but interesting topics.”
“I love Million Dollar Listing LA; a bunch of rich people doing rich people things. It’s a stupid show but it’s funny.”
Reality shows like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, may also harm the images of large cultures. Bonfiglio states, “As a church, we believe in sharing the message of our beliefs. I think the show pretends to do this- and with people that may not truly adhere to our beliefs.”
Relationships are often portrayed as well; typically unconventional – as this is what garners much of the show’s interest in the first place. Large age gaps or quick leaps into dating or marriage are common, along with other possibly problematic dynamics among couples.
Even friendships tend to be rocky. Verbal conflicts or even physical confrontations are made to seem normal through their commonality in the media. This makes sense- for there is no drama in a healthy relationship.
Jared Alvarez, a health teacher at Wilsonville, notes how he believes “Relationships are already misconstrued, especially for teens. With reality TV, it’s so dramatized that it completely messes with the image of a healthy relationship.”
“Young adults are at a pivotal growth period in their life, so this skewed view is often reflected in their perspective of relationships.”
With an abundance of entertainment nowadays, the need to stand out has increased drastically from its necessity in the early eras of television. We may then link this back to the drift from lighthearted, calming, more “traditional” depictions of people, towards radical attractive or crazy lifestyles.
Alvarez also connects this to the production of MTV. “Growing up with the introduction of MTV, it had a lot of reality shows that teens would now see on Netflix. But back then the focus was on games and entertainment, rather than love and lust.”
The accessibility of these series on streaming platforms has taken away the ability to limit the demographics consuming the media. For example, cable airing more mature movies and shows at a late hour.
Instead, we are able to access all forms of entertainment, at the simple click of a button. The increased desensitization of unhealthy relationships and push for drama threaten the livelihoods of the teens targeted by these reality series.