"Everything's about to change now, because... I'm pregnant." I hate to admit it, but this punchy little sentence suckered me into a deep, inescapable addiction to one of MTV's latest hit shows, 16 and Pregnant.
I honestly don't know how it happened. For my entire life, I have turned my nose up in disgust, scoffing at my friends who traded their social time for a "shocking" new episode of Survivor or Big Brother. I never understood how watching people eat, sleep, and make out, or make utter fools of themselves for a chance at big bucks, could be interesting enough to take up an hour of prime time and draw in half a million viewers. Yet somehow, over the course of eighteen years (when America was first introduced to The Real World), our nation has become completely addicted to living vicariously through personalities on a screen... and I have joined the masses.
The worst part is, I don't know what to be more embarrassed about: being addicted to reality TV (which therefore shows I have no life), or steadfastly avoiding reality TV (which automatically makes me a cultural outcast). I managed to avoid being completely drawn into our media-centered culture for most of my life, due largely to the fact that I lived in a household without Internet for the first eighteen years of my life. Then college happened. Facebook statuses discussing what happened last night on America's Got Talent... clusters of girls grouped around laptops breathlessly waiting to find out who Joe Millionaire was going to fall in love with... it was everywhere. Before I knew it, I too was catching up on last night's episode online, and griping the next day about how scripted The Hills was becoming.
Having come to terms with the fact that I have one little guilty pleasure, I've managed to justify my love for 16 and Pregnant (and its sequel, Teen Mom) by assuring myself that this type of reality television is educational, because it documents the real struggles of real people living real lives.
Is it bad that I secretly hope Maci and Ryan get back together? Is it a waste of my time to wonder if Farrah's mother is done with community service yet, or if Catelynn's mom will ever get over her giving up Carly for adoption? There's a good chance that my time could be better spent watching the Food Network and learning how to cook, or shutting off the TV altogether and opening a book. But if I don't at least know who's on this season of Dancing with the Stars, or if I don't have a vague idea of who got a rose on The Bachelor last night, then I will have nothing to talk about with my friends... which will lead to having no friends (well, maybe that's an exaggeration).
Isn't it peculiar that we need strangers to tie us to our friends?
I am not embarrassed to say I'm 100 percent addicted to reality TV. As I write this comment, I am anxiously awaiting to see who wins the last (and most powerful) Head of Household competition on Big Brother tonight. Through research I've done for another class, I know for a fact one of the main reasons people watch reality TV is for the purpose of social interaction. People like to pretend it is them in that situation, or that they personally know the contestants on these shows, to then gossip about it later. For me, its a chance to talk to my mom three nights a week after Big Brother is over to gossip about who we want to win it all.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to you here. I always have wondered why people get so into reality TV. So we have that in common, what we don't have in common is that I haven't gotten sucked in yet. The closest I've come was getting into The Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance in Australia because they were cultural phenomonoms there and my host family watched them every day. I can see though how you would want to watch them so you have can be included in conversations about the shows and not be left out. I guess my friends aren't really into these shows or I probably would be sucked in as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm really moved by your last quote, saying that our society has become dependent on strangers tying us together in community. This is a very interesting thought that I think should be brought into the public eye, not as a means of comparisons, which many people fall into with reality tv stars, but to use our utter fascination with televised strangers as a way to scrutinize and further figure out our personal morals. Truth be told, reality tv does invite us into many new worlds which I know is one of the factors drawing the public in weekly, but people should not, I repeat, SHOULD NOT, be sitting on a couch watching someone live their life. Instead, shut off the boob tube and live your life for yourself! Reality TV sickens me because of this reason.
ReplyDeleteSo I've never been much of one for reality tv. Sure, there has been the occasional long day of Christmas break where I happened to watch an "America's Next Top Model" marathon, but I've never religiously watched a reality show. (Is ANTM reality, or is it a "game show competition"? I think reality...? Oh well, not that important). I think I'm maybe more for the scripted, mock-reality shows like The Office, or the web show Dorm Life (which, by the way, if you haven't seen, watch immediately). I know I have been sucked in to an episode of reality here and there, though, so I somewhat understand the draw, if for no other reason than just to see the outrageous things people do to get a little fame and fortune. But just know that you can always count on me for a good 'ol conversation if you ever miss the Bachelor : )
ReplyDeleteSo...first things first. Farrah's mom is psycho. Catelynn is the dumbest human being on earth. And Ryan is kind of a tool (is that Bentley's dad? I get them mixed up). Secondly, I don't watch these shows. Ha, ya right.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of crazy how this fad started up. Why do we care about what other people are doing? Mostly, I would say people love to watch other people trash their lives. It's entertaining, it's our modern-day Colosseum. We could watch the news, but this girl got pregnant at 15! That seems a little more interesting.
I am hoping we break out of this before Jersey Shore 3 happens. Wouldn't bet on it.