A Study of the Dynamics and Trends of Reality Television Program Format and the Relationship of Such Programs with Social Media
Abstract
In giving the home audience an experience that combines both images and sound, surpassing the potential of the traditional mediums of print and radio, the audience rallying around the television increased by the day. Reality shows originated as a result of the introducing new programme models to the television. Attempts were made to portray real life forms of people in a more realistic way through the reality format. A majority of the audience were inclined towards watching reality programmes and the trend was to see the rise of modern social media activism. Thus, the research problem herein was to analyse whether the strategic use of social media, causes reality television programs to become more popular. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the close association of reality television programs with social media directly influenced the increase in popularity of reality television programs due to recent dynamics and trends in the reality program format. The study was conducted by analytically studying books written on reality shows, research-related information that has been published far and utilizing data on the present context. The use of new technology, especially in reality shows, has changed the face of the realist model. Various data showed that different cultural changes were taking place in each of the social systems in an attempt to attract more audiences apart from reality. The study also establishes that reality themes that originated in the United States may have spread to other parts of the world. The data also reflect that many countries are imitating reality shows produced in the United States. With the rise of social media in the modern Internet age, all television channels have used social media to promote their programs. Due to the large number of young individuals watching TV shows on social media, reality shows were also broadcasted live on social media and television stations released episodes considered to have the best reach on social media. Accordingly, this study highlights that there is currently no single existence for reality shows without social media activism.
