This article offers a cultural-sociological analysis of interpretations by viewers from different classes on the most popular reality show in Israel, namely, Big Brother. The findings of this study ...show dramatic differences in viewing practices according to class and ethnic distinctions of the viewers. Viewers from the upper socioeconomic class primarily addressed the way in which the subjects from the low socioeconomic class and marked ethnic groups appear in their eyes: that is, the processes affiliated with Othering. These ethno-class distinctions were translated into unique viewing practices: the identification of what are called, "cult moments" or "grotesque moments." These moments are depicted as ridiculing the "exaggerated" behavior of members of the low socioeconomic class and specific ethnic groups. Viewers from the low socioeconomic class offer more imminent (and less distant) perspectives on the Big Brother program. They relate to a broad spectrum of content that was broadcast in the program, identify with the participants from their group, criticize the judgments and the cultural hierarchies of marked group members, and describe how political anger accompanies their viewing of the reality program. The discussion section suggests the connection of these subjective interpretations and widespread cultural scenarios about class and ethnic identities.
This article examines how cultural representations of deviant bodies vary based on historically informed narratives of bodily stigma. Using content analysis of 40 episodes of reality television ...programming, I contrast cultural representations of dwarfism and obesity. Over time, dwarfism became constructed as an identity project with the aim of bodily acceptance, whereas obesity became regarded as a body project with the goal of body transformation through weight loss. The mostly positive historical characterizations of dwarfs allowed them to easily adopt the tenets of the disability rights movement as they evolved from freak show performances to television as an educational platform. They have adopted a social model of disability, positive social identity, self-acceptance, and full social participation. By contrast, the past and contemporary representations of obesity have been overwhelmingly negative. Obese freak show performers were openly mocked, and classifying obesity as a disability has not yet gained traction as a civil rights movement. Instead, obesity is viewed through the lens of individual responsibility and limits of social participation are emphasized. Body modification through weight loss constructs an identity based on self-change. Generally, this article suggests that cultural representations as de-stigmatization projects are enabled or constrained by historical factors and the nature of the bodily stigma.
Who's Afraid of Reality Shows? Cohen, Jonathan; Weimann, Gabriel
Communication research,
06/2008, Letnik:
35, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This study explores the dynamics of social concern over reality shows. Couched in the theory of the influence of presumed influence, it is argued that the degree of concern over the effects of media ...mediates between beliefs in media power and people's responses to such beliefs. Survey data show that perceived influence is distinct from concern over effects. Furthermore, the authors show that perceived influence predicts willingness to censor reality shows but that, in addition to this direct effect, there is an indirect effect through the degree of concern over the effects of reality shows. This indirect effect adds to the overall predictive value of the model. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to explaining the influence of presumed influence.
Through a case study of reality TV mediation shows, this article joins the debate about the recent promotion of formal and informal mediation by the Chinese government, what some scholars have called ...a "turn against law" (Minzner 2011). We identify three converging reasons for the sudden popularity of mediation shows on Chinese primetime television: (1) the desire of TV producers to commercially exploit interpersonal conflicts without fanning the flames of social instability; (2) the demands of official censors for TV programming promoting a "harmonious society"; and (3) the requirement for courts and other government institutions to publicly demonstrate their support for mediation as the most "appropriate" method for resolving interpersonal and neighborhood disputes. Cases drawn from two top-rated mediation shows demonstrate how they privilege morality and "human feeling" (ganqing) over narrow application of the law. Such shows could be viewed merely as a form of propaganda, what Nader has called a "harmony ideology"—an attempt by the government to suppress the legitimate expression of social conflict. Yet while recognizing that further political, social, and legal reforms are necessary to address the root causes of social conflict in China, we conclude that TV mediation shows can help to educate viewers about the benefits and drawbacks of mediation for resolving certain narrow kinds of domestic and neighborhood disputes.
The reality television program Survivor is used as a teaching tool for presenting the prisoners' dilemma. Structural similarities between the format of reality television and game theory, rule-bound ...competitions with clear payoff, enable students to critically examine the strategies that contestants use, providing a clear pedagogical utility.
Theater audiences in the Low Countries in the fall of 2013 had the opportunity to see two concurrent productions of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night: a condensed adaptation directed by ...Peter Monsaert for Theater Antigone, Kortrijk, and a more traditional one directed by Ivo van Hove for Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Starting from the directorial concepts and scenographies of both productions, for which respectively Giovanni Vanhoenacker and Jan Versweyveld designed, this article explores earlier theater historical models and contemporary influences (Irving, Yeats, and Ibsen) in order to elucidate these productions' readjustments of O'Neill's tragic dramaturgy.
Audience measures serve as the basis on which billions of dollars of television advertising are purchased each year. However, these measures often fall short of providing marketers and media planners ...with information about the size of the audience that has the opportunity to see advertisements during commercial breaks. Although program audience measures remain relevant for product placement, the size of the gap between the audience potentially exposed to programming and the audience exposed to commercial breaks has implications for advertisers and networks, affecting decisions such as program selection and ad pricing. The authors use a full television season of live tuning data to study variation across programs in the size of the program audience and the size of the gap between the potential program audiences and the potential commercial audiences, which is found to exceed 20% of the program audience in some cases. Across program genres, the authors find that dramas have increased program popularity and reduced ad avoidance, whereas reality television experiences increased ad avoidance. The analysis reveals the importance of incorporating show-specific random effects because their omission can result in spurious attribution of differences in ad avoidance and program popularity to genre. The authors discuss the implications for networks and advertisers.
Estudamos a forma como o gênero musical manifesta-se na produção audiovisual nacional, discutindo suas heranças, cristalizações e deslocamentos quando reconhecemos contemporaneamente um reforço ...visual do momento da performance relacionada à música. Tomamos como hipótese central a possibilidade de definição de tal gênero através de um processo que reconhecemos como de dupla autorreferencialidade em relação ao elemento musical. Representando o que seria estritamente cinematográfico tomamos Os desafinados (2008). Situado na passagem entre o que se consagrou como programa televisivo e depois foi vertido num projeto de filme temos High school musical – o desafio (2010). Como terceiro exemplo, selecionamos o talent show de música Ídolos.
In The Drama of Reality Television: Lives of Youth in Liquid Modern Times, Danielle Ligocki shares the personal accounts of seven young people whose lives are being shaped by both reality television ...and the liquid modern time we are living in today.
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