Reality Television and Human Communication

Since the beginning of time, television has evolved tremendously. It went from black and white re-runs to DVRs. People are now able to record their shows and watch it later at their convenience without commercials. Television competes with the streaming networks like Hulu and Netflix. Many people have been turning toward streaming networks rather than regular television because it is more affordable, there are not any ads, and they are able to binge watch seasons of the show of their choice back to back without any interruptions. Streaming networks like Netflix have decided to raise the price for their streaming services. The reason is because these networks are becoming more well known and used more than regular cable. This is especially true when it comes to kids and young adults. Many people enjoy binge watching a season of a show and then talking about it to their peers the next day. Many reality shows tend to exaggerate life. These reality shows show scripted real-life situations. It aims to show how ordinary people behave yet, it does not work like that. These shows are interesting because of the “drama” on it. Reality television has changed the way we understand human communication in a way that our view on life sometimes become distorted. Many reality shows paint pictures in the heads of young adults of living lavish to have fun, or partying/ getting drunk to enjoy hanging out, or even always having to look your best regardless of the situation. In the New York Times article, Disney is thinking about not allowing streaming sites to be able to stream their shows because they feel as if they need to join in on the streaming age. The age of streaming has started and many channels want to be apart of the switch. “The Messy, Confusing Future Of The Tv?” by Kevin Roose, brought up an interesting point when he said that all the streaming networks should combine and become one giant bundle. Logically, it would not make sense because the bundle would make the streaming networks lose money. But if the consumer were kept in mind, it would be a great idea. People might not be able to afford all the streaming subscriptions and might have to pick which one they want the most.

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