IMPACT OF TELEVISION REALITY SHOWS ON THE YOUTH OF BANGALORE, KARNATAKA

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1 Carmelight, 13(1): , 2017 p-issn e-issn IMPACT OF TELEVISION REALITY SHOWS ON THE YOUTH OF BANGALORE, KARNATAKA SIVAKAMI R 1, P. S.N. MEHFISHA, PAVITHRA I R 2 1 Mount Carmel Colleges, Bangalore Department of Commerce 2 rpavithra1@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents ostensibly unscripted real-life situations, and often features an otherwise unknown cast. It differs from documentary television in that the focus tends to be on drama and personal conflict, rather than simply educating viewers. Reality TV programs also often bring participants into situations and environments that they would otherwise never be a part of. The genre has various standard tropes, including "confessionals" used by cast members to express their thoughts, which often double as the shows' narration. In competition-based reality shows, a notable subset, there are other common elements such as one participant being eliminated per episode, a panel of judges, and the concept of immunity from elimination. Reality shows conducted on television have a tremendous impact on the society and the young minds. The study s main research question was to what extents do the reality shows influence the youth in positive and negative manners? Youth includes all those who fall within the category of 14 to 29 years of age in Bangalore city of Karnataka. Reality television consists of programs which purport to showcase people appearing as themselves in a variety of different contexts and scenarios. Many reality programs revolve around competitions; others feature celebrities in their day to day lives. There are shows that centre on small groups of otherwise unknown people, probing their interactions with one another, to help come in the limelight and gain fame. One would also find shows that focus on teen pregnancy and the lives of teen moms. Whatever form these reality shows take, they seek to create entertainment from the uncertainty of unscripted moments and events. They also present 124

2 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka shocking, awkward or otherwise inflammatory situations a consistent and common characteristic of most reality programming. Many of these shows are edited to create a specific theme or outcome, making them less reality. This is currently a debatable topic, the extent to which these reality shows are scripted. IMPACT OF MEDIA The media put our environment in perspective by giving its many aspects, various meaning and explanations. They help establish our agendas by giving us things to think and talk about; they help us become socialised into our communities and political system and to participate in change when necessary; and they help us cope with or escape from life s realities in a wide variety of ways. Reality television broke the monotony to create interesting concepts and innovative ideas that made them stand out from the regular shows. With the worldwide small screen sector coming up with new concepts for reality shows, India too is in the race to come up with good concepts. Every day on television, some new reality shows are being introduced, enabling the viewers to choose to pick one from many shows. Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Many people like to think that these shows are a new thing that started within the last two decades. However, reality TV started on the radio in 1947, with a program called Candid Microphone. The concept was, using a hidden microphone; the creator would set up funny scenarios with ordinary people, recording their responses. Eventually, the show made onto TV, changing the name to Candid Camera, which stayed on the air for almost five decades. Reality television shows have been a hit since. But, within the last decade or so they ve overwhelmed the airwaves. 125

3 Some of the important studies reported on reality shows are as under: Grey s Anatomy (Rhimes, 2005) on its viewers. His study concluded that heavy viewers of Grey s Anatomy (Rhimes, 2005) perceived real-world doctors to be courageous. Studies such as Quick s (2009) are examples of how research surrounding the cultivation theory has expanded to include the exploration of program content and how it can impact a viewer s perception. Nevertheless, the expansion of research derived from the cultivation theory may not have been approved of by Gerbner (Morgan & Shanahan, 2010). According to Gerbner, the cultivation theory applies to the 11 effects of total television viewing and not genre or program specific viewing (as cited in Quick, 2009, p. 50). Gerbner s belief has been criticized by other researchers who have proposed that genre-specific programs explain more variance in outcome variables of interest than total television viewing (Quick, 2009, p. 50). Among many, Quick (2009) felt that the types of programs viewed and how often these specific shows were viewed offered greater insight into television s ability to influence the perceptions and attitudes of its viewers. Research on the cultivation theory has included both total television viewing effects among heavy viewers, for example, the studies of Gaddy (1986), Hancox (2005) and Mielke (1994), and program specific viewing among heavy viewers, such as Quick s (2009). There is no research, however, that uses the cultivation theory to examine the heavy consumption of reality television. Since reality programming is the latest television trend, mostly watched by teenagers and young adults, research on how it influences the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of this age group is needed. Using the cultivation theory, this study looks specifically at the perceptions inner-city high school students maintain about the prominent educational messages found in reality television shows and how it influences their attitudes about education. The cultivation theory is the best theory to use when exploring the relationship between heavy television viewing and attitudes. PROBLEM STATEMENT: IMPACT OF TELEVISION REALITY SHOWS ON THE YOUTH OF BANGALORE Indian television industry is now full of reality shows and most of the shows have become controversial due to some scenes or episodes which abuses the traditional and cultural values of the country. Different people have different viewpoints on this but the impact of these

4 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka reality shows can be seen today. Reality programmes revolve around competitions or celebrities lives. They seek to create entertainment from the uncertainty of unscripted moments or events. The main objective of this Research is to determine what kind of impact these reality shows have on the youth. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Identify the various types of television programmes watched by the respondents. Study the impact of reality shows on the youth of Bangalore. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The youth have to understand to what extent Reality Television shows have an impact on them either positively or negatively. The scope of the study comes under the selected area in the Bangalore city. To conduct a survey, we selected few popular Television programmes watched by the youth like Indian Idol, Master Chef, Comedy Circus. Quantitative research method has been adopted for this survey. Primary Data Primary data has been collected by the method of survey. Questionnaire was made and filled online by the respondents. The questionnaire was prepared to understand the awareness and impact of reality shows on This method acts as a great source or a facility for the collection of the data from the diverse and scattered group of people. A questionnaire consists of a variety of the questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form which are mailed or distributed, further to the respondents. 75 questionnaires were sent online to the respondents. Secondary data Secondary Data has been collected from Internet. 127

5 The responses were then analysed and data has been interpreted as to the effect of reality television shows on youth based on the data collected. RESEARCH DESIGN The research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the different components of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, ensuring you will effectively address the researchproblem; it constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis of data. COHORT DESIGN A cohort study generally refers to a study conducted over a period of time involving members of a population which the subject or representative member comes from, and who are united by some commonality or similarity. Using a quantitative framework, a cohort study makes note of statistical occurrence within a specialized subgroup, united by same or similar characteristics that are relevant to the research problem being investigated, rather than studying statistical occurrence within the general population. Using a qualitative framework, cohort studies generally gather data using methods of observation. Sampling design 75 samples have been selected in various areas of Bangalore like Vasanth Nagar, Indra Nagar and Malleshwaram. The sampling method used is Convenience sampling. Convenience sampling was employed to collect the data from various respondents. A statistical method of drawing representative data by selecting people because of the ease of their volunteering or selecting units because of their availability or easy access. The advantages of this type of sampling are the availability and the quickness with which data can be gathered. Many respondents in our around colleges and shopping malls have been surveyed for this study by distributing the questionnaires. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Age Group Number of Respondents

6 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka Out of the total sample considered for the research, the highest number of respondents fell within the category of age group. This depicts, youth formed a major part of our respondents hour or less Hours hours or more 8 Hours spend on watching television Number 129

7 Out of the sample considered, the maximum number respondents i.e. 36 of them spend 1 3 hours watching TV on an average weekday. This shows that many people do spend a considerable amount of time watching television. 3. Rank the programmes according to the order of preference. (List by numbers with 1 as highest and 4 lowest) PROGRAMMES WATCHED MOST OFTEN

8 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka PROGRAMME HIGHEST NUMBER News/Documentary 31 Sports 20 TV drama/ Comedy/Movies 23 Talk Show 25 Source: Primary Data This depicts that news is watched the most followed by talk shows, TV drama, comedy and sports. A lot of importance is given to news and documentary since they are informative and important. 4. Rank the reality shows according to the order of preference. (List by numbers with 1 as highest and 6 lowest) REALITY SHOWS HIGHEST NUMBER Master Chef-Indian 19 Indian Idol

9 Nach Baliye 19 Comedy Circus 20 Satyamev Jayate 36 Source: Primary Data

10 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka This depicts that most of the viewers watch Satyamev Jayate followed by Master Chef, Indian Idol, Nach Baliye and Comedy Circus. 5. I enjoy watching reality show Number 133

11 Strongly Disagree 9 Disagree 4 Neutral 22 Agree 32 Strongly Agree 7 Source: Primary Data Highest number of respondents i.e. 43.2% enjoy watching reality television. This shows that reality television is a source of entertainment to many. 6. I Get Addicted to reality shows Number Strongly Disagree 13 Disagree 14 Neutral 33 Agree 17 Strongly Agree 7 Source : Primary Data

12 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka Maximum number of respondents i.e. 22 of them are neutral at the fact of getting addicted to reality shows. This shows that many do get addicted to reality shows but it remains balanced. Few do watch them, but do not get addicted much. 7. SHOWS ARE COMPLETELY SCRIPTED AND NOT TRUE Number Strongly Disagree 3 Disagree 8 Neutral 20 Agree 29 Strongly Agree 12 Source: Primary Data 135

13 The maximum percentage i.e. 40.3% of respondents agree that reality shows are completely scripted. This depicts that most of them feel that all that is screened has been scripted and nothing as such is reality and true. 8. Shows motivate me to improve on my Skills Number Strongly Disagree 9 Disagree 14 Neutral 27 Agree 18 Strongly Agree % of the respondents i.e. the maximum are neutral with the fact that reality shows motivate them to improve on personal skills. This shows that not always does reality shows act as a source of motivation to improve skills and talents.

14 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka 9. I WATCH REALITY SHOW NUMBER TO DISCUSS WITH OTHERS Strongly Disagree 13 Disagree 22 Neutral 25 Agree 11 Strongly Agree 0 The maximum percentage of respondents i.e. 35.2% are neutral that they watch reality television to discuss what happened on the show with other people. This shows that it is not out of pure interest to watch reality shows but just to be updated and fit with the group, many watch them. 10. REALITY SHOWS CAN RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS NUMBER Strongly Disagree

15 Disagree 10 Neutral 25 Agree 18 Strongly Agree 3 Source: Primary Data Maximum number of respondents i.e. 34.7% are neutral that reality television is watched by them since they can relate to the participants. This depicts that many of the viewers feel that they can relate to the talents and aspirations of the participants, while it does not leave such a great impact on others. 11. REALTIY SHOWS OFTEN LEAD TO AGRUMENT WITH OTHERS NUMBER Strongly Disagree 11

16 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka Disagree 9 Neutral 16 Agree 31 Strongly Agree 4 Source: Primary Data Maximum number of respondents i.e. 31 of them feel that when they speak about reality shows with others, they get into arguments sometimes. This depicts that many of them begin to personally relate to some shows and participants and may not accept any comments from others on their likes. This leads to quick quarrels sometimes. 12. REALITY SHOWS MAKES ME WANT TO BE ON REALITY SHOW ONE DAY NUMBER Strongly Disagree

17 Disagree 10 Neutral 20 Agree 23 Strongly Agree 6 Source: Primary Data Maximum number of respondents i.e. 23 agree that reality television makes them want to be on a reality show one day. This proves that reality shows inspire many viewers to come out and showcase their talents and wish to be on big shows some day. 13. REALITY SHOWS SHOLUD HUNT FOR BETTER TALENT, FOCUS ON NUMBER

18 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka THE TALENT AND REDUCE THE DRAMA Strongly Disagree 3 Disagree 0 Neutral 13 Agree 31 Strongly Agree 24 Source: Primary Data Maximum number of respondents i.e. 43.7% agree that reality shows should hunt for better talent, focus on it and reduce the drama. This depicts that many feel reality shows have become a drama stage rather than showcasing reality, as the name says. This may be in a hunt to increase the TRP or popularity. 14. REALITY SHOWS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED IN INDIA NUMBER Strongly Disagree 8 Disagree 4 Neutral

19 Agree 30 Strongly Agree 13 Source: Primary Data 41.7% of the respondents agree on the fact that more reality shows should be encouraged in India. This shows that many look for new, innovative reality shows that are interesting and have better talents coming to the limelight. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION From the data analysis and interpretation, it can be concluded that many respondents spend a considerable time watching TV and reality shows do have an impact on youth. A lot of talk shows, news channels and reality shows have gained increasing viewership. In India, shows like Satyamev Jayate, Nach Baliye have become popular. Many young adults and youth enjoy watching reality shows and get addicted to it but at the same time many feel that Reality shows are scripted and not true. Few watch it just for discussion and often get into arguments in this regard. A majority of youth relate to the participants and are motivated to improve on their skills to get a chance in the huge platform. They feel more reality shows should be encouraged in India. Hence it is found that there is a good viewership for Reality shows amongst the youth but they should be made less controversial and drama based and should focus on real talent hunt.

20 Impact Of Television Reality Shows On The Youth Of Bangalore, Karnataka XIII.GLOSSARY COHORT: In statistics and demography, a cohort is a group of subjects who have shared a particular event together during a particular time span. TRP: Television Rating Point (TRP) is a tool provided to judge which programmes are viewed the most. This gives us an index of the choice of the people and also the popularity of a particular channel. For calculation purpose, a device is attached to the TV set in a few thousand viewers' houses for judging purpose. BIBLIOGRAPHY A_Study_in_Gulbarga_City =u&source=univ&sa=x&ei=4uj8vlramyoxuasg7ikwda&ved=0cesqsaq

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