Annotations on Better living through reality TV

Better living through reality TV by Susan Murray & Laurie Ouelette

TV's Constitutions of Citizenship The chapter six - TV’s constitution of Citizenship is about how Reality Tv has replaced the actual governance and its constitution. Reality TV now molts current government such as households, neighborhoods, workplaces and other social structures, drawing set of rules, strategies, stereotypes how to improve or “teach” the viewer into becoming more efficient part of society – “good”, productive and responsible citizen. The educational and entertainment function of Reality TV has expanded to actual commitment or reinventing viewers' own set of rights and freedoms. Popular TV broadcasting games, related to the subject have been examined and dissected. For instance TV shows as Survivor, The Apprentice and Top Chief could be highlighted as an example of games of group governance. Types of social, behavioral experiments, where players have to share collective sense or taking part of community. Paradoxically only one is about to win the game, the one who become the most “self-actualized” citizen. Meanwhile reality formats such as Wife Swap and Supernanny focus on modifying one’s constitution or set up rules and order in the house and family. This links directly to the contemporary TV attempt of approving technology of the self or the constitution of the self.

Playing TV’s democracy game The chapter seven “Playing TV’s democracy game” highlights different technologies of testing group and self governance. It also rises open – ended questions/parallels about the democracy, democracy function in the society and fairness of the present TV ; is the new contemporary form of TV changed to “more democratic” mode or ? The present TV allows the citizens - viewers to enter and change their own governance. Within the current technological achievements TV has became accessible in a way that the viewer has the right or freedom to create his/hers own content. Such an examples are emerged web-TV initiatives as YouTube, Democracy Player, Current TV, where the main motto is "Broadcast Yourself". The notion of the new form of TV encourages interactivity or active participation of the viewer. Now viewer could choose from multi channels, using the remote control device… empower to vote or even judge for the final outcome of the show.
The counting system and being counted used common methods of examining on viewer’s behavior in comparison with the real voting system of elections.