Research Prospectus: Reality Television

Reality television has been around for at least twenty or so years. This type of live television just mesmerizes the viewer into wanting more. Now in the 2000s, reality television has become more addictive than ever. It has even turned your ordinary person, into a household name capable of being recognized by a person within a mile away. Just three years ago when you heard a Nicole Polizzi, you probably would have thought just another generic name with an Italian last name. In 2011 when you say Nicole Polizzi, everyone knows who that is: Snooki. It is just amazing how the average person becomes so involved in the everyday life of the average person. Just seeing a married couple fight on television is enough to just make you stand in front of the television and glance at the screen amazed with the action. That is what makes reality television so addicting, and such a fascinating topic to learn and discover more about. Why is it that these people receive so much attention? Is it perhaps because we can see ourselves in their situations, we can relate with their struggles, or is it their antics that just defy normal cultural conventions. That is why I want to know how effective is it to be a reality television star and become a marketable brand in the entertainment industry.

Of course it is such a vast market of people, so I am going to focus on a little family called the Kardashians. The Kardashians have been around for less than a decade and already they are taking the world by storm. Nobody really knew who this family was, only that their father was a big name lawyer who worked on the O.J. Simpson case, and that the matriarch of the family married Bruce Jenner an Olympic gold medalist. Now when you say ”Kardashians”, the names that pop into your mind is Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kris, and Robert. How is it that this family became so big due to a simple reality show? And that will be the focus of this research, to find out how effective their careers are due to their fame and branding. Yet a problem could be how sometimes stars become fads in a matter of seconds. This can be a problem facing the Kardashians. If their reality show ends, will their fame also plummet as well? Or are they capable of being so marketable and likeable that even without a reality show, they are capable of maintain their fame five, ten, fifteen years down the line. There is so much research that can be done about the Kardashians. These girls have a business, Dash, and you can examine how their little boutique has expanding in business since the beginning of their fame. Also Kim Kardashian has been an up and rising model since her fame began. To examine how her modeling career has expanded and who she has worked with can also benefit how their television fame is capable of booking them jobs.

Sources for referencing include the book “Understanding Reality Television,” which will help to see how reality television first began and how it has branched out since its initial inception. “How real is reality TV?” are a compile of essays which help to illustrate how some television shows may be portraying accurate information of the lives of these stars, or if they are manipulated to act a certain way because of ratings or money. “Reality TV: Audiences and popular factual television” will help to realize how reality television influences the lives of the television viewer. Such as if the audience repeats a catch phrase and mixes it into their vocabulary, if a certain fashion worn by these individuals’ crosses into the wardrobe of the viewer. Reality television is just a way to feel as if your life is normal and to make you feel even more secure about your actions. You leave your living room going, “thank god I’m not that stupid.” It is just a clarification of your own intelligence and social standards compared to this individual who is in an unnatural situation.