The "Reality" of Reality TV

It is something that has been around for years, but recently I have noticed the hype around Reality TV has become pretty big in the UK again.

In the past year seen shows such as The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), Made in Chelsea (MIC) and Geordie Shore have taken the country by storm. But why? What is the big fascination with these "Real life" people? Or is it that exactly? I personally switch over to these shows because it gives me an escape from the routine day to day lives most of us lead and allows me to sink into a world of glitz, glamour and parties...or if you are living in Essex Fake Tans, Vajazzles and Marg.

Obviously we are going to get the synics, but anyone with a remote sense of humour will be taking these shows with a pinch of salt and accepting them for what they are. And why not? Its so refreshing to have a couple of hours a week when you can get stupidly excited to see whether Caggie and Spencer will finally get it together or will Mark and Lauren break up again?!

But why have these shows suddenly become so popular? Was there a huge gap in the market that was desperately craving Reality TV? Probably. Especially with that gaping hole in all our hearts following the loss of Big Brother on C4...But would these shows have been half as successful without the help of online sites such as Twitter and Facebook? And again i come back to the power of Social Media.

We now have the ability as the public to communicate with the celebs, stars and get immediate access to the latest news. Which is something we could have only dreamed of ten years ago. But not only does this brilliant invention allow the public to feel connected with the rich and famous, it also allows the producers of these Reality Shows to have immediate responses from its viewers. Something that can only give more power and control to give their publics what they know they want. Leading to bigger hype, bigger viewings and bigger publicity.

In terms of the PR around Reality TV, the control the industry has on these shows is massive. The fact we can now reach our target audience through Social Media also makes the job alot easier.
The hype surrounding Reality TV can be immediately analysed and controlled, allowing us to know what to give our publics as soon as they want it. This factor makes it easier to enhance the publicity surrounding these shows, because we know what our publics think and want.

It also shows how the public themselves have massive control over the fate of these shows thanks to Social Media, as we effectively decide their success with our open views and public opinions, leading to either success or failure. Essentially resulting in much more conversation and publicity than could ever have come from a tabloid or magazine article...