True Story: What Reality TV Says about Us

by Danielle J. Lindemann

Though we’re not all storming the Capitol with zip ties in hand, there are other connections between the material on these shows and how we engage with the world. One study of nearly five hundred adolescents over three years found that girls who watched Temptation Island, The Bachelor, or Joe Millionaire were more likely to communicate with one another about sexuality and that boys who watched were more likely to be sexually active.23 Other research has found that watching programs such as Real Housewives, 16 and Pregnant, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians was connected to young adults’ ideas about gender and relationships. For instance, “heavy viewers” of these shows “were more likely to think females in the real world engage in inappropriate behaviors (e.g., arguing, gossip) more than males.”24 These viewers were also more likely to overestimate the extent to which real-life romantic relationships involve conflict.25 Another study found that people who heavily consumed TV shows, like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, “that valorize and regularly portray wealth, fame, and luxury” are “significantly more materialistic and anti-welfare than lighter consumers.”26 Viewers of reality TV are more likely than nonviewers to have one-night stands;27 to use tanning lamps and to tan outdoors;28 to drink alcohol;29 to go hot-tubbing on dates;30 and to engage in online activity such as blogging, video sharing, and social media use.