Negotiating the ‘Real’ in ‘Reality TV’: Production Side Discourses on Authenticity and Realism in Reality Shows

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Popular Communication Interactive Paper Session

Abstract

Questions of 'reality' and 'realism'have been lying at the heart of the discourses emanating from and surrounding the global proliferation of so-called ‘reality TV’ programming. The purpose of this article is not to engage in a fundamental philosophical reflection on the notion of ‘reality’ but rather to provide a theoretically informed discussion of how it is deployed and negotiated in the discourses of those who are involved in the production of ‘reality TV’. Our analysis is grounded in the concepts and insights provided in the literature within the domains of documentary studies and popular culture, which are integrated with insights emerging from in-depth interviews with 47 professionals and participants of ‘reality’-shows.

Author

• Jelle Mast, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)