TEL T205 1st Edition Lecture 5 The One Where Things Are About To Get Real I What is Reality A If it was an accurate sense of reality there would be no media effects B Multiple Dimensions of what is Real 1 Factuality Did this actually happen 2 Plausibility Could this happen the way in which it s presented 3 a We could be talking about something plausible but not factual b We could be talking about something factual but not plausible Typicality Do things usually happen this way a Ex News Real in a factual and plausible way however not real in a typical way If typical it would not be news worthy 4 Emotionality Are the characters emotionally real Do we connect emotionally with the characters C 5 Narrative Consistency Do they follow the rules of the narrative 6 Perceptual Persuasiveness Do things look and sound real a CSI makes dead bodies look more unrealistic because of human perception Humans would not think a real dead body looks realistic on television Developmental Differences These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute 1 At a young age we are still developing these dimensions a Children look at the TV and see an magic window 1 Believe everything they see on television is actually happening somewhere II Next Step Reality A Apply different dimensions to different genres to assist in making sense of what we are watching 1 B We want content grounded in some reality in some dimension 2 We also want TV to give us a next step that is unrealistic in some dimension of reality What s the appeal 1 Dominates the fictional and non fictional content 2 Why some realism is necessary 3 a Makes content relatable b Creates a frame of reference c Assists in connecting us with characters Why Total Realism is not attractive a III It is boring we want an escape from reality Reality Television A Content that is about real people They are not playing roles the person they are off screen is who they are on screen Also not scripted B Why do we watch Why successful 1 Cheaper to produce not worried about quality 2 We watch because of the reality aspect and that we believe these are in fact real people 3 Information seeking we look to television to find information about the uncertainties that are to come a Tend to watch shows with characters who are a little bit older than us to find answers b When people are real information seeking is enhanced 1 Experience carries more of an impact 2 Voyeurism watching someone they don t know they are being watched a Useful to see them in their natural state makes the information more legitimate 3 Social Comparison more valuable when comparing yourself to real people in society a Makes the information more gratifying and powerful C How real is it 1 Most people understand Reality TV is not typical or plausible BUT believe it to be factual a The people we see are generally presented in an unreal nonfactual way 1 Editing 24 hour footage condensed into 1 hour of programming can be edited in almost any way in which you would like a Can do many things with that footage to make up your own story of how the 24 hours went