I. What is “Reality”A. If it was an accurate sense of reality, there would be no media effectsB. Multiple Dimensions of what is “Real”1. Factuality Did this actually happen?2. Plausibility Could this happen the way in which it’s presenteda) We could be talking about something plausible but not factualb) We could be talking about something factual but not plausible3. Typicality Do things usually happen this waya) Ex. News Real in a factual and plausible way however not real in a typical way If typical it would not be news worthy4. Emotionality Are the characters emotionally real? Do we connect emotionally with the characters5. 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 televisionC. Developmental Differences1. At a young age we are still developing these dimensionsa) Children look at the TV and see an “magic window”(1) Believe everything they see on television is actually happening somewhereII. Next-Step RealityA. Apply different dimensions to different genres to assist in making sense of what we are watching1. We want content grounded in some reality in some dimension2. We also want TV to give us a next step that is unrealistic in some dimension of realityB. What’s the appeal?1. Dominates the fictional and non-fictional content2. Why some realism is necessary?a) Makes content relatableb) Creates a frame of referencec) Assists in connecting us with characters3. Why Total Realism is not attractivea) It is boring we want an escape from realityIII. Reality TelevisionA. 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 scriptedB. Why do we watch? Why successful?1. Cheaper to producenot worried about quality2. We watch because of the “reality” aspect and that we believe these are in fact real people3. Information-seeking: we look to television to find information about the uncertainties that are to comea) Tend to watch shows with characters who are a little bit older than us to find answersb) 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 powerfulC. How real is it?1. Most people understand Reality TV is not typical or plausible BUT believe it to be factuala) The people we see are generally presented in an unreal, non-factual 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 wentTEL-T205 1st Edition Lecture 5The One Where Things Are About To Get RealI. What is “Reality”A. If it was an accurate sense of reality, there would be no media effectsB. Multiple Dimensions of what is “Real”1. Factuality Did this actually happen?2. Plausibility Could this happen the way in which it’s presenteda) We could be talking about something plausible but not factual b) We could be talking about something factual but not plausible3. Typicality Do things usually happen this way a) Ex. News Real in a factual and plausible way however not realin a typical way If typical it would not be news worthy4. Emotionality Are the characters emotionally real? Do we connect emotionally with the characters5. 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 C. Developmental DifferencesThese 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 dimensionsa) Children look at the TV and see an “magic window”(1) Believe everything they see on television is actually happening somewhereII. Next-Step RealityA. Apply different dimensions to different genres to assist in making sense of whatwe are watching1. We want content grounded in some reality in some dimension2. We also want TV to give us a next step that is unrealistic in some dimension of realityB. What’s the appeal?1. Dominates the fictional and non-fictional content2. Why some realism is necessary?a) Makes content relatable b) Creates a frame of reference c) Assists in connecting us with characters3. Why Total Realism is not attractive a) It is boring we want an escape from realityIII. Reality TelevisionA. 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 quality2. We watch because of the “reality” aspect and that we believe these are in fact real people3. Information-seeking: we look to television to find information about theuncertainties that are to come a) Tend to watch shows with characters who are a little bit older than us to find answersb) 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 powerfulC. 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, non-factual 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