Informative Essay: The Jersey Shore Reality TV Show
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The Jersey Shore was a reality television show aired on MTV from 2009 to 2012. The show followed around 8 housemates as they partied, fought, engaged in inebriated intercourse, vacationed and worked their summer at the Jersey Shore. The cast members included Pauly D, JWoww, Snooki, Mike, Ronnie, Sammi, Vinny, Angelina and Deena.
The reality television show the “Jersey Shore” is entirely contradictory and centered around vanity, violence and sexual conduct. The significant patterns that emerged from the “Jersey Shore” during the description stage of this paper are apparent and glaring obvious. The patterns include masculinity, risky sexual behavior, gender roles, chauvinism, ethnic identity, violence, privilege, exclusion, vacation and the consumption…show more content… The characters appear and strive to have normative appeal. Reality-based programs produced by industrial elites are highly profitable and thus easy to create and distribute. The programs cost very little to generate and spawn large and wide audiences. Moreover, the plot of most reality t.v. shows are very underdeveloped, in order to create “reality”. Very few active camera men are present throughout the show and the use of security-like footage is often used, giving us the feeling of almost spying on the goings-on of the cast members. (Campbell, Martin, Fabos, & Campbell, 2002, p. 163). Each character, although exaggerated, has relatable attributes that viewers bond with, which is imperative in a series success or failure. Many viewers may not agree with the way the male cast members treat women or the way that the female cast members present themselves but we keep coming back for more, because for all of the cast’s downfalls, we can relate and cheer for them when they make good decisions.…show more content… show titled “Girls” states that ***she believes she is the voice and representation of her generation.*** "I think I may be the voice of my generation," only to retreat instantly behind the modification: "or at least a voice … of a generation." (Maasik, Solomon, & Hu, 1994, p. 305). The cast members of the “Jersey Shore” additionally believe that they are representations of Italian culture and of young adults. Moreover, the show presents us with the false representation of the young adult lifestyle. We know that the media is a highly influential force in our lives. We are surrounded by media-created messages on a daily basis. A reality-show like the “Jersey Shore,” is very harmful to society in highlighting typically looked-down upon actions and then com-modifying these actions. Other reality-based t.v. shows like “16 and pregnant,” have mildly educational values in the fact that they showcase the massive dilemmas of having premarital and unprotected sexual relationships and the ramifications of those actions. What we see with the “Jersey Shore,” is the presentation of sex, alcohol consumption, tanning, materialism, and fighting. There is absolutely no educational or moral value in the “Jersey Shore.”
Reality-based programming was actually inspired by “The Real World,” which began in 1992, and is the longest running show on MTV. “The Real World” influenced the structure