From Publishers Weekly
In their fervent analysis of shows like Survivor and Big Brother, poet Brenton and former production assistant Cohen trace reality TV's roots-in the documentary, a medium meant to uncover injustices and effect social change; in docusoaps from the 1970s (e.g. The American Family), which shifted the focus from the social problem to the individual encounter; and in shows like Cops, which glorified a particular lifestyle-to argue that such programming has elevated the personal to "the level of grand narrative" in ways that are harmful to both participants and society. As overarching ideologies of political and social "truths" were being widely challenged and a new humanistic psychology, in which personal experience was king, became popular, the way was paved for reality TV. In 1992, MTV's The Real World gave a young audience a mirror to see itself, and lifestyle branding-later to worm its way into every corner of society through digital-, radio- and Internet-based advertising-was born anew. Sharply critical of reality TV, the authors poke holes in the idea of a participant's informed consent, challenge the efficacy of the psychotherapists involved in these "spectacles of extremity and cruelty," and take a fascinating look at the psychological parallels between reality TV game shows and tactics used during the Stanford Country Prison Experiment and even during war time for interrogation and torture. What's "real" is exactly what becomes confused as the microcosm of the contestant's isolated, fabricated world develops into a disturbing form of reality. This is a highly readable, energetic examination of a prime-time phenomenon.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Who supposed that Survivor had such significance? Brenton and Cohen's scholarly treatise analyzes the rise of reality television in America and Europe. It argues that these astonishingly successful programs--part game shows, part documentaries, part shameless appeals to Schadenfreude-- show us a lot about deep changes in TV and viewers' values. From the psychological ramifications of being filmed in a controlled, competitive environment to the way that reality TV and blanket news coverage have shaped our understanding of another dramatic competition--war--the authors cleverly extract a series of revelations. They finally show that viewers aren't just voting people out of the Big Brother house but, while watching the show, living in the same mundane, controlled environment as the contestants. While this in-depth study may bore the average I'm a Celebrity . . . Get me Out of Here! fan, its witty asides and pleasing mixture of cinematic history and social analysis will engage those who fancy themselves too sophisticated for The Bachelor-- but can't stop watching it. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
