Rogers 1 Candace Rogers ENG 1102 Mia Eaker 13 March 2013

Annotated Bibliography Introduction: This annotated bibliography is a collection of sources that describe my line of inquiry: how real is reality TV and what are its effects? This research seeks to discover both the positive (if any) and negative effects of reality television, and why/how reality TV is staged the way it is. It is significant because it will help uncover what I need to know in order to research my line of inquiry and help me better explore my topic.

Nabi, Robin L. "Determining Dimensions Of Reality: A Concept Mapping Of The Reality TV Landscape." Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 51.2 (2007): 371390. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. The author describes that there are a number of genres and subgenres when it comes to reality TV, and gives many examples of different shows that fall into the same category. A few examples would be home improvement reality shows, dating reality shows, and competition reality shows. The break down of the different groups can help to determine the different aspects of what is real and what is not within the shows. Since they are different kinds of shows, they have to be planned or staged differently. Competition reality shows are much more likely to be less staged than dating shows because producers want to amplify the

Rogers 2 drama in dating shows to make them more interesting. The author does a study where she asks undergraduate students and people on jury duty to sort out topics of reality shows that they would deem appropriate. The younger group does a better job of reasoning the categories because they are the target audience of reality TV shows. They choose categories such as romance and drama to be main factors because thats what they are drawn to. This helps with my research because I want to discover what factors draw audiences in to reality TV. Nabis study gives a good indication of what the younger viewers want to see, thus making reality TV producers jobs easier by being able to turn up the drama and the romance. This source is credible because Robin Nabi is a professor of communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her research focuses on emotions influenced through media and decision-making processes. She has had many of her works published in communication journals, and has served on numerous editorial boards. Chiou, Lesley, and Mary Lopez. "The Reality of Reality Television: Does Reality TV Influence Local Crime Rates?" Economic Letters 108.3 (2010): 330-33. Sept. 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Authors Chiou and Lopez focus on a reality show, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which debuted on MTV in 2006. After the show aired, parents noticed that the crime rate seemed to have increased, as well as the number of sexual predators in the area. They also seem to think the school is more susceptible to school shootings, and that the drug and alcohol abuse rate is higher. They believe that the reality show is to blame for it. The authors conducted a

Rogers 3 study comparing Laguna Beach to its neighboring city, Dana Point and ultimately discover that the crime rate in Laguna Beach has increased in comparison to Dana Point. I found this article to be a good source because its a good demonstration of what reality TV can be linked to. It was actually proven that the crime rate increased, not necessarily because of the show, but of course parents who do not accept young teenagers being exposed will agree with the statistics. Lesley Chiou is a professor at the Department of Economics at Occidental College and her research is focused in three areas: retail, information and technology, and arts and media market. She has several articles she has written in each section. Mary Lopez is also a professor at Occidental College with plenty of research knowledge in entrepreneurship, immigration, and poverty. Jorissen, Allison, Ferraro, Richard, and Sandau, Nikki. "The Effect Of Thinness Promoting Reality TV Shows On Being At-Risk For An Eating Disorder." Psi Chi Journal Of Undergraduate Research 13.4 (2008): 164-167. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. This article focuses on reality TV shows and eating disorders. Shows such as Dr. 90210, Extreme Makeover, and The Biggest Loser all are related to the appearance of women (and men) and are more prone to causing eating disorders. The authors of this article did a study on college women and seeing if those who watch thinness promoting reality shows are more likely to have an eating disorder. It was shown that the at-risk group watches more thinness promoting shows and they watch them more frequently than the not at-risk group.

Rogers 4 I believe that this source helped me see that reality shows that promote thinness do have some sort of effect on people, specifically girls. Whether its to try to feel better about themselves or to make them want to be skinnier, it is still affecting them somehow. This could be detrimental to their health because they could develop an eating disorder from watching these kinds of influential shows too often. This source is credible because it is a peer reviewed scholarly journal by three students from The University of North Dakota in the honors psychology program. Mazzeo, Suzanne, Sara Trace, Karen Mitchell, and Rachel Gow. "Effects of a Reality TV Cosmetic Surgery Makeover Program on Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors." Eating Behaviors 8.3 (2007): 390-97. Aug. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. The authors of this article have conducted a study in which they have subjects watch either a cosmetic surgery reality TV show (The Swan) or an organizational reality TV show (Clean Sweep). Of course, the women who were in the cosmetic group were assessed to have lower self-esteem and more longing to be thin from the pressures of the media. It is once again proven that reality shows are associated with eating disorders/eating disordered attitudes. The purpose of this study was to show negative outcomes in reality television. I found this source to be useful because now I have more information to back up my claim that reality TV shows have more negative effects. Although I am not trying to make an argument, Im showing that facts state that reality shows do more harm than good. All of the authors are in the Department of Psychology at

Rogers 5 Virginia Commonwealth University and have done numerous studies in their field. "The Appeal Of Reality Television For Teen And Pre-Teen Audiences." Journal Of Advertising Research 51.1 (2011): 288-297. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. The main focus of this article is to show how much reality television is influencing the younger generation, how often they are exposed to it, and why it is appealing to them. The authors talk about connectedness- the relationship that the viewer has with the character, and how that is playing a role in teen and preteens lives. These characters become role models to these children and they emulate the same behavior as those in the reality shows. This could become dangerous as TV shows such as Jersey Shore demonstrate drinking and violence; things 8-12 year olds should not be exposed to at such a young age. This source helps because it demonstrates the effects that reality shows have on teenagers and pre-teenagers, which is an issue I wanted to focus on in my research. I dont think children should be exposed to shows like Jersey Shore and The Real World because all it is about is drinking; its the only way to stir up drama. These teens are going to have idols like Snooki, and she is definitely not role model material. Two of the authors of this article come from Loyola Marymount University and the other comes from Temple University. They have experience in their research and have other credible studies. Hsiou, Melody. "Harsh Reality: When Producers And Networks Should Be Liable For Negligence And Intentional Infliction Of Emotional Distress." Seton Hall Journal Of

Rogers 6 Sports & Entertainment Law 23.1 (2013): 187-220. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Hsiou focuses on what its like to be on the other side of reality television when she tells us about how reality TV has caused suicides for some of those who star in the shows. She explains how producers have been sued by participants for revealing private information, breach of confidence, and other contract violations. Reality shows should have limits on much they can reveal about its participants and how far they can push them, as to not cause them any physical or emotional harm. Of course, the shows wouldnt be as drama filled or interesting if that happened. Hsiou goes into detail about background information of reality television and liability laws. I think this article is a perfect reflection of what I want to write about. It gives you a kind of behind the scenes look at reality television and how far producers can go to get the exact scene they want. The damage reality TV shows can do is kind of disturbing; it has been blamed to be the main cause of divorces, familys being torn apart, and even suicides for those who participate in them. This is a credible source because it is a peer reviewed scholarly journal published in the Seton Hall Journal.

Reflection: The sources I looked up and used were all from the UNCC database. I used mainly all scholarly articles. I think those are the best kinds of sources to use because theyre the most credible and reliable, unlike websites where the authors just give their own biased opinions. The main problem I ran into was not knowing if I would be able to

Rogers 7 find enough substantial information. Luckily, I fixed that problem by trying different words in the advanced search bar. I had to add onto my line of inquiry; instead of just looking into how real reality TV is, I decided to research the effects of reality TV as well. I think that really helped because now I can find much more information on my topic, whereas before I was having a lot of trouble finding actual research. This helped me improve as a researcher because you have to try many different types of searches before you find credible information. I learned a lot more about navigating databases and PDF articles, which is a great skill to have. Overall, I had to face some obstacles, but they only helped better me as a researcher. Im hoping to discover even more about my line of inquiry as I continue to research and develop new ideas and questions.