‘X Factor’ – do audiences care that reality television isn’t real?
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While sitting in on a talk given by Peter Ogden (TV Producer of X Factor), I felt compelled and provoked to consider reality television, in particular X Factor, in more detail. Unfortunately, despite Ogden being extremely talented within his job, he specialised in the production side of the programme. I found this interesting, but aside from the actual production process I prefer investigating how it all relates to the consumers and how the decisions made affects the audience’s response.
I understand the hype surrounding Reality Television to an extent and I don’t really watch any religiously, but admittedly when Big Brother was on I would watch the first episode so that I would have some sort of knowledge to verbalise in social situations whenever the topic arose. 
This in itself shows just how much of an impact these programmes have on society and despite being one of those pessimistic critical consumers that annoys everyone; I will not deny that I have fallen for the addictive nature of this genre on numerous occasions. The consistent popularity is in spite of the negative press that shows like X Factor have received, such as audition vocals being auto-tuned and voting being fixed etc. Stories such as these make me and no doubt others beg the question – how much of these reality shows is actually real? With the new breed of reality television such as The Only Way is Essex and The Hills legally having to broadcast with disclaimers, consumers are being shown narratives that are increasingly furthering themselves from the reality genre. These programmes are essentially dramas posing as reality shows, gaining a fresh new audience and therefore generating a lot more interest in dramas for many ungratified generations.
The main vexation I have with these programmes is the resulting new brand of celebrities that has been born and that many have termed “DIY Celebrities”. The fact that literally any ordinary person can apply to be broadcasted through this voyeuristic hybrid media form and achieve a level of fame and potential stardom seems, well, ridiculous. There is no obvious reason for their new found iconic persona like talent or intelligence as with the majority of famous people (e.g. singers, actors/actresses), but it seems the need is redundant as there is a constant public fascination with the whole ‘rise-to-riches’ narrative. Examples of this within the X Factor are successful contestants Susan Boyle and Alexandra Burke. The latter grew up in an impoverished background, whereas Boyle grew up in a council house as well as dealing with learning difficulties and bullying within the educational establishments she attended. This proved to be endearing to the public as they were such enduring figures, making the audience feel emotions such as “if they can do it, so can I!”
As Professor Skeggs cynically but truthfully states; ‘It’s a fantasy of another life in a country where social mobility is non-existent. The idea that people like Susan Boyle can overcome hardship because we’re voting for her makes it look like meritocracy is really possible.” The audience embrace the sense of control they get from voting on these programmes, feeling that they are putting right wider social wrongs by voting. As ever
yday life is being shaped by forces beyond our control (government/job losses etc.), the ability to vote gives us (the audience) back a much needed sense of urgency. Audiences get exceedingly involved with reality television, particularly as it seems to give some a dramatic narrative in their life that they otherwise may not have. This is why having it weekly has been successful, as it becomes part of people’s routine and part of people’s lives.
Perhaps with the existing and increasing dominance of social networking sites (such as Facebook and Twitter) where statuses are shared and the importance of ‘real’ friendships has seemingly been lost, audiences feel more comfortable engaging with someone through screen as oppose to in the same room. It is reported that half of the viewers say they watch the X Factor as an opportunity to spend time with the family. This in some ways is positive, but to me does it not seem worrying we need a television programme like this to bring families together? I know traditions have changed and technology now impinges on every part of children’s lives, but surely a shared audience experience is hardly family bonding? Sure, conversation could easily bounce around during and after viewing these programmes, but with half of the viewers watching it for mainly this reason, I can’t help question the impact it may be having on the basic and fundamental elements of family relations. Obviously television has been for years and is still useful for bringing people together or heightening awareness’s, but I feel this should not be relied upon in order to spend time with one’s family… Call me traditional, but I still feel there is a need for things like board and card games for children growing up. Afterall, Monopoly will teach them more about the reality and pragmatism of money than X Factor will!
Bibliography
Book:
‘Reality TV – Realism and Revelation’ – Anita Biressi and Heather Nunn
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/nov/21/why-reality-tv-works
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/dec/13/the-x-factor-voting
http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/lifestyle/2010/10/17/how-real-is-reality-tv/
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