The Internet is a great place to find just about anything that you might be looking for. And while this usually results in searches for people doing stupid things to themselves on video sites like YouTube, every so often it involves looking up reality shows. Now, you can watch reality shows on sites like Hulu, and you can read up on people’s real lives through their blogs (like this one!). Overall, there might never have been a more “real” medium than the Internet. But is there anything to this besides people showing off their egos about their boring lives, and advertisers trying to make a buck from the content? How big is reality on the Internet, and is it the same as reality shows on TV?
Some people would say that reality TV and reality on the Internet are two completely different things. After all, TV is a medium that is produced by professionals, and is almost exclusively the domain of large companies. By contrast, the Internet has become as much about the contribution of the individual (to say nothing of the individual’s ego veneration) as it is about the advertising and sales efforts of major companies. While reality shows are all about the extremes in life, blogs and status messages tend to be celebrations of the mundane and the ordinary. No two things could be further apart, while sharing such similar titles.
But on the other hand, some would say that reality TV and the Internet really are the same thing. After all, isn’t it all about watching (or reading about) other people, and how they respond to situations? After all, we are a species that likes to observe, so that we can avoid making mistakes and be sure to do the most rewarded things. It is always easier to learn through someone else than it is to experience everything for yourself. It is also entertaining when they try to do well and fail.