Big Brother and reality shows: valuable service or complete rubbish?

Reality shows is a controversial issue since they appeared on television in the 90’s. They have been defended as a scientific experiment, which results are worthy to observe. They have also been strongly criticised because of the artificial behaviour of the participants, and the values they promote. We will try to analyse both sides of the coin.

One of the positive sides of realities is the use and development of strategies while playing. In the words of a participant of Big Brother Africa, “Big Brother house is a positive prison”. The easy access to popularity and jobs in the TV and theatres are just some benefits of the reality. People who are studying to be actors, models, singers or people who just want to become famous of a sudden are the ones who enter into the house and allow the world to see them acting, cooking, sleeping, arguing, having sex and going to the bathroom. Scientists study behaviours when they are observed with a camera (or hundreds of cameras). It has been seen that when “brothers” enter into the house they are careful with what they say and do, but when days go through they forget about cameras and that is the starting point for an interesting TV programme.

The negative sides of Big Brother are well known. The spectacle of seeing twenty actors and actresses doing whatever they want is potentially dangerous. The apparent reality of the programme consists of showing the people as they are in the real life. It is almost impossible to know them in depth because of the isolation they suffer, the exposure they suffer and the conditions that rule the programme. They apparently receive psychological support, but in fact it is not true, as it is easy to manipulate a person who is not psychologically stable. It is easy to obtain verbal violence and sex and nudity scenes from people who are risking their privacy, past, present and near future to a TV programme. Counter-values and four letter words have been spread in our country by the Argentinean Big Brother.

In my opinion, I do not like those realities which manage large amounts of money and play with psychological and emotional conditions of isolated people living without privacy, willing to do whatever to win money and become famous. Although it is their decision to enter Big Brother, I think it is not appropriate content to show our kids or to sit and watch in family.