final doc(reality shows)

EFFECT OF REALITY SHOWS ON YOUTH

SECTION 1

SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION

1. INTRODUCTION:

The task of data collection begins:

After the research problem has been identified and, Research design/plan chalked out.

2. TWO TYPES OF DATA:

1. PRIMARY 2. SECONDARY

PRIMARY DATA:METHODS FOR COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA:

OBSERVATION METHOD:

o Most commonly used.

o Method in which the researcher relies on his own powers of

observation rather than communicating with a person in order to obtain information.

INTERVIEW METHODAn interview is a specialized type of communication, usually verbal, between two or more people and is carried out for a specific purpose.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS:

o Personal interview

o Structured interview

o Unstructured interview

o Focused interview

1


o Clinical interview

o Telephone interview

QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD:

A Questionnaire is a formalized schedule for collecting data from respondents.The function of questionnaire is MEASUREMENT.Questionnaire can be used to measure:Past behaviourAttitudesRespondent characteristics

ADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY DATA:

The first advantage of primary data is that it can be collected from a number of ways like interviews, telephone surveys, focus groups etc.

Secondly, it can be also collected across the national borders through emails and posts.

Thirdly, it can include a large population and wide geographical coverage. Fourthly, it is relatively cheap and no prior arrangements are required.

Moreover, primary data is current and it can better give a realistic view to the researcher about the topic under consideration.

DISADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY DATA:

It has design problems like how to design the surveys. The questions must be simple to design a general lingo (understandable). Some respondents do not give timely responses. Sometimes, the respondents may give fake, socially acceptable and sweet

answers and try to cover up the realities.

2


In some primary data collection methods there is no control over the data collection. Incomplete questionnaire always give a negative impact on research.

SECONDARY DATA:

MEANING OF SECONDARY DATA:

Secondary data means data that are already available that they refer to the data which have already been collected and analyzed by someone else.

TYPES OF SECONDARY DATA:

There are two types of secondary data. They are as follows:

• Publications of Central and • Diaries.

State government.

• Publications of foreign • Letters.

Government, international • Unpublished biographies,

bodies and their subsidiaries Research works(Not published)

organization

• Books, newspapers and • Scholars.

Magazines.

3

SECONDARY DATA

PUBLISHED NON PUBLISHED


CHARACTERISTICS OF SECONDARY DATA:

RELIABILITY OF DATA:

Data reliability can be tested by finding out the following things about the said data –

Who collected it ?

What were the sources of data ?

At what time were they collected ?

What level of accuracy was desired ?

SUITABILITY OF DATA:

Data that are suitable for one enquiry may not necessarily be found suitable in another enquiry. Hence if the available data are found to be unsuitable, they should not be used by the researcher. Therefore researcher must be careful in using secondary data.

ADEQUACY OF DATA:

If the level of accuracy achieved in data is found inadequate for the purpose of the present enquiry, then it should not be used by the researcher. An inadequate data is one if it is related to an area which may be either narrower or wider than the area of the present enquiry.

INTERNAL SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA:

Internal sources can be classified into 4 broad categories:

1. ACCOUNTING RECORDS:

4


The basis for accounting records concerned with sales invoice. The usual sales invoice has a sizable amount of information on it, which generally includes name of customer, location of customer, items ordered, quantities ordered, quantities shipped, dollar extensions, back orders, discounts allowed, date.

In addition, the invoice often contains information on sales territory, sales representative, and warehouse of shipment. This information, when supplemented by data on costs and industry and product classification, as well as from sales calls, provides the basis for a comprehensive analysis of sales by product, customer, industry, geographic area, sales territory and sales representative, as well as the profitability of each sales category.

2. SALES FORCE RECORDS:

Sales force represent a rich and largely untapped potential source of marketing information. Sales personnel often lack the motivation and/or the means to communicate key information to marketing managers. To obtain valuable data available from most sales force, several elements are necessary:

(1). A clear, concise statement, repeated frequently, of the types of information desired; (2). A systematic, simple process for reporting the information; (3). Financial and other rewards for reporting information; (4). Concrete examples of the actual use of data.

3. MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS:

Previous marketing research studies, special audits, and reports purchased from outside for prior problems may have relevance for current problems. As a firm becomes more diversified, the more likely, it is to conduct studies that may have relevance to problems in other areas of the firm.

4. INTERNAL EXPERTS:

It is one employed by the firm who has special knowledge.

5


Each brand is assigned a brand manager who is young, aspiring, talented MBA types who believe in the value of marketing research. They require marketing research: segmentation studies or attitude/usage surveys, typically followed by lots of qualitative studies in the copy concept or positioning/ strategy areas.

EXTERNAL SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA:

DATA BASE:

A computerized database is a collection of numeric data/information that is made computer-readable for electronic distribution.

ASSOCIATIONS:

Associations frequently publish or maintain detailed information on industry sales, operating characteristics, growth patterns. Further on they may conduct special studies of factors relevant to the industry. These materials may be published in the form of annual reports, as part of a regular trade journal or as special reports. In some cases they may be available on request from the association.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES:

Federal, state and local government agencies produce a massive amount of data that are of relevance to marketers. In this section the nature of the data produced by the federal government is briefly described. However the researcher should not overlook starte and local government data.

6


SYNDICATED SERVICES:

A wide array of data on both, consumer and industrial markets is collected and sold by commercial organizations.

OTHER PUBLISHED SOURCES:

There is a virtually endless array of periodicals, books, dissertations, special reports, newspapers and those that contain information relevant to marketing decisions.

ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA:

EASE OF ACCESS/AVAILABILITY:There are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes the relative ease of access to many sources of secondary data.it saves time and efforts. In the past secondary data accumulation required marketers to visit libraries, or wait for reports to be shipped by mail. Now with the availability of online access, secondary research is more openly accessed. This offers convenience and generally standardized usage methods for all sources of secondary research.

LOW COST TO ACQUIRE:The use of secondary data has allowed researchers access to valuable information for little or no cost to acquire. Therefore, This information is much less expensive then if the researchers had to carry out the research themselves. Secondary research expenses are incurred by the originator of the information.

CLARIFICATION OF RESEARCH QUESTION:The use of secondary research may help the researcher to clarify the research question. Secondary research is often used prior to primary research to help clarify the research focus.

7


MAY ANSWER RESEARCH QUESTION:The use of secondary data collection is often used to help align the focus of large scale primary research. When focusing on secondary research, the researcher may realize that the exact information they were looking to uncover is already available through secondary sources. This would effectively eliminate the need and expense to carry out there own primary research.

DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA:

QUALITY OF RESEARCH:The originators of the primary research are largely self-governed and controlled by the marketer. Therefore, the secondary research used must be scrutinized closely since the origins of the information may be questionable. Moreover, the researcher needs to take sufficient steps to critically evaluate the validity and reliability of the information provided.

NOT SPECIFIC TO RESEARCHER’S NEEDS:In many cases, secondary data is not presented in a form that exactly meets the researcher’s needs. Therefore, the researcher needs to rely on secondary data that is presented and classified in a way that is similar to their needs. Data may be in a different format or units than is required by the researcher.

INCOMPLETE INFORMATION:

In many cases, researchers find information that appears valuable and promising.

The researcher may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of

the study. This is because many research suppliers offer free portions of their

research and then charge expensive fees for their full reports.

8


SECTION II

1. OVERVIEW OF REALITY SHOWS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Idiot Box was a pet name given once to our television. What we see today is most of us are seductively parading before the screen for one or the other reason. Agree it or not, you just cannot ignore the influence of television in our daily life either in the form of News hours, soap serials, movies, reality shows..

Welcome to the world of reality shows. It is the place where the reality meets

fiction. Reality shows made a big entry into the lives of the ordinary people since it

helps them to get rid of the clutches of the monotonous soap serials. Reality shows

are either in the form of talent hunts like singing, dancing, acting etc. Game shows,

celebrity shows, makeover shows, confessions (Sach ka Saamna). These shows are

9


helping, to a certain extent, to bring the hidden talents. Reality shows give a good

platform or an opening to the talented ones.

We will explain in detail the effect of reality shows on youth as well as children

and adult, the different types of reality shows and the role of reality shows in our

society. We are majoring on a couple of famous reality shows and their

functioning.

1.2 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

Studying the international television scenario, the Indian counterpart has promptly caught-up with the latest trends. Reality Television has arrived in India and is here to stay!

Reality shows in India date back to the Channel V’s talent hunt for making of a musical band. The band of girls called Viva that emerged from this show enjoyed short-lived popularity but marked the beginning of reality shows in India. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s Kaun Banega Crorepati, which was the Indian version of who wants to be a Millionaire, was a major hit with the audience in India. What followed next was a flood of reality shows, many of them being adaptations of the pre-existing western versions.

Reality shows in India are a welcome break for many of the audience who were tired of cribbing about the Ekta Kapoor's saas-bahu series that were (and some of them still are) pre-dominant on Indian television. Indian Reality TV is however in its nascent stage and mostly includes desi-versions of the reality shows abroad. However these shows are enjoying tremendous popularity and will definitely give

10


way to more innovative concepts on air.The craze for reality television hit India when channel V came up with Viva, a band of five young singers. When channel V announced the auditions, young dreamers gathered in huge numbers to give their luck a try. They cried when they failed, celebrated when they triumphed. The audience, on its part, lapped up this overdose of emotions thrown at them by the channel. The show was a big success and an inspiration for both the shrewd business minds and also for the young dreamers waiting for their share of fame.

Since then there has been no looking back as reality television proliferated with each passing day. With the registration for each show surpassing the last one and the audience votes pouring in billions, all doubts over the acceptability of these shows by the Indian audience were cleared. The real life Bunty and Bablis came forward for the auditions of Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, India’s Best, Roadies, etc. Almost every channel today has an Abhijeet Sawant and a Qazi to boast about.

The various television channels exploited the potential of reality shows and saw a huge surge in popularity. ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati,’ India’s take on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,’ catapulted Star TV to the number one position, which it currently enjoys. Similarly, Sony’s popularity saw a huge rise after it launched Indian Idol, an adaptation of a hit British reality show. It was reality television that wrote the destiny of television channel Star One. The two reality shows, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Nach Baliye, are to a great extent responsible for the popularity that Star One has got. Reality shows not only changed the destinies of many television channels but also of many ordinary people. People like Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghosal and Anushka are some of the successful finds of reality television. It was only for these shows that a teashop owner, Sunil Pal, became a laughter champion and Prashant, a sepoy from Darjeeling, became the third Indian Idol. Celebrity reality shows are another aspect of reality television that has become extremely popular with the audience. Apart from the overwhelming Television Rating Points (TRPs) that these shows command, they also have to their credit revamping images of some celebrities and bringing back to limelight some of the

11


lost stars. Item queen Rakhi Sawnt witnessd a change in image after appearing on the reality show, Big Boss. Lost names like Rahul Roy, Anupama Verma and Baba Sehgal rose to limelight again because of shows like these. Reality television is a win-win situation for everyone, be it contestants, channels or the viewers. The high TRPs that these shows command explains the advantage they have for television channels. For the viewers, they are refreshing change from the somnolent Saas-Bahu dramas. The biggest gainers, however, are the contestants who are provided with the right platform to showcase their talent. There is a lot of untapped talent in our country and these shows by extending their reach to small cities provide an opportunity to bring out this hidden talent. A chef from Chamba managed to reach the final round in Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. In Star One’s Lakme fashion house, 16 aspiring fashion designers strived to create a design to win an assignment with Donatella at the house of Versace - a lifetime opportunity for any beginner. These shows give an instant recognition to the contestants. A chance to showcase their talent on such a big platform and in front of such esteemed judges is something for which any struggler can die. Reality television can provide them with this lifetime opportunity. The rest, of course, depends on their talent. Apart from this, the emotional angle of these shows is to a great extent responsible for their success. The fact that the contestants in these shows are ordinary people with whom audiences immediately relate to is the biggest trump card of these shows. The vicarious joy which people get in seeing somebody from amongst them living an almost impossible dream glues people to these shows. Reality television, makeovers, melodrama and tears have become regular features on every channel, giving a tough competition to Ekta Kapoor and her followers. But this in no way means an end to family dramas. There will always be a certain section of viewers who would prefer to watch family sagas. Reality shows are extremely popular these days. However, there is no way to guarantee success. Just because these shows are popular with people it doesn’t mean that anything and everything that will be served to the audience in the name of reality shows will be relished. Sony TV’s Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai, for which they roped in cinestar Madhuri Dixit, failed to strike a chord with the viewers. Similarly Kamjor Kadi Kaun, the remake of the weakest link, which was aired on Star failed and Jeeto Chappar Phad Ke on Zee failed to create magic.

12


Reality shows have come under a lot of criticism. Questions have been raised over the authenticity of the voting system on the basis of which the contestants are voted out. Prominent names like Lata Mangeshkar have raised fingers over the very method of selection that is used on such shows. Throwing contestants out on the basis of the votes cast by people sitting at home with hardly any knowledge about the technicalities involved in a contest like singing or dancing has been questioned. Despite all this, the end reality is that such shows enjoy great popularity among the audience. Reality television is a ray of hope for the ordinary people. It not only gives them the courage to dream but also the assistance to turn their dreams to reality. It is difficult to say whether reality shows are a phase or they are here to stay, but we wish they stayed for long so that more and more Qazis and Abhijeet Sawants get a chance to live their dreams.

1.3 MOST POPULAR REALITY SHOWS ON INDIAN TELEVISION

MTV Bakra No one can ever forget Cyrus Broacha’s grinning face and the confusion and bewilderment created amongst his victims. It was a wicked show with witty pranks followed by loads of laughter.

Kaun Banega Crorepati Amitabh Bachchan’s stint on television was perhaps the first reality show on Indian television to garner humongous audience response. The second season of the series was hosted by Shahrukh Khan but did not seem to fare just as well.

Indian Idol This show has been one of the most popular reality shows on Indian television and perhaps due to the voting factor. With boys’ next-door turning into ultimate

13


singing sensations, this show already has completed three seasons.

Sa Re Ga MaWhat started as a humble talent show hosted by Sonu Nigam soon metamorphosed into an ultra-glam, uber-dramatic reality show with the various celebrity judges like Himesh Reshamiya, Alka Yagnik, Abhijeet and Ismail Darbar constantly at loggerheads with each other.

Big BossThe Indian version of UK’s Big Brother was the most sensational and controversial reality show in India. Although long forgotten Actor Rahul Roy emerged as the winner, it was people like Anupama Verma, Aryan Vaid (due to their on-air love-affair) and Rakhi Sawant (due to her in-your-face attitude) who got instant recognition from this show.

The Great Indian Laughter ChallengeThis hunt for India’s biggest comedian created a laughter riot on air with almost all its contestants enjoying tremendous popularity. Star Judges Shekhar Suman and Navjyot Singh Siddhu enjoyed great following too.

Nach Baliye

An original concept that involved celebrity couples trained by their choreographers battling against each other in an entertaining dance competition. The show has celebrity judges like Saroj Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Kunal Kohli, David Dhawan, Isha Koppikar and Vaibhavi Merchant. The first season was extremely popular ans so was the second one, however the third season seems to be losing its charm.

14


Jhalak Dikhlaja

This was the Indian version of the hit show Dancing With the Stars, which was also very popular. The first season had celebs like Mona Singh, Mahesh Manjrekar and Shweta Salve as participants and Farah Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shilpa Shetty on the judges panel. The show is currently in its second season with Shiamak Davar, Urmila Matondkar and Jeetendra on the judging panel whereas the participants include celebs like actress Sonali Kulkarni, anchor Mini Mathur and singer Mika.

Reality shows seem to be a huge trend on television, but anything that is popular has to bear the brunt of constant criticism and analysis. Controversies about these reality shows being 'planned and scripted' or the voting lines being a hoax continue to rise every now and then. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction, they say! Well as for television, don’t be surprised or shocked as of yet…something far more real and far more strange might be on its way…till then...Enjoy Reality TV!

15


16

GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF DATA COLLECTED


MTV VH10

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

DO YOU PREFER WATCHING MV OR VH1?

17


REALITY SHOWS MUSIC VIDEOS BOTH0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

DO YOU PREFER WATCHING REALITY SHOWS OR MUSIC VIDEOS?

REGULARY OFTEN NEVER0

2

4

6

8

10

12

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WATCH MTV?

18


MAKING THE CUT

SPLITSVILLA ROADIES YOUNGISTAN ROCK ON STYLE CHECK BEAT BOX(MUSIC

VIDEOS)

02468

1012141618

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHOW?

YES-AS A CONTESTANT YES-AS A VJ NO0

2

4

6

8

10

12

DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF MTV?

19


REAL SCRIPTED0

5

10

15

20

25

DO YOU THINK REALITY SHOWS ARE REAL OR SCRIPTED?

ENGLISH SONGS REALITY SHOWS CELEB NEWS0

2

4

6

8

10

12

WHAT AMONG THE FOLLOWING DO YOU WANT TO INCLUDE ON MTV?

20


YES NO0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

DO YOU THINK REALITY SHOWS ARE DRAW-ING THE YOUTH AWAY FROM ACADEMICS,

SPORTS?

21


YES NO0

5

10

15

20

25

DO YOU THINK THAT REALITY SHOW SCANDALS INCREASE VIEWERSHIP?

3. THE IMPACT OF REALITY SHOWS ON YOUTH

The media, especially television, has become a key source to valuable information. The question that arises in many parents and other adult viewers is can TV shows become a negative source of information? There are two shows that I found that really might be sending out negative sources of information to our youth. Did you know that, according to the FBI, there is a burglary every fifteen point four seconds? This could be an interesting fact for those who like to watch the first show I found. “It takes a thief” is a daytime series on the Discovery Channel. This particular show is meant to inform home owners of how unsecured their homes are from theft. This reality show is hosted by two reformed ex-convicts. During one episode the homeowner was made aware that most people leave their outdoor tool sheds unlocked. A thief could use this information to help them break into houses. How is this helping the homeowners? While this show is trying to help inform homeowners of possible dangers, very well, have a negative effect. (It Takes a

22


Thief) (crimedoctor)?While the producers were looking for two co-host of the hit show “It takes a thief”, they knew they needed someone with actual experience. They needed someone who had actually committed a burglary, and knew the ins and outs of the operation. Eventually, they found the perfect candidates, Jon Douglas Rainey and Matt Johnston; both haven’t really committed any major crimes but had enough experience to land the job. While both of them committed many different types of crimes, each of them had and interesting first attempt. For John, his first crime was stealing a Z28 Camaro and for Matt it was helping some of his friend’s burglarize a person’s home. Their lives of crime never ended smoothly, and eventually, both of them ended up serving some time behind bars. (It Takes a Thief)

The first effect of reality TV deals with the age group of the most likely viewers, teenagers. Already with self-esteem and acceptance issues, adolescent youth that frequently watch television shows that use hired actors, most of which are models, and then advertise as being 'reality', most likely will have the delusion that their appearance should mirror the people they see on the shows. Like with magazines and tabloids that historically have caused harmful health trends in teenagers such as anorexia and bulimia, reality TV fosters facades that are readily accepted by our youth.

Next, I point to the 'couch potato' syndrome. I mean seriously, watching 'reality' on television is fundamentally absurd. If I'm not mistaken, we live in 'reality', so why would you need to watch it on television? The only difference is that the people in reality TV have everything financially challenged kids do not have, and nothing that they do. What happened to wanting to be like Michael Jordan, or Tony Hawk, or play in a band like Guns 'n Roses? The hypnotic aura to television is beginning to hit a maximum, with our nations youth being the victims. There are statistical highs in obesity and depression, leading to violence, in the past decade, along with increased divisions in 'social crowds' where kids who do not seem to 'fit in', are out-casted.

And lastly, moving away from the topic of our youth, which is a topic most important to our future as a nation, we analyze the effects of reality TV on adults and the general public. What happened to game shows, and family sitcoms, both of which are educational and express family and life values that American families hold dear? How can we advance as a culture after watching shows like 'the real

23


world', and the 'flavor of love'? If anything, shows such as this strengthen stereotypes breeding increased racism, sexism, and even 'class-ism'. After watching the evolution of television shows in the US, I would have to say that we have actually socially regressed, with shows such as 'Cheers' and 'Seinfeld' being relics of the past.

Television’s effect on viewers is a subject that has been extensively studied in the last twenty years and whose impact extends farther than most people realize. Many studies have focused on how television programs that appear to be “real” (such as news and daytime dramas) alter the viewers’ perception of reality (or social reality). However, recently a new fad in television has surfaced and it appears to be taking over. Reality television is overtaking the networks and polluting the viewers’ minds with distorted pictures of reality, leaving behind an even bigger effect than that of regular television. The researcher in this study sought to find the effects of reality television on the viewers’ perception of reality. Thirty subjects were used in the study and three different conditions were tested: a reality scale group; a reality television clips and scale group; and a reality television clips, application for reality show, and scale group. A significant difference was found in the scores between the reality scale group (group 1) and the clips and scale group (group 2). Those who watched the clips of shows before taking the scale rated the events in the scale much higher than those who did not view the clips. There was also a significant finding in the amount of hours of television the subjects view a week and the score of the scales. Those who watch more television scored the scale higher than those who do no watch as much television. Future research should examine the relationship between the viewers’ perception of reality and reality television programming by using different methods of testing the viewers’ reality perception to see if the effects remain constant.

24


Here are some of the other effects of reality shows on the youngsters;

(1) Perfect disorder

Barbie Doll, actresses such as Victoria Beckam and Lindsay Lohan, reality

TV shows like Extreme Makeover and super hero action figures with their

busty chests and super thin bodies are creating a mindset that being size zero

is in fashion and thus young girls are suffering from anorexia and bulimia.

(2) Television

T.V has manipulated the minds of many. They believe that all that is shown is true. Literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs.

(3) Ethnics

As advertising, cinema, news and TV play a bigger role in the socialization of youth, the images of minorities that they see as children will be the images that they follow.

3.1 CASE-STUDY

Here is an example of a student influenced by a reality show (roadies):

Kundapur: Did TV Reality Show Claim Life of Young Kartik?

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, May 7: Umesh Shirur, father of Kartik, a brilliant boy who had just passed his ninth standard final examination with 98% marks but was found dangling from the end of a sari tied around his neck at his home when he was alone, squarely blames the television channels that encourage young children to try something strange and adventurous, which sometimes go to the extent of

25


claiming the young, innocent lives.

Umesh, father of ill-fated Kartik Shirur, a SDE in BSNL Udupi, had been posted for training in Jabalpur while his wife Shobha and younger son Kaushik had been to Shirur near Byndoor, to take part in some religious programmes. To be able to take part in the badminton tournament held in Manipal on Friday, Kartik stayed back in his home near Sharada Kalyana Mantap, Udupi, alone.

He was scheduled to reach Shirur on Saturday bur after learning that he had not come there, his father contacted his relative Dinesh who too lives in Udupi, to find out personally the reasons. Dinesh went to Umesh’s home, and after getting no response to repeated knocks and calls, broke the door open. He found to his dismay, that Kartik was dangling from the end of a sari, the other end of which had been tied to a chair, after passing through a iron hook at the roof. Kartik's feet were nearly touching the floor while the chair was hanging a little higher from the floor.

Umesh says, Kartik was influenced by a similar situation aired in the MTV 'Roadies' programme in which the contestants were made to escape from the noose. He said, he also found on May 5, that Kartik had recorded a five-minute piece of this programme in his computer. The scene of the suicide, Kartik's interest in adventure shows telecast in TV channels and the piece of the reality show recorded in the computer, all point out to the fact that he tried the adventure when he was alone. His interest in such shows not only took away a young life, but also has pushed the entire family to the abyss of grief and guilt, Umesh says.

We have heard and read about several such cases in the past. Young minds get influenced by such shows and they are unable to apprehend the dangers lying ahead. Many young lives would have been lost the way Kartik has, but would have gone unreported, treating them as just suicides. Will the electronic media sit up to the worsening scenario and take notice and realize that they also have social responsibilities, in addition to serving their own commercial interests?

3.2 MAJOR REALITY SHOW IN INDIA

26


1. Roadies

MTV Roadies is a youth-based scripted popular reality television show on MTV

India. When asked about the show, executive producer Raghu Ram said, "Roadies

has travel, adventure, drama, touch of voyeurism..."

Selection procedure

The Roadies auditions are held in various major cities in India. People who fill

their online form and get short-listed undergo a group discussion, following which,

selected candidates are chosen for personal interview conducted by the MTV

panel. The MTV panel constitutes of experts from MTV. In the 1st and 2nd season,

only 7 roadies were selected, from 3rd season 13 roadies were selected. For Season

Six, 20 roadies were selected. There is no limit as to how many times a person can

audition.

Format

The selected Roadies are provided with Hero Honda Karizma bikes to travel on a

pre-decided route. Each episode features a vote-out, at the end in which the

Roadies eliminate one of their fellow Roadies by an anonymous vote, thereby

decreasing the number of Roadies carrying on with the journey.

Each episode consists of number of tasks or challenges which they have to

perform. These tasks can be either "Money tasks" or "Immunity tasks". In the

"Money tasks", the Roadies add cash to their account on successful completion of

these tasks while in "Immunity tasks", the team or roadie who wins gets Immunity.

The team or roadie who attains Immunity becomes safe from vote-out i.e. its

members cannot be voted-out in that particular episode. The above mentioned

27


tasks are either team-based (i.e. performed between two or more teams) or

individual-based (i.e. performed one-on-one). At the end of scheduled journey, the

last Roadie who survives till the end is declared the winner and walks away with

the total cash accumulated by performing the money tasks.

The fifth season was the first time when an Advantage task was introduced. The

winner(s) of an Advantage task get(s) some advantage in the vote out, which may

include multiple votes or being the only one(s) to vote in the vote-out.

The Indian version of the show is based on the original MTV reality show Road

Rules which started in the year 1995.

4. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

We all talk about role models and the impact they have upon the behavior and

development of children and adolescents alike. What we see is what we believe

and what we see is what determines how we integrate experiences, assimilate and

28


accommodate them, and then how they influence our behaviors. We have all

developed notions and ideas regarding who probably has the most significant

influence upon our children and teenagers.

In a bid to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role models of the

children and adolescents of today, we conducted a comprehensive study of 500

students belonging to the ninth and eleventh standard from prominent schools of

Delhi. An overview of the results was surprising as well as reassuring at some

levels to most.

30% children said for them their parents were their role models, and 13% said

teachers - so almost half of the students felt that parents and teachers were their

role models, a thought which I am sure would please most of us. This also needs to

be seen as a responsibility of parents and teachers, which our children are learning

constantly from us, and we need to show them the best path. Parents need to keep

building on their communication pattern with children, and take time out to share

their experiences; this would strengthen the child’s personality. And teachers also

need to appreciate this part of their role where beyond the teaching of subjects they

have the responsibility for shaping the future of these children. What this also

means is that many a times when adults believe that children don’t look up to them

and are swayed away by the glamour of media, its not completely true, yes media

has its impact, but the child look ups to the parent!

Another interesting statistic that came out was that 13% children had their role

models in the older politicians and freedom fighters, as compared to 2% who

talked about modern day leaders and politicians. Maybe there is an underlying

message here for the present day leaders. They need to do bring a change in

themselves to get an attitudinal change in the young minds. Children are very

29


reflective of truth, and this is the reality of our times that the leaders are unable to

inspire the young minds.

What was also good to see that scientists, social activist, and successful

entrepreneurs and business people, have been rated higher than some of the media

and sports personalities with almost one in five children having them as their role

models. This shows that the modern day youth is aware, and well informed, and

respects effort, academics, and success both, which is a good sign for them, also

the respect for social scientists comes as a pleasing revelation. This also is

learning, schools and parents need to utilize messages by these people to reach out

to children so that success as a need can be imbibed in their minds.

A comparative low rating of 7% for media, may surprise a lot of people, and

maybe its an insight to us adults, who believe that children are swayed away by

media personalities. There is no doubt that media has a powerful potential to sway

attitudes in young minds, but what one also needs to see that media personalities

might be liked but not always seen as role models by children, and this should be

an insightful thought for media personalities.

Again sports get a comparatively low rating of 6%. Two sides can be inferred

regarding this - one that we need to enhance the impact of sports personalities on

youth to encourage more kids to come to sports, which is a relatively neglected

area in our educational system, and the second aspect that we adults falsely believe

that media and sports would be the highest category of role models for youth.

The results of the study were clearly indicative of the significant impact that

significant others and important personalities within the society have upon young,

developing minds and how they need to mediate the behaviors they display, their

thought patterns, and their emotional experiences.

30


There is lot to learn for all of us from the above inferences, and we need to accept

our responsibilities in shaping the future of out children.

5. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION

5.1 ARE REALITY SHOWS REAL?

31


Reality shows seems to be a huge success on the television in India since it allows

the audience to be a part of the show. The audiences are allowed to choose the

winner through a voting (sms) system even though its credibility is questioned

many times and still to be decided. Most of the time this voting right is used to

select a wrong person rather than the talented. Reality shows are taking an ordinary

person to the stardom in a matter of hours. These shows are helping the contestants

to groom a lot. They are always getting a chance to see and mingle with their

dream stars since most of the time these celebrities are part and parcel of the show

either as a judge or as a guest. It is a golden opportunity to correct and learn from

the experienced hands. Contestants are free to express their feelings in the

elimination round.

Reality shows seems to bear a lot of criticisms and analysis frequently based on

many factors. Reality shows are criticized basically that these shows are trading on

human emotions for money. It is forcing the contestant to do certain stage

performance where they are not good at. How far the selection and elimination

process is credible? It is still to be found out.

The judges comments needed to be standardized. They are giving a lot of

discouraging comments and the channel is not asking the judges to be kept quite. It

would be welcoming if they give their comments in a very pleasant manner to

avoid the emotional scenes of the participants.

Are the reality shows actually real or any manipulation is done to attract more

viewers?? That's the question. In my opinion, they are not at all real, as the

background the participants to which they belong to is not so high and they had to

show and dress up in the way as the sponsors want them to be. They advertise for

the products, once they become the participants on any of the reality shows. The

popular gossips are always recorded and shown on TV. But they are all to attract

32


more viewers and the JUDGES of these reality shows are always in a fight or

controversy with each other, so as to create curiosity in the minds of viewers and at

all times the ANCHORS are ready with their dialogues. How can it be possible?

How??

Teenagers are generally catched by the unreal life situation after seeing their

favourite reality show and try to imagine themselves in their place and drag them

away from their studies & sometimes results in insulting their parents when they

try to stop their children from seeing that reality shows. And also these children

often argue with their parents that money can be earned without studying too, in

this way. But thats not the reality. Because among the thousands, only few end up

being a successful singer or celebrity

6. SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

33


Many young people see real life people like themselves on T.V acting crazy and

inappropriate behavior in public so then many think its ok to do what they see on

T.V.

Reality shows like The Hills, The Real World, Tila Tequila, Flavor Flav and etc.,

feature interesting topics that take place in real life. Due to their popularity, it

would be easy to assume that reality shows have had a major impact on young

people. But is this really true?

In my opinion, some kids want to escape their reality lives,” he said. So what do

they do? They watch someone else’s reality lives.

Bart, the security guard, also seems to agree that reality shows have an impact on

kids. “Monkey see, monkey do,” he said. He believes that kids will do what they

Reality shows have an impact on many of the youth now days. The media is so

strong that they influence many people to dress or act a certain way however some

kids are strong enough not to fall for it.

There’s no doubt that the different reality shows aired on various channels are

doing wonders for the channels and its producers. People like these shows and with

good TRP’s the channels are collecting huge funds through commercials. Even the

singing based kids reality shows like Zee’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lill Champs and Star

Plus’s Chotte Ustad are receiving huge amount of viewers. But are we doing

justice with the future of these innocent kids? Where, every year the rate of

students committing suicide due to syllabus pressure is increasing at a tremendous

rate, the kids participating in these kind of shows loose a lot of their valuable

schooling as their time is been wasted rehearsing for these competitions.

Here the parent’s role is of uttermost important. They are the ones who can

34


understand and groom their kids in a way that the success doesn’t affect them. I

have seen once the kids achieve fame participating in these competitions they start

doing various stage shows which in a way affects their voice due to excessive

singing

BIBLOGRAPHY

35


Dr. Samir Parikh

WEBLIOGRAPHY

WWW.DAIJIWORLD.COM

WWW.MTVINDIA.COM

WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM

36

http://WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM/

http://WWW.MTVINDIA.COM/

http://WWW.DAIJIWORLD.COM/


ANNEXURE

37

final doc(reality shows)

Documents