Yeah. I regard “reality TV” in the same way. Instead of being some kind of study of “natural” human behavior or whatever shit, it’s creating the conditions the producers want by creating the social and material conditions in which people interact. And usually the narrative they create with this is the most cynical, pessimistic, narcissistic version of humanity possible. And that’s not even getting into whether some are scripted, the selection process they use for the participants, the contracts they sign as a condition of participation, etc. So IMO “reality” is the most fictional of the genres, because at least most others are up-front and honest about the fictional nature of their stories.
Yeah. I regard “reality TV” in the same way. Instead of being some kind of study of “natural” human behavior or whatever shit, it’s creating the conditions the producers want by creating the social and material conditions in which people interact. And usually the narrative they create with this is the most cynical, pessimistic, narcissistic version of humanity possible. And that’s not even getting into whether some are scripted, the selection process they use for the participants, the contracts they sign as a condition of participation, etc. So IMO “reality” is the most fictional of the genres, because at least most others are up-front and honest about the fictional nature of their stories.