Ethics in Reality TV Shows Essay -- Entertainment Media Television Pap

Ethics in Reality TV Shows â€Å"A man is standing on a swing, holding both metal lines that support it. Tied in chains around his waist and on each leg, he holds the 3 keys that are strapped to his wrist. He is to free himself after being submerged to the water outdoor with biting cold temperature as fast as he can to win the $50,000 prize beating the other contestants.† This is one of the scenes I saw a couple of weeks ago in the Reality TV show, "Fear Factor". Technology has greatly progressed specially in the area of multimedia communications of which television is one of them. From the very first black and white television drama, â€Å"The Queen’s Messenger† up to current full-colored â€Å"reality TV† show â€Å"Joe Millionaire†, a lot has happened. Below is the table of the different eras of TV Programming and their corresponding brief descriptions: Eras of TV Programming TV programming changed constantly to adapt to changing times and viewer preferences. Based on the time-frame, TV programming was divided into seven eras that constituted: †¢ Vaudeo (1948-1957): Era of sitcoms (situational comedy); lots of visual comedy effects; studio-bound technical requirements. †¢ Adult Westerns Era (1957-1960): Era of telefilms; first TV violence took its major participation; research companies could measure the number of TV audience including their ages and income brackets. †¢ Idiot Sitcom Era (early-late 1960s): Era of magic and slapstick comedies;start of James Bond and other action-oriented shows; first soap opera appeared. †¢ Relevance Era (late 1960s-1975): The period of TV renaissance that gave rise to quality TV; black actors were reintroduced to primetime starring roles and portrayal of women changed from housewives ... ...inello, Richard; (Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Incorporated, Sudbury MA 01776; ISBN: 0-76371-2698) p17 4. Media-Mediated Relationships: Straight and Gay, Mainstream and Alternative Perspectives;  ©1996; Fuller, Linda K.; (The Haworth Press, Inc.; ISBN: 1-56024-8769) 5. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present; 6th edition,  ©1995; Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle;(Ballantine Books, New York; ISBN: 0-34539-7363). pp. xv-xxi 6. The Elements of Moral Philosophy; 3rd edition  ©1999; Rachels, James; (McGraw-Hill Companies; ISBN: 0-07052-5609). pp. 20-36, pp.175-193. 7. Voyeur Nation Media, Privacy and Peering in Modern Culture;  ©2000; Calvert, Clay; (Westview Press; ISBN: 0-8133-6627-5) 8. Why we watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment;  ©1998; Goldstein, Jeffrey H.; (Oxford University Press; ISBN: 0-19511-8219)