Meredith Hedrick

23 March, 2015
Diverse Learners
Conway
Annotated Bibliography
Andrejevic, M. (2004). Reality TV: The work of being watched. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield.
This book discusses reality TV as a function of our society. Andrejevic argues that
everything, even our economy, is now built upon reality TV. He backs these theories up
with close analysis of past and current shows. This is helpful source as it builds upon the
theory of our surveillance society in conjunction with The Culture of Surveillance by
Pecora.
Biely, E., Nabi, R. Morgan, S., Stitt, C. (2003). Reality-based television programming and the
psychology of its appeal. Media Psychology, 5, 4. Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1207%2FS1532785XMEP0
504_01
In this article, results are searched for as to why people watch reality TV. As discussed,
because reality TV has not been around for very long, studies are limited on the study.
This article attempts to break down viewership into very specific categories based on the
type of TV show. This source provides me with more specific studies and statistics about
reality TV.

Blazer, S. (Summer 2006). Rear window ethics: Domestic privacy versus public responsibility in
the evolution of voyeurism. Midwestern Quarterly, 4, 24. Retrieved from
https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-149985163/rear-window-ethics-domesticprivacy-versus-public
In this article, Blazar discusses the concept of voyeurism and what it truly means. Blazar
argues that voyeurism does not include anything sexual, but it is rather one who seeks
stimulation by visual means. He also provides evidence of this through years of
American culture, not just current examples. From this source I have more of a historical
argument to bring into my research.
Glouner, M., Flores, C., & Tomback, A. (n.d.). The history of reality television. Retrieved from
http://scalar.usc.edu/works/reality-tv/the-history-of-reality-television
This article provides a brief history of reality television. It begins with the very start of
reality TV and explains how it has transitioned into what we now know as reality TV.
From this article I gain a general oversight of the history of reality TV that I can include
in my research to build upon other topics.
Hamilton, J. (2013). Reality TV as therapy. Therapy Today, 24(5), 14.
In this article Jenny Hamilton discusses the idea of reality TV acting as therapy for some.
She argues that by watching reality TV, issues such as addiction and obesity can be cured.
Hamilton also asks the question if reality TV can replace human interaction. From this
article I may find a potential benefit of reality TV which would be different than the rest
of my sources that talk about the negatives of reality TV.

Mendelson, A., Papacharissi, Z. (June 2007). An exploratory study of reality appeal: Uses and
gratification of reality TV shows. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
Retrieved from http://tigger.uic.edu/~zizi/Site/Research_files/JobemRealityTV.pdf
In this Journal entry, Papacharissi and Mendelson discuss voyeuristic and companionship
needs achieved through reality TV. Through a survey conducted, they hoped to find what
gratifications people got out of watching and if people are essentially living their lives
through these shows. From this source I will gain statistics and evidence from a specific
survey to support ideas brought up in by research.
Pecora, V. (Fall 2002). The Culture of Surveillance. Retrieved from
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/tchung/ENG102_W12/Culture_of_Surveillance.pdf
In this article, the culture of surveillance is discussed. Pecora argues that as a society, we
have become more attracted to surveillance because we have some inner impulse to do
so. This article provides me with more in-depth analysis of a surveillance society to add
to my research.
Reiss, S., Wiltz, J., (2004). Why people watch reality TV. Retrieved from
http://nisonger.osu.edu/papers/Reisswiltz_2004.pdf
This article provides a more in-depth analysis of the data mentioned in Why America
Loves Reality TV. As opposed to that article, this article attempts to build upon the results
found from the surveys and find potential causes. From this article I gain a more
scientific based study of Why America Reality TV after understanding the basic overview
of the subject.

Reiss, S., Wiltz, J., (2001). Why America loves reality TV. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200109/why-america-loves-reality-tv
This article provides a quick summary of what the rest of my research is about. This
article focuses on sorting reality TV show viewers based on why they watch these shows.
With this source I am provided with an overview of my subject, with options of where I
should specifically further my research.
Wong, J. (2001). Heres looking at you: Reality TV, Big Brother, and Foucault. Communications
Studies Faculty Publications, 2. Retrieved from http://scholars.wlu.ca/coms_faculty/2
In this article, Wong discusses why people choose to watch reality TV. He argues that we
are ultimately the one who decides to keep watching, and builds this idea through his
analysis of contemporary TV shows. From this article I am given another possible topic
to research, Foucaults panopticon metaphor, and a basic understanding of this before
pursuing more sources.