The Allure of Reality Television

In recent years there has been an increase in popularity of reality TV shows. From MTV's Real World to CBS's Survivor these shows are popping up on every network and in every time slot. Most of the shows are a combination game show drama. The proliferation of these shows is somewhat of a mystery. Why are reality shows so popular lately? The main explanation of these shows is quite simple: they are extremely cheap to produce so they are very attractive to the production companies, but the explanation as to their popularity among viewers is more complex. Are they forms of escapism, a v…