Book description
Featuring ordinary people, celebrities, game shows, hidden cameras,
everyday situations, and humorous or dramatic situations, reality TV is
one of the fastest growing and important popular culture trends of the
past decade, with roots reaching back to the days of radio. The Tube Has
Spoken provides an analysis of the growing phenomenon of reality TV, its
evolution as a genre, and how it has been shaped by cultural history.
This collection of essays looks at a wide spectrum of shows airing from
the 1950s to the present, addressing some of the most popular programs
including Alan Funt's Candid Camera, Big Brother, Wife Swap, Kid Nation,
and The Biggest Loser. It offers both a multidisciplinary approach and a
cross-cultural perspective, considering Australian, Canadian, British,
and American programs. In addition, the book explores how popular
culture shapes modern western values; for example, both An American
Family and its British counterpart, The Family, showcase the decline of
the nuclear family in response to materialistic pressures and the modern
ethos of individualism. This collection highlights how reality TV has
altered the tastes and values of audiences in the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries. It analyzes how reality TV programs reflect the
tensions between the individual and the community, the transformative
power of technology, the creation of the celebrity, and the breakdown of
public and private spheres. Julie Anne Taddeo is visiting associate
professor of history at the University of Maryland and the author of
Lytton Strachey and the Search for Modern Sexual Identity. Ken Dvorak is
former president of the American Culture Association and an editorial
member of the Journal of Popular Culture, Journal of American Culture,
and Film & History.
