Reality TV Shows and Social Media: Public Attitudes and Reactions

Reality TV shows represent entertainment content of a non-fictional format that enjoys significant popularity among audiences. In addition to television, social media have facilitated and amplified the impact of reality TV on viewers. This paper explores the ways and intensity with which social media users in Bosnia and Herzegovina follow reality TV content. Through the assumption of hyper-viewership, research objectives were set to examine the attitudes and practices of respondents regarding: the extent and reasons for following reality TV content, recipients’ satisfaction, evaluations of quality and ethical standards, hate speech, the use of reality TV for political purposes, and marketing and media manipulation. Comparative methods, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and an online survey were used as research tools. The study is based on multidisciplinary scientific interests and focuses on the perception of reality TV content among 227 online survey respondents. The paradoxical results of reality TV viewership, significantly (p<0.05) unsatisfactory, with 65% of questionable viewing motives, confirm the theory of cognitive dissonance. The majority (84%) of respondents support the discontinuation of reality TV, with (34%) claiming it is used for political purposes and (50%) significantly (p<0.05) containing hate speech. The research provides guidelines for reform strategies and future development projects, particularly to strengthen social norms and values.