
Reality TV
The Work of Being Watched
Mark Andrejevic(Author)
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published on 14. October 2003
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-7425-2747-8 (ISBN)
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Description
Drawing on cultural theory and interviews with fans, cast members and producers, this book places the reality TV trend within a broader social context, tracing its relationship to the development of a digitally enhanced, surveillance-based interactive economy and to a savvy mistrust of mediated reality in general. Surveying several successful reality TV formats, the book links the rehabilitation of 'Big Brother' to the increasingly important economic role played by the work of being watched. The author enlists critical social theory to examine how the appeal of 'the real' is deployed as a pervasive but false promise of democratization.
Reviews / Votes
Why has the burst of interactivity celebrated by new media not led to an increase in democracy? In his brilliant analysis of reality television, Mark Andrejevic convincingly argues that surveillance accompanies the fun and flexibility of networked communications. Just like the faux 'stars' of reality TV, we seem all too willing to be watched, to see <U>and be seen<U>. This book is a major contribution to a critical theory of communicative capitalism.... -- Jodi Dean, Hobart and William Smith Colleges This is a very thoughtful and perceptive study of reality TV, tracing its inscription between the technological logics of surveillance and interactivity, on the one hand, and the changing cultures of celebrity and consumption, on the other. Mark Andrejevic's account succeeds in moving beyond the anatomy of a new media form to provide a critical analysis of broader social and cultural dynamics in contemporary society. -- Kevin Robins, Goldsmiths College, University of London Mark Andrejevic has written one of the most original, sophisticated, and important accounts of television in years. Its originality and importance is precisely how it explains TV by moving beyond TV-to understand TV through the Internet, to rethink the current mantra of 'interactivity,' and to locate the latest televisual trend ('reality TV') within the long histories of surveillance that have shaped the current 'surveillance economy' and the current applications of video and other communication technologies. Through this project, Andrejevic distinguishes himself as one of the most noteworthy young scholars of media and culture. -- James Hay, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Why has the burst of interactivity celebrated by new media not led to an increase in democracy? In his brilliant analysis of reality television, Mark Andrejevic convincingly argues that surveillance accompanies the fun and flexibility of networked communications. Just like the faux 'stars' of reality TV, we seem all too willing to be watched, to see and be seen. This book is a major contribution to a critical theory of communicative capitalism. -- Jodi Dean, Hobart and William Smith CollegesMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7425-2747-8 (9780742527478)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2004
1st Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€47.99
Available for download

E-Book
09/2004
1st Edition
Bloomsbury eBooks US
€47.99
Available for download
Person
Mark Andrejevic is assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa.
Content
Chapter 1 1 Between the New Medium and the Old Chapter 2 2 The Promise of the Digital Revolution Chapter 3 3 Rediscovering Reality Chapter 5 4 The Kinder, Gentler Gaze of Big Brother Chapter 6 5 Access to the Real Chapter 7 6 It's All About the Experience Chapter 8 7 Reality TV and Voyeurism Chapter 9 8 Survivor and Uncanny Capitalism Chapter 10 Bibliography