The Value of Reality TV: Andy Dehnart at TEDxStetsonU

Andy Dehnart's writing about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, The Daily Beast, and other publications. Andy publishes and writes realityblurred.com; directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he also teaches creative nonfiction and journalism; and is an improviser who performs at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando, Fla.
This talk is about the power of reality television and its ability to teach us about our collective human experience; it suggests we change the way we watch reality TV to be simultaneously more critical and more empathetic.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@77catieluve]

Great speech on an amazing topic. I read your lovey shenanigans daily. Thank you

[@christinekangaslampi1425]

i watched the original Real World in the 90's. Loved every part of it. :)

[@balls261]

The moment he described reality television as "non-fiction" is when he lost me and practically all credibility on the subject. Does this guy not understand how highly edited reality television is? It may be based in non-fiction, but the degree to which you can shape an episode's story by the footage you use and other editing and audio effects really throws the idea of 'reality' out the window. His argument seems to be that "these are real people so we should feel good about forming parasocial relationships with them." but then practically glosses over the fact that they are all inherently turned into caricatured versions of themselves the moment they start being filmed on these shows. Putting trust in reality television and actually believing that these faces you see on TV are your 'friends' seems incredibly unhealthy to me and will potentially end up shaping your view of the real world under false pretences...

[@yjoe40z]

I couldn't agree any less.