真人秀节目在中国走红分原因析论文(英文版).docx

The Reasons Why Reality Shows Can Make Such a Hit in Recent China

真人秀节目近期在中国走红的原因分析

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Course Paper Grade 2014

Introduction
In recent years, reality shows have been more and more popular in China, such as the Voice of China, Running Man, Dad Where are we going and so on. Each of them has a large number of audience. And now we may wonder: how can this kind of shows get such a big success and why people prefer watching this kind of programs. Then I’ll analyze this phenomenon from these four aspects stated below:
Ø Psychology of audience;
Ø The need of television programs’ development;
Ø The unique Characteristics of reality shows;
Ø International influence.
In each aspect, I will make a detailed analysis. Besides, I’ll give suggestions to the development of reality shows. After discussing the total factors above, I will draw a final conclusion to the question raised in the beginning.
Part one: What is a reality show?
Reality show (also known as reality television) is a television programming genre that presents unscripted and humorous situations, featuring ordinary people instead of professional actors. It has three main characteristics: documentary, conflicts and gameplay. Live broadcasting and authenticity are emphasized in the reality shows so that there are no scripts and acting in them. Any participants and directors don’t know what will happen next and what the ending will be.

Part two: Origin of reality show
The origin of reality shows can date back to the end of the last century. The show called Big Brother came out in Holland in 1999, which places a group of strangers in the same room that is equipped with cameras and camcorders, recording all the action of these people and playing the videos for the audience. Big Brother opened the beginning of reality shows and not long after it, many kinds of reality shows sprang up all over the world.
Part three: Brief introduction of the current situation in China
The start of reality shows is not late in China. But it was in the year of 2012 that this kind of shows reached the real meaning of prosperity, which became a social and cultural phenomenon. According to Youcheng Technology, a famous mass data analysis company, the average buzz index of the classical reality show Go Fighting in July 2015 is 128224, while the highest of this month even reached 600824 as the following picture shows (Youcheng Company 2015). Besides, in 2015 there will be nearly 200 different kinds of reality shows broadcasting in China, which is 5 times more than last year.

Picture 1: buzz index of Go Fighting

Part four: Reasons of the popularity
The reasons why reality shows can make such a hit in recent China can be divided into four parts.

4.1. Psychology of audience:
Curiosity is the nature of humans. People are naturally curios about the things he/she is eager to know, especially for two different groups of people such as general people and popular stars, which is driven by two totally different kinds of lifestyles including living, working and even acting. As for stars, we are used to their public images because that they are usually arranged to do things and often act a role better than what he/she really is in the real life. In this case, the “real face” of a star is what we extremely want to know. A research by Yahoo on the Internet shows that about 87.93 percent people like watching reality shows for the reason that they want to know the real characters of the stars(Smiling园儿 2015).
Besides, group psychology is another key point. It means that under the pressure of group action, individuals tend to find a solution to solve the conflicts between groups and themselves so that they can have a sense of belonging and security. That means if the majority has fallen in love with some popular shows, the minority will be deeply influenced.
The next point comes to Self-identification. People with the same background, hobbies, and experience often stay together because they want to be with the people who are similar to them. This fact can be called self-identification. When it comes to the reality shows, some participants of the programs come from general families instead of super stars. They join in the show because they want to pursue their dreams or it’s just their hobbies. When audience are watching their performance, they will find their shadows on the screen and this can keep them watching until the result comes out. This self-identification encourages more and more people to watch the reality so that they can find “themselves” on the screen.

4.2 The need of television program’s development
The history of television is about 90 years and there are different kinds of TV programs that attract different kinds of people. During the development of TV programs, many entertainment companies are trying to create new kinds of shows that are appeal to most audience so that they can reach high audience ratings and earn more money. Since the Big Brother get such success, many programs are followed by this type. In China, after the huge response created by Super Girls, more and more reality shows sprang up year by year and the number of these shows even reach almost 200 this year (2015). This phenomenon can be regarded as an inevitability during the development of television programs.

4.3 The unique characteristics of reality shows
The creativity of reality shows is another key that make themselves such a success because the fierce competition among so many similar programs force the director to come up with creative ideas so that he can make his programs welcomed by most people. As for Running Man in China, the member team and the mysterious honored guests are two factors that make this show splendid and attractive. In addition, different themes of Running Man also enhance its appeal, such as the legend of white snake, saving the peony fairy, the conflict between Chu and Han, etc. This fully meet the entertainment psychology of audience.

4.4 International influence
Talking about Chinese reality shows, we can’t avoid the international influence. The original reality shows that are successful in China are very few while many hot shows imitate foreign examples. I am a Singer and Running Man come from Korea. Survivor Games comes from England. The Voice of China is a Chinese version coming from America. So it is obvious that the international influence has a deep impact on the popularity of Chinese reality shows.

Part five: Suggestions to the development
The limitations of the reality shows’ development can’t be ignored as well, which includes different cultural backgrounds and making levels. These factors not only limit the improvement of reality shows, but also cause serious problems to the society. To make domestic reality shows healthier and better, I think that producers should start from the following aspects.
5.1 Make “reality” real
To present splendid effects, some shows use scripts to forge reality. This will let the audience feel fooled and disgusted. So the program makers should respect the game rules to make people feel true and close. Only avoid cheating can reality shows be more attractive.
5.2 Avoid copying
Just copying the model of foreign programs without any innovation will lose large numbers of audience because Chinese people have specific love that is quite different from foreigners’. To avoid copying, program makers are ought to pay attention to show the innovation of the forms and content. Besides the game settings should also be strengthen.
5.3 Pay attention to the humanistic spirit
In order to satisfy the curiosity and voyeuristic interest of some audience, some programs even expose the weaknesses and dark sides of human nature by sacrificing the privacy of participants. In the long run, the reality shows will fall into a sleazy. Reality television producers, therefore, should pay attention to humanistic care, which focus on the human living conditions, respect and people’s value. They should take the responsibility to cultivate audience’s healthy interest, rather than blindly cater to the vulgar taste of some people. (Liu Ping, 2010)

Conclusion
The appearance of reality shows is a significant event in the development of TV programs. And the popularity of them can be boiled down to different aspects, which includes psychological factor, social factor historical factor and so on. Some causes are deeply discussed above while some are not. In addition, the developing direction of reality shows and its connection with some similar programs can be further discussed if possible.

Bibliography
刘萍. 真人秀电视节目受众心理分析及应对策略. 《文化学刊》第3期，2010：127-130
Net.1: 大数据分析真人秀节目——《极限挑战》, December 13, 2015

Net.2: 明星真人秀数据分析, December 13, 2015