“Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?”
Reality TV is a unique genre due to the open-ended and wide reach of its definition. Kavka (2012) says reality TV has a “generic haziness” due to its format hybridity and the changing nature and quantity of its programs (p. 2). In other words, reality TV is difficult to define because it crosses genres and styles and so an exact definition is hard to pinpoint. Despite this, reality TV is widely understood as a genre, but should be considered a discourse in that it goes beyond a genre’s limited definition.
Despite its multiple definitions, the nature of reality TV is still understood by consumers of media, who can use the term and be fully confident that people will understand them (Kavka, 2012). However, there is also confusion as to what constitutes reality TV as a genre because of its hybridity (Kavka, 2012). Hybridization is when styles that usually separate fact and fiction are mixed (Wood, 2004), or when parts of other television genres are combined to make reality TV (Kavka, 2012). There are four modes that categorize television – fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising – each of which construct reality in their own way (Wood, 2004). Reality TV can mix all these modes to form a show. For example, the reality TV show competition Ru Paul’s Drag Race mixes fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising into one show. It features real competitors within a constructed and edited storyline, each episode provides entertainment in the form of singing, dancing or acting challenges, and there is an abundance of advertising for products the competitors use during their challenges (Collins, 2017).
Within these four modes of television there are also what Wood (2004) describes as “characteristic hinges” which are the four modes crossing over each other (p. 49). The characteristic hinges are reenactment, diversion, absorption and infomercial (Wood, 2004). Reenactments are “dramas and films ‘based upon’ people and events” where fictional techniques are used to construct its content and reflects an historical world (Wood, 2004, p. 49). Diversion is when people are performing as themselves, such as ‘making of’ programs about film or television, or home video compilations where unusual events are depicted in everyday situations (Wood, 2004). Absorption is when extreme situations are depicted through reconstructions and verité footage and combine factual reference with fictional techniques to heighten the drama (Wood, 2004). Examples of absorption include reality TV shows on law enforcement and/or medical and emergency services (Wood, 2004). Lastly, infomercials are advertising commercials that last the same length as programs and use demonstrations and testimonials to sell a product or service (Wood, 2004). These characteristic hinges all involve the blending and intersecting of fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising and are all used in reality TV (Wood, 2004). This cross-pollination of modes and hinges shows how difficult it is to limit reality TV to a genre.
According to Kavka (2012), ‘genre’ is when texts are grouped together based on their shared characteristics. Reality TV is too differential to fit within this limited definition, as many programs which fall underneath the umbrella term ‘reality TV’ have completely different characteristics (Kavka, 2012). Because reality TV mixes generic forms, it fails to fit the basic criteria of a genre while simultaneously is the definitive genre of an essentially adaptive medium (Kavka, 2012). In other words, reality TV is so multifaceted it doesn’t fit the definition of a genre, while at the same time is the perfect example of what a genre looks like within an ever-changing media landscape. In fact, television genres are ultimately cultural constructions in that they are defined by society and emerge through interpretation and evaluation (Kavka, 2012). We should therefore look beyond reality TV simply being a genre with a shared set of attributes, as it is constantly adapting its format, borrowing material, and moving on to something else (Kavka, 2012).
Blitvich and Lorenzo-Dus (2013) argue that reality TV should be looked at as a discourse rather than a genre in order to be properly understood. A discourse is a system of communication that is shared by specific communities, and features characteristics such as shared language or jargon, the knowledge of how to become a member of that discourse, a specific ideology, and interpersonal relationships among members (Scollon & Scollon, 2001, as cited in Blitvich & Lorenzo-Duz, 2013). Reality TV fits within this definition. For example, if looking at the participants of a reality TV show, they become members and are socialized into the discourse through exposure to reality TV shows, and the selection/audition process before they are filmed (Blitvich & Lorenzo-Duz, 2013). Reality TV also has a broad ideology that is egalitarian and democratic as audiences can often participate in decisions made in the show, e.g. voting for their favorite competitor in Idol (Blitvich & Lorenzo-Duz, 2013). Interpersonal relationships are also apparent as audiences get an ‘intimate’ look into the lives of participants and so form a relationship with them (Blitvich & Lorenzo-Duz, 2013).
In conclusion, due to its multifaceted definitions and the high level of hybridity that exists within it, reality TV should not be considered a genre, but rather a discourse. This helps to define its broad characteristics and style that are ever-changing in its media landscape.
References
Blitvich, P. G. C., & Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2013). Reality television: a discourse-analytical perspective. In N. Lorenzo-Dus & P.G.C. Blitvich (Eds.), Real talk: Reality television and discourse analysis in action (pp. 9-24). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Collins, C. G. (2017). Drag race to the bottom?: Updated notes on the aesthetic and political economy of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Transgender Studies Quarterly, 4(1), 128–134. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-3711589
Kavka, M. (2012). Reality TV. Edinburgh University Press.
Wood, B. (2004). A world in retreat: The reconfiguration of hybridity in 20th-Century New Zealand television. Media Culture Society, 26(45), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443704039709
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