Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study investigates how reality television viewing is linked to Facebook. Utilizing a survey of 736 students in a school of journalism at a large Midwestern university, researchers examined whether viewers of different genres of reality television were more prone to problematic information sharing on Facebook. The study found that all viewers of reality were prone to problematic information sharing. However, viewers of drama-, competition-, and crime-based shows were most likely to share problematic information. These results are interpreted using social cognitive theory.

Keywords

Facebook reality television survey behavior social cognitive theory

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Andrejevic

(2002). The kinder, gentler gaze of Big Brother. New Media & Society, 4, 251-270.

Baker

(2003). From dragnet to survivor: Historical and cultural perspective on reality television. In Smith

M. J.

Woods

A. E.

(Eds.), Surviving lessons: Essays on communication and reality television (pp. 57-70). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Bandura

(2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1-26.

Bandura

(2008). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. In Bryant

(Ed.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (pp. 94-124). London, England: Routledge.

Barton

K. M.

(2009). Reality television programming and diverging gratifications: The influence of content on gratifications obtained. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53, 460-476.

Baruh

(2010). Mediated voyeurism and the guilty pleasure of consuming reality television. Media Psychology, 13, 201-221.

Beullens

Schepers

(2013). Display of alcohol use on Facebook: A content analysis. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 497-503.

Christofides

Muise

Desmarais

(2009). Information disclosure and control on Facebook: Are they two sides of the same coin or two different processes? CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12, 341-345.

Coyne

S. M.

Robinson

S. L.

Nelson

D. A.

(2010). Does reality backbite? Physical, verbal, and relational aggression in reality television programs. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54, 282-298.

10.

Dowd

(2006). Telling it like it is: Subject positions on reality television. Kaleidoscope: A Grade Journal of Qualitative Communication Research, 5, 17-33.

11.

Ellison

N. B.

boyd

(2013). Sociality through social network sites. In Dutton

W. H.

(Ed.), The Oxford handbook of Internet studies (pp. 151-172). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

12.

Ellison

N. B.

Steinfield

Lampe

(2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168.

13.

Eschholz

Blackwell

B. S.

Gertz

Chiricos

(2002). Race and attitudes toward the police: Assessing the effects of watching “reality” police programs. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30, 327-341. doi:10.1016/S0047-2352(02)00133-2

14.

Fowler

G. A.

(2012, October 4). Facebook: One billion and counting. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443635404578036164027386112.html

15.

Gibbs

J. L.

Ellison

N. B.

Heino

R. D.

(2006). Self-presentation in online personals. Communication Research, 33, 152-177.

16.

Gottfried

J. A.

Vaala

S. E.

Bleakley

Hennessy

Jordan

(2013). Does the effect of exposure to TV sex on adolescent sexual behavior vary by genre? Communication Research, 40, 73-95. doi:10.1177/0093650211415399

17.

Groves

R. M.

Fowler

F. J.

Jr. Couper

M. P.

Lepkowski

J. M.

Singer

Tourangeau

(2009). Survey methodology (Vol. 561). New York, NY: Wiley.

18.

Hall

(2009). Perceptions of the authenticity of reality programs and their relationships to audience involvement, enjoyment, and perceived learning. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53, 515-531.

19.

Hargittai

(2007). Whose space? Differences among users and non-users of social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 276-297. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00396.x

20.

Hill

(2004). Reality TV: Audiences and popular factual television. London, England: Routledge.

21.

Hong

Tandoc

E. C.

Kim

Wise

(2012). The real you? The role of visual cues and comment congruence in perceptions of social attractiveness from Facebook profiles. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 339-344.

22.

Jenkins-Guarnieri

M. A.

Wright

S. L.

Hudiburgh

L. M.

(2012). The relationships among attachment style, personality traits, interpersonal competency, and Facebook use. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33, 294-301.

23.

Karl

Peluchette

Schlaegel

(2010). Who’s posting Facebook faux pas? A cross-cultural examination of personality differences. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 18, 174-186.

24.

Kilburn

(2011). Why individuals choose to post incriminating information on social networking sites: Social control and social disorganization theories in context. International Review of Information Ethics, 16, 55-59.

25.

Kim

H.-K.

Davis

K. E.

(2009). Toward a comprehensive theory of problematic Internet use: Evaluating the role of self-esteem, anxiety, flow, and the self-rated importance of Internet activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 490-500.

26.

Kim

Jun

(2009). The effects of plastic surgery reality TV shows among college students. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Marriott, Chicago, IL.

27.

Mazzeo

S. E.

Trace

S. E.

Mitchell

K. S.

Walker Gow

(2007). Effects of a reality TV cosmetic surgery makeover program on eating disordered attitudes and behaviors. Eating Behaviors, 8, 390-397.

28.

Moreno

D’Angelo

Kacvinsky

Kerr

Zhang

Eickhoff

(2014). Emergence and predictors of alcohol reference displays on Facebook during the first year of college. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 87-94.

29.

Murray

Ouellette

(2009). Reality TV: Remaking television culture (2nd ed.). New York: New York University Press.

30.

Nabi

R. L.

(2007). Determining dimensions of reality: A concept mapping of the reality TV landscape. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 51, 371-390.

31.

Orbe

M. P.

(2008). Representations of race in reality TV: Watch and discuss. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25, 345-352.

32.

Papacharissi

Mendelson

A. L.

(2007). An exploratory study of reality appeal: Uses and gratifications of reality TV shows. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 51, 355-370.

33.

Peluchette

Karl

(2009). Examining students’ intended image on Facebook: “What were they thinking?!” Journal of Education for Business, 85(1), 30-37.

34.

Pingdom. (2011). Internet 2010 in numbers. Retrieved from http://royal.pingdom.com/2011/01/12/internet-2010-in-numbers/

35.

Pingdom. (2012). World Internet population has doubled in last 5 years. Retrieved from http://royal.pingdom.com/2012/04/19/world-internet-population-has-doubled-in-the-last-5-years/

36.

Quan-Haase

Young

A. L.

(2010). Uses and gratifications of social media: A comparison of Facebook and instant messaging. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30, 350-361.

37.

Ross

Orr

E. S.

Sisic

Arseneault

J. M.

Simmering

M. G.

Orr

R. R.

(2009). Personality and motivations associated with Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 578-586.

38.

St. John

(2006, September 10). When information becomes TMI. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nyt-imes.com/2006/09/10/fashion/10FACE.html?_r=0

39.

Stefanone

M. A.

Lackaff

(2009). Reality television as a model for online behavior: Blogging, photo, and video sharing. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 964-987.

40.

Stefanone

M. A.

Lackaff

Rosen

(2010). The relationship between traditional mass media and “social media”: Reality television as a model for social network site behavior. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54, 508-525.

41.

Taraszow

Aristodemou

Shitta

Laouris

Arsoy

(2010). Disclosure of personal and contact information by young people in social networking sites: An analysis using Facebook profiles as an example. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 6(1), 81-101.

42.

Teven

J. J.

(2004). Survivor the Amazon: An examination of the persuasive strategies used to outwit, outplay, and outlast the competition. Texas Speech Communication Journal, 29(1), 52-64.

43.

Tufekci

(2008). Can you see me now? Audience and disclosure regulation in online social network sites. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 28, 20-36.

44.

Walsh

K. R.

Fürsich

Jefferson

B. S.

(2008). Beauty and the patriarchal beast: Gender role portrayals in sitcoms featuring mismatched couples. Journal of Popular Film & Television, 36(3), 123-132.

45.

Young

A. L.

Quan-Haase

(2009). Information revelation and internet privacy concerns on social network sites: A case study of Facebook. Paper presented at the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Communities and Technologies.

Modeling Reality

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References