Recent research by the Department of Communication showed that people who watch reality television visit social networking Web sites to engage in behaviors like the celebrities they see on shows like American Idol or Survivor.
Researchers at UB and at the University of Hawaii conducted a survey of over 450 college students at two different universities. Survey results point directly at reality television, the media and social network Web site usage as the three main sources for celebrity-like behavior.
Individuals who heavily watch reality shows are inclined to act in a more "promiscuous" way on social networking Web sites like Facebook or MySpace. They make their private lives available to the public due to the behaviors that they witness, according to Michael Stefanone, the primary researcher at UB.
A large amount of the students surveyed admitted they were willing to accept people as friends online who they were not previously acquainted with and also to post personal information and pictures on the Internet.
"Social cognitive theory suggests that we are always looking for different ways to behave," Stefanone said. "When people on reality TV are rewarded for behaviors such as being the center of attention and gain celebrity from it, it communicates to the audience that these behaviors are good things."
By viewing such actions on TV, people are then more likely to adopt them as their own through social networking Web sites.
"The more they watch, the more time they are likely to spend on Facebook gaining a larger network of friends, a good portion of whom they've never met and sharing more pictures of themselves," Stefanone said. "These activities are consistent with the media's effect."
Furthermore, Stefanone makes the connection between the effects of the rise in popularity of fictional television shows, such as CSI, to that of reality TV.
"When CSI became popular, the enrollment rate of students to forensic-science programs sky-rocketed. Once they realized it wasn't at all like what they saw on TV, the students began to drop from the programs," Stefanone said. "This is very similar to the celebrity-status that these kids think they will gain from acting like the people on reality TV."
According to Stefanone, age and gender are not factors when determining the likelihood of watching reality television, but women are more prone to sharing photographs.
"Gender roles are associated more with the value of image," Stefanone said. "Photos equal a type of social technology which is all about identity."
Students participate in these activities and display their personal lives on the Internet for little to no gain because they have nothing to lose at the beginning, Stefanone said.
"There is little cost involved which may be one of the reasons why people are enthusiastically contributing," Stefanone said. "Students now have access to the tools to duplicate this behavior like they've never had before."
However, the usage of social networking Web sites has been creating problems with potential employers. Some people have been refused jobs due to pictures and comments made public on certain Web sites.
"It becomes a representation of who you are on some level," Stefanone said. "When you allow people to know information about you there's a risk associated with it."
Stefanone insists that he is not here to argue whether or not it is a good thing or a bad thing, only that it's happening and it is his job to find out why.
"In the future we hope to discuss with participating university students their reasoning behind their actions and what are the implications of sharing their personal information with the public," Stefanone said.
Along with Stefanone, research was conducted by Derek Lackaff, UB Graduate student in the Department of Communication, and Devan Rosen from the University of Hawaii in Manoa.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
