Reality Isn't Reality After All

18-year-old Alicia Gustaffaro is asking for $100 million from ABC-Disney as recompense for psychological damages from participating with her family in the show Wife Swap. Wife Swap is a reality TV show where two families (different often in social class and general manner of conducting life) literally switch wives for a short period of time, and both families are observed to see how they handle the situation. As can be assumed, there is much chaos and discomfort as the families try to cope with such a drastic change and the difference of personalities. Gustaffaro's family participated in the show in 2008, when Gustaffaro was 15. She complains that the show gave her lines to say which made her seem immature and bratty. She claims to suffer from "post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts." She says that her reputation is damaged beyond repair because of the show, and she is treated poorly by her peers, who apparently believe that her character on the show reflected her character in real life. She was previously an honor student involved in many extra-curricular activities, but after the show she finished her junior and senior years of high school in a separate school program.

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Such trauma Gustaffaro suffered was from a "reality" show. Not only did the show affect the viewers who, as a result, treated Gustaffaro poorly regardless of what they knew of her before. the show's effect was felt on the other end by Gustaffaro, who through making the show and feeling the aftermath suffered psychological damage and a damaged reputation.

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Although claims are made saying that shows such as Wife Swap influence and change people's opinions about characters and reality, others will counter such claims by arguing that such shows are not actually representative of reality and should not be regarded as such. The argument is furthered by saying that the media does not force viewers to think in a certain way, but, through agenda setting, the media simply tells people what to think about. In this case, the show wants people to become interested in and be entertained by the humor that comes from two families switching wives for a time. It is (or should be) common knowledge that this is not representative of reality although the show is termed a "reality show." Therefore, viewers have the agency to think of what they see as fictional and entertaining.

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However, people are not entirely immune to the possible effects the media may have on them. In this case, Wife Swap is evidence of the "hypodermic/silver bullet model" which states that the media directly and pointedly promote a message to viewers. True, political messages were not represented in the show, but Gustaffaro says that the producers intentionally made her character worse than it realistically was, framing her as bratty, rude, and ungrateful, a disposition that her peers attributed to her after the show aired.

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This is yet another example of the detrimental effects of the media. Having said this, viewers must be aware that reality TV is not actually reality TV. the characters and messages portrayed do not necessarily represent actuality. Gustaffaro said that she was treated differently by her peers. This show that these youth rely more on fictional media to tell them about reality than they do on their personal observances and experiences.

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Such influence can be referred to as the "mainstreaming effect." This means that people who watch TV on a regular basis may begin to believe that the things portrayed in the shows are accurately representative of reality. In this case, the youth who treated Gustaffaro poorly probably did so because they were influenced by the show to the point that they believed her personality on an off the show were unchanging. According to ustaffaro, this perception of ther character is obviously unwarranted and unrealistic. This goes to show that if people want to know about reality, they should experience it for themselves, not rely on fiction to tell them what it is.