The world of television has changed from a decade ago. With cable and satellite companies offering thousands of channels, the options for television shows has also increased. With so much money being poured into entertainment, companies begin relying on cheaper options to produce TV shows.

Thus, the creation and growth of reality TV meant to depict real people in real settings.

However, with the growing popularity of shows such as “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Biggest Loser” and many more, the influence these programs have on our society and culture is questionable.

“Depending on the show, I think it teaches the younger generations that if you can do this, you’ll be on TV,” said Michelle Stallings, digital communications major at Sacramento State.

Many people understand that the main purpose of reality TV is for entertainment and not to be taken seriously.

“The only positive aspect I see is that it shows people how to not act in social settings,” said Khate Matias, pre-nursing major. “I would only recommend it for entertainment.”

With so many options and different types of reality TV, some people do not even realize they have been trapped into watching the shows.

“I don’t follow any shows for a full season, but there were times where I’ll turn on the TV and watch one without even noticing that I am,” said John Tuazon, computer science major.

Many people argue these types of shows have more of a negative effect on society as a whole but that they also sets trends.

“There’s a lot of merchandising on these shows,” said Tuazon.

Ally Sana, nursing major, said she believes TV shows have a positive and a negative effect in general, but it depends on the person and how much they choose to let it effect them.

The question of how “real” these types of programs are is frequently asked as well.

“The shows are edited to falsify how people actually act,” said Stallings. “The voting shows are swayed and bias, the competitive shows, such as ‘Top Chef’ or ‘Project Runway,’ are edited to make some of the competitors seem meaner.”

Brooke Peiler, health care administration major, expressed a similar concern.

“Some shows glorify materialistic things, focusing on just beauty and looks,” said Peiler. “Overall, I don’t think it’s good, they don’t promote things that are important and safe.”

However, this is not to say that all forms of reality TV shows are bad and promote negativity.

“I think a show like ‘Intervention’ is good, it shows real people battling with real problems,” said Tuazon. “It doesn’t feel like it’s manufactured.”

With the growth of technology and the ability to view television programs and movies right on your smartphone, these types of shows are not going anywhere anytime soon.

“You have to keep a critical thought process when watching them,” said Stallings.