Reality Shows Case

we found that a survey would offer us the most advantageous data. Naturalistic inquiry would not be beneficial because, for example, an in-depth interview has costs, such as finances, time spent, and interviewer influence. An experiment could not be performed for ethical reasons, considering the topic of sex, which we were going to be studying. Since the major purpose of survey research is to study attitudes or behaviors of people, it fits perfectly. With surveys, we could best find predictions/relationships between our independent and dependent variables. We handed out self-administered questionnaires, which were easy and inexpensive, relative to the other methods. We preserved participants' anonymity by leaving out names and since the questions asked were on paper, no interviewer influence would be a problem.

Reality shows and soap operas are key examples of televisionshows that exaggerate how much individuals partake in sex. For example, in a reality show it may seem as though every time a specific character is shown, they are engaging in some type of sexual activity, however, that is because the media chooses to only show those certain scenes. Too much sex shown leaves the audience with the impression that the character's life revolves around sex a great deal. One sitcom that came out on HBO in 1998 now has reruns showing on a cable station, TBS, playing it weekly and making it available and easier for a younger audience to watch. "Sex and the City" is about four single, successful, women who live in New York, obsessed with looking for the "right" man to marry. The main character played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is a sex columnist that writes about topics she personally encounters or hears through her friends. While she is searching for a monogamous partner, her three girlfriends have given up all hope of finding the one "right" person, allowing themselves to be seduced by men. This gives viewers, especially young women, a false sense of reality about pre-marital sex. The show has the potential to influence its younger audience. If viewers see the lifestyle as glamorized, they may want to live similarly. Finding a relation between the show and low morals will allow blame to be placed on the creators of "Sex and the City." Before conducting the surveys, my research question is as follows: Does the amount of openness about sexuality and frequency of "Sex and the City" viewing for a college female relate to her beliefs about premarital sex"