reality tv popularityPerhaps you are aware that Schadenfruede is the delight or amusement people feel at the minor misfortunes of others. If a friend stands in dog’s dirt and you laugh about it for ten minutes, this is Schadenfruede.  I think that Schadenfruede is what lies behind reality TV popularity. For example when the cattiest competitor on America’s Next Top Model gets voted off by the judges millions tune in to see it happen because we are happy that she is finally getting what she deserves.
The real reason behind reality TV popularity may be slightly sinister. Yet there are times when reality TV popularity serves the greater good.  You may have heard that reality TV show Big Brother is popular in other countries besides the United States and there is a British version too. The third series of British Big Brother aired in 2002. One of the competitors of that series was a young woman called Jade Goody. She was loud and obnoxious and people did not know whether to love or hate her. She remained famous after the end of season 3.
In 2008 and 2009 Jade Goody fought a very public battle against an aggressive cervical cancer that spread to other areas of her body. She lost her battle against cervical cancer on March 22, 2009 at the age of 27. Because of Jade Goody’s cancer battle the number of women getting regular cervical cancer screenings in Britain increased dramatically.
Some people are appalled by reality TV popularity and the reasons behind it. But what happened as a consequence of Jade Goody’s cancer battle means that reality TV popularity could actually have saved the lives of several women in Britain.