There is a controversy sweeping the nation over whether reality television is harmful to our society or entertaining.

Some people wonder how networks have gone from airing the Cosby Show to Temptation Island. The programming of television has changed considerably over the years.

Professor Rodney Freed, assistant professor of UTM pointed out that there was not as much sexual content on television in the past as there is now. Now they are doing more things for the shock factor than for entertainment. However, this is what society seems to want.

“If there’s not a market, they won’t produce it,” Freed said.

“Reality television, while entertaining and exciting, is perhaps misleading to young viewers," said Teresa Collard, assistant professor of communications. “These programs suggest that the actions of the participants are normal and common when in fact they are not. We do not live our everyday lives being followed around by a film crew or have individuals editing our lives for the most outrageous elements. It is not by accident that the mundane is not featured on these shows while wild activities are stressed. Ultimately, we do not live our lives in sound bites or based on getting good ratings as do the reality shows.”

There is a big concern about where this is taking us in society. There are some concerns that reality television will make make our society more aggressive.

“The idea that it’s okay to let it all hang out, to let your strongest emotions go public, to express yourself without inhibition, may even be a factor in the high levels of anger, expression and rage we see in our society,” said Frank Farley, past president of the American Psychological Association.

Others are intrigued by the real life drama reality television is portraying. They argue it's harmless and entertaining.

“They do worse when they listen in on someone’s conversation on the bus, or take a peek into their party host’s medicine cabinet,” said Robert Thompson, head of the Center for the study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

Jean Germain, UTM counselor, suggests that people are drawn toward the interesting aspects of how people behave in groups. However, what people are viewing is contrived by the editors, and what seems like reality is not. Things are taken out of context, and things we usually think of as taking time, such as marriage, is happening so quick on television.

“I think it should be taken with a grain of salt, it could be entertaining, however it could be a mistake to take it seriously,” said Germain. “Life doesn’t unfold as quickly as we see it on television.”