An excellent report in The Australian this week raises the spectre of the ethical implications of relaity television programs.
James Bone reports on the tragic demise of some participants of relity TV experiments and questions whether the producers are living up to their moral and legal obligations by ensuring that the mental and physical wellbeing of the "stars" is of foremost importance.
Of particular interest to viewers and the industry alike is the significant and tragic effect that being in a "goldfish bowl" has on some people. While it could be argued that the examples listed were people who may have been suffering from low self-esteem, depression or a more serious mental illness, the fact remains that had it not been for the sudden and extreme public nature of their lives, many, if not all of them may have continued coping with a relatively normal and fulfilled life, with or without the issues and burdens they carried with them.
In essence it was, arguably, the media spotlight that stripped them bare, leaving them naked amongst the world. Embarrassment and shame are emotions that we find extremely difficult to overcome. Anger and joy pass us by on a daily basis and we give very little thought the last moment we expressed those feelings. But shame etches its memory in our mind and body and gnaws away at our self-esteem like a parasitic disease.
We have all had that moment when we goofed up or a self-truth was revealed unceremoniously to the world. At that moment our face blushed, our senses were heightened and we wanted to crawl under a rock away from the peircing stare or laughter of those around us. We may even have thought, or later jested to others, that "I wished I was dead".
For some, those feelings have presented themselves so strongly that they have been able to act and their fatal wish came true. For others it meant lashing out at others with equally tragic consequences.
Reality TV may simply be a fad of the times, but if it is set to haunt us over coming years, then producers of such shows need to take responsibility for the people they select and the selection process. But more importantly proactive care needs to be available from appropriate health professionals before, during and after each new media experiment.
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