KONFERENSPRESENTATION:
Worth of Gold: A Case Study of Reality Television and Crisis Management
Southwest PCA/ACA 2016
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Session Chair
Heidi Breeden
Occured at
Thursday, February 11, 2016 - 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Room
Enchantment C
Presentation
Through exploring how the recent economic crisis is being addressed in US reality television, this case study of simultaneity in the television medium addresses crisis narratives, proposed solutions and ideologies. The program explored is “Gold Rush” – beyond its high ratings and syndication it has a clear premise of economic salvation and hands-on problem solving in its narrative setup.
The paper zooms in on a new flow within the medium. More and more do people displayed in reality television become entangled with the product – through taking part in the production, also behind the scene, through producing on screen (making a real life product, in this case of immense material value), through using the forum provided by this combination as a platform for argumentation and crisis solving.
The paper showcases historical as well as conceptual evolution of a medium of simultaneity,
thus developing and adding to previous notions of convergence and intertextuality.
