Fernsehrealität und Realitätswahrnehmung

Scripted reality TV shows are essential elements of the afternoon schedules of private television channels in Germany. At the same time, those shows are criticised in public discourse because of their form and content. The media reality shown in them produces a high authenticity, which in turn is expected to cause negative media effects with regard to the perception of reality. This study aims to offer well-grounded insights into the media reality shown in these shows. Furthermore, it explains adults’ reception and patterns of use of episodically scripted reality. In doing so, the author gives special attention to the role of perceived reality in possible cultivation processes. In order to achieve these objectives, she applies a combination of methods: a quantitative media analysis and a quantitative online questionnaire. Finally, the author examines her results from the point of view of media pedagogy.