Voyeurism Through Television Perpetuates Tendency To
Spectate Instead Of Participate, Says Penn State Professor

March 20, 2000
University Park, Pa. — The broadcasting of revealing information and images about others in apparently unguarded, real-life moments has become a staple of television programming today. Why are these voyeuristic shows the current rage of pop culture when they stimulate little social interaction and offer minimal news value?

Clay Calvert, assistant professor of communications law at Penn State, has been studying this phenomenon called mediated voyeurism, a type of visual sensationalism usually for the sole purpose of entertainment through the glamorization of other people’s misfortune.

"We’re all fascinated by watching things that perhaps we shouldn’t see," said Calvert in a recent interview on Penn State’s public broadcasting show "Take Note." "We don’t like to admit this, though."

Popular television shows like FOX’s recent "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" and MTV’s "The Real World" embrace what Calvert refers to as contrived voyeurism. In these shows, people and situations are staged by producers who then film the real-life outcomes. In the case of "The Real World," MTV selects and packages young adults in ‘real-world’ situations designed to be highly conflict-driven for the audience’s enjoyment.

However, as FOX discovered with "Millionaire," this type of pseudo-voyeurism can backfire — so much so that the network has decided to shy away from its traditionally quirky programming as a result of the backlash it received.

"Marriage is traditionally a sacred ceremony typically reserved for family and friends," said Calvert. "But ‘Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire’ perhaps took mediated voyeurism too far, allowing the whole country to observe and participate in the institution of marriage. I think part of the letdown for viewers is that marriage means something, and in this case it turned out to be a big charade and viewers took that personally."

Programs such as "Dateline" and "48 Hours" are unstaged but still exhibit mediated voyeurism, luring viewers through brief and dramatic glimpses into other people’s lives. Following the lead of Phil Donahue, to whom Calvert attributes starting the trend of voyeurism on television, news magazines and tabloid talk show hosts like Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, and Oprah Winfrey regularly dip into the more unusual details of people’s lives.

Even traditional news broadcasts are not immune to this tendency. Coverage of crime and disaster usually dominates news programming and further perpetuates spectatorship among the audience. The vivid imagery of house fires on local newscasts and the national coverage of the tragedy at Columbine High School, which put grieving sessions on television, are all voyeuristic in nature.

The willingness of networks to produce these types of programs can be attributed to several factors. Aside from the high ratings the shows attract, producers like the fact that they are very easy and cheap to produce — there are typically no actors to pay and simple human interaction provides the drama.

Audiences tune-in because of what Calvert describes as a double-standard when it comes to privacy. "People tend to like to watch other people’s lives, but probably would not want their own lives exposed in that manner," he said. In addition, the subjects on voyeuristic programs are usually suspects or people of questionable character that have supposedly done something wrong, thus justifying the invasion of privacy by the camera. The popular FOX program "COPS," where viewers ride along on police patrols and witness actual arrests, is a perfect example.

Calvert thinks that we may actually learn from what we see in this type of programming sometimes. But the price we are paying is our privacy and responsibility as active participants in society.

"Discourse, discussion, and participation are all suffering. Today we have become spectators watching others without needing to participate," said Calvert, citing how the movie "The Truman Show" mocked society’s voyeuristic tendencies. "That’s part of the joy of watching shows like Jerry Springer — we get to say, ‘Wow, look at this parade of freaks come across the TV screen for us,’ but we don’t have to interact with them. We simply act as voyeurs."

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Contact: Tysen Kendig, Department of Public Information, (814) 867-7517 or .