Graduation Year
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Granting Department
Sociology
Major Professor
Donileen R. Loseke, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Sara L. Crawley, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Laurel D Graham, Ph.D.
Keywords
Culture, Femininity, Moral Boundaries, Audience Reception, Message Board
Abstract
Reality shows that feature people going about their presumed daily lives are not base entertainment. Internet message boards about reality programs are sites where moral work happens. Viewers write about the appearance and actions of show characters and construct moral lessons. Through naturally occurring data produced by fans of these shows, I find that viewers generally express a traditional heteronormative morality around class and gender through stating moral lessons, explaining what is wrong with the characters, or through ridicule and praise.
Scholar Commons Citation
Losasso, Joseph Charles, "That is Bad! This is Good: Morality as Constructed by Viewers of Television Reality Programs" (2011). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/3210
