Subtitle: Televisual Discourse on the Real
Author: James Friedman
Subject: Media Studies/Communications Studies/American Studies
Paper ISBN 0-8135-2989-1
Pages: 352 pp. 11 b&w illus.
Description:

Praise for Reality Squared

"A careful and thorough examination of an important topic, this useful social critique volume initiates a discussion that will be useful to readers."-Choice

"Reality Squared develops the scholarly discussion of the aesthetic of realism, documentary conventions, and modes of television broadcasting in sophisticated new directions. Friedman's historical perspective is especially valuable since so much discussion of the new aesthetic of realism on television fails to take into account similar trends throughout television history."-Ellen Seiter, professor of communication, University of California at San Diego and author of Sold Separately

"Reality Squared offers a rich variety of insights into the way television and new media make us believe in the worlds they represent. Spanning across the decades of early live TV to contemporary digital culture, this volume is an important history, not only of media but also of our perception of reality itself."-Lynn Spigel, University of Southern California and author of Welcome to the Dreamhouse

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, viewers' desire for "reality TV" shows no signs of diminishing, as evidenced by the meteoric rise of shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Survivor, and MTV's Real World. As the title suggests, Reality Squared examines the representation of reality within the squared televisual viewing frame, as well as the exponential growth of these representational programs on broadcast, cable TV, and even beyond, to the worldwide web. The contributors approach the issues surrounding television and reality from a wide range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Topics include: the internet, the impact of global news events, meteorological predictions on the Weather Channel, and the representation of criminality on America's Most Wanted. This wide-ranging volume contributes to the ongoing conversation about reality and representation, history and fiction, text and context, and the "inside" and "outside" of that box we call television.

James Friedman is the head of Commercial Development for the UCLA Film and Television Archive.