Speculation that Yu Hsiang-chuan (余祥銓), son of celebrity Yu Tian (余天), had a nervous breakdown after taking part in a celebrity talent show has prompted debate about the ethics of broadcasting these types of programs, and raised questions about why they have become so popular.
Shortly after Yu Hsiang-chuan took part in Happy Sunday, a program well known for its harsh panel of judges, last month he developed symptoms of a nervous breakdown, and stopped eating, drinking and speaking.
On the show, Yu Hsiang-chuan was the target of humiliating comments such as "Don't think you can sing just because you are holding a microphone," and "You are treating the stage here as a big KTV podium."
PHOTO: HUANG PO-JUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Despite the ethical implications of such kinds of shows, adverse programs of this type have become a growing trend around the world.
In the UK, a game show called The Weakest Link, where contestants are voted out of the game for getting questions wrong and attacked on a very personal level, such as being called, "stupid," and "dumb," is similarly popular.
Reality TV shows, such as Big Brother, and The Island, where contestants are put into certain situations for a long period of time and audience members are allowed to watch their every move, including going to the toilet, also draw many viewers.
Speculating about why these programs are so popular, Andrew Cheng (鄭泰安) a professor at National Taiwan University's College of Public Health, said, "It is a case of the media capitalizing on humanity's basic drives: sex, curiosity, thirst for excitement. Through the programs, people can see fantasies enacted that are not practicable under the moral code of society."
Cheng said that young people in particular were rebellious, wanted excitement and liked adversity, making them a prime target.
Regarding the popularity of reality TV shows, Cheng said it was a classic case of the "Peeping Tom" syndrome.
A viewer of these types of programs who preferred to go by the name of Laura said, "You want to see what people are like behind the scenes. You want to know what people do when they don't know they're being watched."
Rather than seeing the current trend as reflective of the human taste for adversity, Chang Chueh (
"The media is thoroughly corrupted by business interests," she said.
Associate professor at the Radio, TV and Film Broadcast Center of ShihHsin University Kuan Chung-hsiang (
Professor Vivian Huang (
"Those who allow the TV ratings apparatus to be installed [in their homes] have particular personality traits. Furthermore, TV ratings are based on hours spent in front of the TV watching the same program. These people's perspectives on life and way of living are going to be different from the norm," she said.
Asked about the effects these types of programs would have on audience members, Cheng said that there was a danger of people being "alienated" from reality.
"Through these programs, people are gradually losing their sense of distance. They are in danger of being unable to make judgments about what is right or wrong. This may result in them copying what they see in the media," Cheng said.
"These programs are just a passive way of letting audience members live out their frustrations, it is not constructive as their problems are not resolved," he added.
Chang said these types of programs definitely influenced children's actions, especially in today's society where parental supervision was lacking.
Speaking of the effects of such programs on contestants, Chang said, "Normal constructive criticism should be based on three positives for every two negatives. A program such as Happy Sunday, which offers only criticism, cannot be healthy in any way," she said.
Even though contestants may be prepared to receive the criticism, it doesn't stop them from experiencing the "hurt" at the time that the criticism is voiced, she said.
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