真人秀 Reality show

譚佳 Tan Jia

電視或網絡真人秀現時在亞洲非常流行。與其將之視為無價值的娛樂，不如思考這種節目如何讓我們認識更廣闊的社會及文化議題。例如，真人秀中的類型之一是改造類的節目，它們集中表現個人如何經歷變化及改造而成為不同方面的更「好」的自我。分析這些節目的時候，我們可以審視節目中哪些方面的自我改造被視作是必需的，以及這些改造是如何被鼓勵、估量及評價。我們也可以研究這些真人秀如何在螢幕前操控著個體成功或失敗的改造，及其與現實生活中社會經濟結構性不平等之間的關係。最後，從文化研究的角度分析真人秀可以使我們進一步認識當代亞洲的個人主體的形塑。

Reality television or online shows are increasingly popular in Asia. Rather than dismissing them as trashy entertainment, we can think about how these shows can tell us more about larger social and cultural issues. For example, the sub-genre of makeover shows features how real individuals are transformed into a variety of “better” forms of oneself. In analyzing these shows, we can examine what aspects of self-improvement are deemed necessary, and how are the improvements encouraged, measured, and evaluated. We can also explore how these reality shows maneuver individual empowerment or failure on screen and structural socioeconomic inequalities off screen. Ultimately, studying these reality shows through the lens of cultural studies can further our understanding of subject formation in contemporary Asia.