Reality TV when the Rubber Meets the Road-Justin.tv An Internet Phenomenon

A camera zooms past some well tended plants, past the well lit exterior of a mansion, and into a well lit glass "closet." All we hear is a muffled shriek of frustration. Tears dribble down a young woman's face as she sobs into the phone over the "stupidity" of all the other people she lives with. Something tells us that this may not be "reality" as we know it. Many of us had our share of reality shows such as "Survivor," "Big Brother" and the countless other spinoffs that pose to be reality shows, but are in essence the concoction of media giants having meticulously designed scripts and editing. Nowadays, the reality show furvor has subsided as fast as we could say "you are voted off the island."

How then has the recent video account of one typical, tech entrepreneur enflamed viewership upwards of ten thousand people at one time? Especially when this person's life is utterly "normal," completely unedited and unscripted, filmed for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week? Justin.tv is a new internet reality TV show that documents the life of Justin Kan for a full 24 hour day. The show differs from previous attempts at reality tv because there is no show editing and the mounted camera on his head enabling anyone to take a look at what is going on in this person's life at any one time, even while he is sleeping or going to the bathroom. Recent archived clips show Justin talking with friends, eating, or doing mundane tasks like cleaning up empty cans after a party. Why would anyone want to watch someone else's life when he has his own to live? A recent slogan for the website says it all: "Waste Time Watching Other People Waste Time."