Reality TV and Racial Stereotypes: A Review of the LiteratureReality TV programs have dominated television networks since their popularity began in the early 1990s with The Real World from MTV. The reality television genre has quickly gained ground by redefining the classic setup of television shows of the past. Reality TV has infiltrated television because networks prefer lower budgets for their programs that will also generate high ratings (Hasinoff, 2008). People watch reality television shows because they are intrigued by seemingly “real” dramas whose characters are ordinary people (Dubrofsky, 2006). Today at its peak, reality television evokes ideas of social order and cultural norms to its audience, while renewing racial stereotypes in modern society (Mendible, 2004). My goal of this literature review is to examine and analyze the influence of reality television on people's perceptions of cultural roles and racial stereotypes. people. All major networks now offer some form of reality television programming, because these programs attract large numbers of viewers and require low production costs. Shows like this offer audiences a first-hand look into the lives of ordinary people, which creates resonance among viewers because they feel like they can relate to the characters on screen (Hasinoff, 2008). Since the majority of modern reality TV stars start out as unknowns, frequent reality TV viewers have essentially bought into the belief that they too can become famous overnight by appearing on a popular show (Mendible, 2004). According to Mendible's assessment middle of paper......video sequences are significantly shorter than TV shows, a character's traits should be obvious from the start, especially since popular clips usually last between 15 seconds and 20 seconds. minutes. The studies focused on “people of color” and information regarding Asian-American and Caucasian stereotypes was missing from the research. A next step for future research could be to delve deeper into how YouTube and other video sites contribute to the persistence of racial ideologies because they also display stereotypical behaviors. Expanding the study would require examining the racial stereotypes present in Internet videos, as this is another form of mass media that impacts the way people perceive the world around them. Additionally, an expansion of the study should include more information on how other races are portrayed on television and other forms of mass media..