The Economic Benefits of Alien Abduction
According to economists, if intelligent life elsewhere wants to kidnap earthlings, there must be a reason—and a business model.
realitytv
A collection of 8 issues
From Here You Can See Everything
Our current era of on-demand television series does more than facilitate binge-watching—it encourages it. David Foster Wallace already told us what happens next.
Doomsday Slackers
We open the bunker on doomsayers preparing for the end of civilization—but not all them will survive the first hour of armageddon.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Before the internet, before Facebook, before Twitter, a group of British documentary filmmakers launched what has become the grand-daddy of reality television. What can Seven Up! tell us about our own experiences in the (self-induced) spotlight?
***Spoilers*** ***Spoilers*** ***Spoilers***
Spoilers online and IRL are plentiful, rendering those who wish to remain unaware on high alert at all times. A look at the many ways spoilers spoil everything (spoilers ahead).
Paris Hilton and the American Cannibal
In our continuing series, a profile of the pornographer who put Paris Hilton in your living room, and a fascinating look at “pseudo-events” in our culture and the media that can't get enough of them.
Mirror, Mirror
Reality television depends on charismatic contestants, and the Ganz sisters, a pair of identical-twin casting agents, are among its chief suppliers. The first article in a series on the hidden workings of reality TV.
Reality’s Apprentice
Reality TV may seem a world away from real life, but what happens when Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” moves in upstairs? Worse, what happens when it seems to be a sham?