SO, you're at home on the sofa in front of your TV. You start channel-surfing and programme after programme you see celebrities slurping maggots and witchetty grubs, two people telling folks what not to wear and a group of desperate individuals convincing the nation that the only way is certainly NOT Essex.
There's no doubt that Reality TV has swept the world off its feet and onto their couches but the effect doesn't stop there. Take the 'ity' off reality and what we see is real.
However, when watching this 'Real TV' the content we see couldn't be further from it.
Although most adults with half a brain cell can establish this, unfortunately we can't say the same about the newest generation of Joey Essexes and Paris Hiltons.
Jersey Shore: a show where amusing Americans work hard (ish), play hard and party even harder. Don't get me wrong the language is somewhat unpleasant but on the whole it's kept reasonably 'PG15'.
Geordie Shore: a show where a group of arrogant Geordies spend a summer tanning, toning and tarting themselves. To sum it up the guys would go out wearing less clothes than most girls and the girls would go out wearing less clothing than a page three girl. That really is it!
Last and most definitely least…The Valleys: This is a show with wretched Welsh wannabes completely humiliating themselves for their five minutes of fame – inappropriate language, inappropriate clothing and absurdly inappropriate behaviour.
As you can see, the latest craze in Reality TV is making everything that little bit more extreme. Therefore, the latest craze in shops, glossy mags, schools and colleges is, ironically enough, more extreme!
So at what point do we draw the line? And at what point do we cross the line? Or have we already done both?
In my opinion, the lines of civilisation, normality and just plain manners were crossed a long time ago. At what point did it become 'reality' to walk down the street looking more orange than a cheesy wotsit and how often do you find yourself at a party with the heir to the Mcvities' fortune and the granddaughter of the inventor of Quality Street? I don't know about you, but I think I can answer those for the vast majority and say never.
This though, is where the biggest issue seems to lie. Young people nowadays are so easily influenced by the media industry. Consequently, industry professionals should be extremely careful about the type of content that's being aired.
However, if anything, this is having a reverse effect. It's a classic case of 'the chicken or the egg'. Do we see more of this unrealistic reality TV because that's what the public demands or is the public watching more because masses are being produced so it's forced upon them?
Which one came first and why? Either way, the fact is that the quantity that is being produced certainly wouldn't be an issue if it weren't a success. Therefore we're all to blame aren't we?
I'm as guilty as the next guy for secretly wanting to find out whether Arg will ever get over Lydia and if Helen Flanagan is actually going to 'try her best' in tonight's bush-tucker trial.
But it won't make me get up tomorrow morning and raid the shops for some camouflage or backcomb my hair until a bird could nest in it.
Finding the not-so-fine line between reality and 'reality' TV is what a lot of young people appear to be struggling with. We're seeing much more of this extreme behaviour portrayed on our television screens purely for entertainment value, in everyday life.
This is due to the effect these reckless role models have on their naïve viewers. Unfortunately, their priorities with their behaviour lie with thinking up new ways to be more extreme, extravagant and 'entertaining' as opposed to considering the young people they might be influencing.
It might just be that at 19 I'm old before my time. But the way these reality TV 'stars' behave in order to get their face on TV, in my opinion, really is despicable.
By all means watch it; just don't imitate it.