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150875 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.14898 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ All Rights Reserved 2012 iv, 108 p. : col. ill Masters Thesis Academic theses Text eng Padelford, Sarah Ramsey, Ramsey E Gruber, Diane Wise, Greg Arizona State University Partial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2012 Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-108) Field of study: Communication studies Research literature and popular press articles were reviewed to uncover the influences and viewer pleasures received from watching reality television. A close semiotic analysis of the reality television program, Teen Mom, was conducted. The semiotic analysis looked at the characters, the structure of the show, and the show's use of graphics and audio to understand the show's influences on viewers. An analysis of the Teen Mom website and online forum was also conducted. Seventy-one viewer posts and 403 viewer responses were analyzed to uncover viewer reactions to the show. The results were significant in three ways. First, the producers of the show claim the show is meant to educate viewers on the effects of teen pregnancy. The analysis found that while the show sends educational messages, it also contradicts itself by glamorizing teen pregnancy. Second, the analysis of the online forum revealed the formation of close online communities among Teen Mom viewers. Third, the website analysis provided evidence of viewer pleasure resulting from voyeuristic and social comparison tendencies. It is plausible that Teen Mom viewers engage with the show for the opportunity to observe parts of other people's lives they would not normally be permitted to see. At the same time, viewers evaluate themselves in comparison to the Teen Mom cast members. Communication Reality television Social comparison Teen Mom Viewer Pleasures Reality television programs Teenage pregnancy I'm sixteen and I'm pregnant: a rhetorical analysis of Teen mom : viewer influences and pleasures