Introduction
Dave Ramsey hosts the Ramsey show to offer investment, financial, and life solutions for YouTube TV viewers. Ramsey is an American radio personality and he is a well-built, aged bald man wearing reading glasses. The show guest is Dr. John Delony, who is a life coach and an author. Both characters are dressed in black shirts, with black watches on their wrists, and black headphones on their heads (The Ramsey Show, 2021). Dr. John Delony falls under the middle social class, whereas Dave Ramsey is rich. Both are white Americans and refer to themselves as financial and life experts. Dr. John Delony is 37 years old, whereas Dave Ramsey is 61 years old.
In the show, the hosts give financial advice to callers on how-to and the importance of achieving debt-free life. Both personalities maintain beat gestures to maintain the conviction of the audience. The hosts held upright sitting postures and displayed minimum body movement. Ramsey and Delony sustain eye contact with the camera throughout the show. The message of the two speakers is perfectly consistent, also revealed in their dress code.
Exploratory Nonparticipant Observation
Craig Jordan and Gabe Hefner address us in a church gathering during evening hours. The crowd included teenagers of all ages under 25 years with different educational backgrounds, ethnicity, and social classes. On the one hand, Craig Jordan is dressed in blue trousers, black shoes, and an orange t-shirt. Craig is a tall slim white-American salesperson with a bearded face. Craig is 32 years old and middle-class folk in the middle class. On the other hand, Gabe Hefner is a 38 years old black-American male in the middle class who works in a construction company. Hefner is an overweight clergyman with a smiling facial expression dressed in green trousers, a black shirt, and stripped brown coat.
The two speakers are church volunteers participating in religious education. The gestures of both speakers are inconsistent since the speaker stood up while addressing the crowd. There is less conformity in behaviors and physical appearance in reality shows (Kugelberg, 2021). I noticed unintentional inconsistencies and minor errors in the message and pronunciation during their speeches. The crowd’s attentiveness seemed less, with most people leaving before the recommended time. Norms in the form of normative ethics the behavioral prescription setting socially enforced by the rules or expectations (Kugelberg, 2021). The eminent norm I observed is the standing of the crowd to applaud the speakers when they are done with the speech.
Analysis
The social media depiction of characters is exaggerated compared to reality depiction. The facial image and beauty standards displayed in the TV media are ideal, although distorted due to filters and makeup. The skin tone of media characters is lightened in the media compared to authentic images. The body display of social media personalities is muscle-bound men to gain more audience attention. Undoubtedly, the comparison of character and physical shows between the media and reality is significantly different. We constantly struggle to imitate and compare our real photos with unrealistic social media portrayals.
I selected the Ramsey show because it demonstrates characters with unique impressions and images to advise on personality, behavior, and financial security. The majority of the audience calling in the Ramsey show adore Dave Ramsey’s financial decisions and look upon him for advice to live credit-free. The church interaction is natural, and the personalities involved are not obsessed with their facial and body looks. The media uses verbal as well as non-verbal communication to address the audience. For instance, the color black dressing symbolizes power and elegance.
References
Kugelberg, E. (2021). Responsibility for reality: Social norms and the value of constrained choice. Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 20(4), 357-384. Web.
The Ramsey Show (2021). Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can’t, You’re Right [Video]. YouTube. Web.