Do you remember back in the day when you were probably in middle school? Do you remember watching MTV and BET Spring Break shows? Well, I know I did! I could not wait to be college student so that I could go to Cancun or Miami on a week long vacation with my friends. I envisioned having a blast while living the glamorous life. But in reality this is not really about to happen when an average college student with a limited budget can only afford a two star hotel. The media has made college spring breaks the thing that everyone must do and if you don’t, you are not cool. In trying to be cool, students now days are spending their last dollar to party it up on Ocean Drive. So how are college students actually living out their lives during Spring Break? Are they living according to the fiction life of the media or does their reality differ because they are an average college student?
So lets put this in to context. Reality television has warped the minds of teenagers and college students. The targeted audiences of reality shows on BET, MTV and Vh1 are mostly between ages of 13 and 25. According to Ouellette and Murray, reality television shows, such as those about Spring Break, are considered docusoaps, in which they are documentaries with added drama. In these shows, producers hype things up just like any other reality show. Dramatization that is added to these shows is all for a higher rating but in the mind of teenagers and adolescents who watch these shows, this appears real.
Reality television, and Spring break shows portray false ideologies of Spring Break. They show how you have to have the great body on the beach, shop and eat on Ocean Drive, stay at lavish 4 and 5 start hotels or resorts and go to the best clubs at night and drink the best alcohol all day. All shows related to Spring Break show this in many aspects in addition to other reality shows such as Rehab, Pool Party at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas. On occasion, shows such as these will show how people get so intoxicated that they have to go to the hospital. In reality, people don’t have enough money to buy alcohol for all of their friends and often end up in crappy hotels with the maximum number of people packed into one room.
The reality of Spring Break is that college students are poor and live on limited funds. During Spring Break, the average student drives with a carload of friends to Florida and everyone stays in an average hotel. These students will go to Wal-Mart and stock up on food and only go out a few times just to feel like they are on vacation. As far as nightlife goes, students try to go to free parties and those of age buy the cheapest alcohol that they can find. Also, if there is free a taping of a show, such as BET’s “Spring Bling,” students may take advantage of this opportunity.
When compared, these two lifestyles expose what reality television shows display and what really goes on during the Spring Break of an average college student. Hollywood tries to make normal life seem better than what it really is. When reality television stars are interviewed, they say what producers want them to say and change up their lives as a means to add more drama. Therefore, Hollywood tries to control social norms by portraying activities in which students may think is normal. Hollywood’s control over the mind of America has changed in the last two decades. Reality television shows are the most popular kind of television genre and have turned regular everyday people into celebrities.
As a college student, you have the to power to make Spring Break what you want it to be. You can go along with what the media describes as the hottest event during your college career or you can do similar things that your peers are doing that makes sense. It is important to learn financial responsibility now so that you will not fall into debt and other financial handicaps when you get older. Budgeting for events such as this is a great start. College is supposed to be the best time of your life, so enjoy it but remember that you can construct events such as Spring Break how you want them to be.
Financial Tips:
1. Create a budget for your entire vacation.
2. Use your debit card a majority of the time in addition to bringing a limited amount of cash that you will keep in a safe place for emergency use.
3. Go to the grocery store when arriving at destination to buy snacks to save money on food budget.
4. Only bring one credit card for safety.
5. Plan trip with a group so can spend least amount on hotel room.
6. Look out for free parties to alleviate additional cost on club cover cost.
7. Start planning early to save money on deals.
References
Ouellette, Laurie and Susan Murray. Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. 2009. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Boynton, Jill. Financial Tips for Spring Break. Boston Globe. March 16, 2010
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