On January 6, 1973, famed anthropologist Margaret Mead published an essay in TV Guide addressing her viewing of the PBS series “An American Family.” This series was revolutionary at the time because it follows that of the Louds, a Californian family who were neither actors nor public figures, but just an average middle class family, which was unheard of at the time. The Louds filmed for seven months and produced twelve one-hour episodes that showed everything from the monotony of their daily lives to the corrosion of Bill and Pat Loud's marriage. Meade called this series "a new kind of art form" and marveled at the show's ability to showcase the dramatic and entertainment value of the average human condition. Forty years later, as Meade predicted, reality-based television and films have become more understood, respected, and prevalent in our modern culture. Extreme success stories from documentaries like Justin Bieber's 2011 "Never Say Never" and countless reality shows indicate that the presence of a celebrity, especially musicians, on reality channels can change audiences' perceptions, promote new material and help them to remain relevant in the eyes of the public. . These documentaries and “reality” television programs present audiences with carefully edited material that conveys only a fraction of that individual's personality and character, but has profound effects on public perception and acceptance. The British boy band One Direction is a great example of how using the framing model in reality TV shows and documentaries effectively promotes projects, shapes audience opinions, allows the artist to appear more open and relatable, and leads to an extreme economic success. is a group of five kids who range from... middle of paper... accurately portray the personality compressed into bits of reality that the producers wanted to convey. This truth, however, has no effect on the awareness of the public who for the most part accept the edidt's performance as complete reality and base their perception of the contestants on this. According to Charles Fairchild (2007) “'Idol' relationships are not limited to the familial musician-fan binary, but grow and evolve into a series of intimate and active relationships that extend well beyond the life of the show” (p.355). In his research he examined Australian Idol, a singing companion similar to The X-Factor, and how using interactive selection builds an affective investment in the contestants that lasts beyond the conclusion of the series. This can be applied to explain their continued success after the show's conclusion despite having finished third.