Series such as Posh... And Full of It or Princesses of Purbeck offer viewers a "fly-on-the-wall" look at the lives of the wealthy, often blending aspirational content with manufactured drama.

Some entertainment, like the play The Book Club Play , satirizes this phenomenon by showing how a documentary filmmaker’s presence can hilariously disrupt normal group dynamics. Why We Watch

Sociologist: Watching reality TV really can change your behavior - CNBC