The American Mirage
How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy
Book • 2025
Eunji Kim's The American Mirage examines how popular reality television programs that showcase rags-to-riches success stories shape public beliefs about upward mobility and meritocracy.
Drawing on web-tracking, field experiments, and observational data, Kim demonstrates that many Americans avoid formal news and instead consume entertainment narratives that glorify individual success.
The book argues these narratives foster optimism, tolerance for income inequality, and weaker support for redistribution by presenting personal achievement as the main route to economic advancement.
Kim also explores mechanisms like hometown effects, repeated exposure, and influencer messaging to show how entertainment media carries political consequences.
Ultimately, the book calls attention to how everyday media consumption produces powerful, often overlooked effects on political attitudes and policy preferences.
Drawing on web-tracking, field experiments, and observational data, Kim demonstrates that many Americans avoid formal news and instead consume entertainment narratives that glorify individual success.
The book argues these narratives foster optimism, tolerance for income inequality, and weaker support for redistribution by presenting personal achievement as the main route to economic advancement.
Kim also explores mechanisms like hometown effects, repeated exposure, and influencer messaging to show how entertainment media carries political consequences.
Ultimately, the book calls attention to how everyday media consumption produces powerful, often overlooked effects on political attitudes and policy preferences.
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Christina Gessler
The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy
