For MTV the price was right. Each of the cast members was paid a mere $1,400 for living several months of their lives on camera and creating enough raw footage for thirteen episodes. While it was never expressed this way, it became clear, over time, that the “talent” was actually being paid in attention, as opposed to cash; and so in this way a new format, not yet known as reality television, managed to preserve MTV’s existing business model.

Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, loc. 828