No doubt, today's teenagers are technologically savvy. They can upload a picture from their cell phones to Facebook in the time you can say, "Can you hear me now?" Like true spin doctors, they can split out all the pop culture buzzwords: Damage control, epic fail, and teachable moment all are part of their sophisticated-beyond-their-years lexicon.

And the seemingly mundane minutiae of what they are doing and who they are doing it with aren't really real until the world knows about it. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter. Take your pick.

Experts say this behavior is a direct result of watching reality TV. After all, the generation known as the Millenials never consciously existed without it: Today's 21-year-old was just 3 when MTV's The Real World debuted in 1992.

"Generation Y's expectations are much different than those of previous generations," said David Morrison, Managing Director of Twentysomething Inc., a young adult insights and strategy firm. "So many people today believe they have an inalienable right to be famous. Kids used to say, 'I want to be a designer, or an athlete or a writer.' Now they just say they want to be famous."

Aiming for fame has its upside. The born after, say 1985, are much more confident, willing to take more risks and more comfortable in the limelight than those born in previous generations, Morrison said. With role models bent on shocking their audiences, these kids don't have a problem challenging tradition.

But the reality television infiltration has seemingly more negative, Morrison said. Foremost, this impressionable age group has witnessed countless acts of bad behavior get rewarded. Nobody was ruder than The Apprentice Season 1 mean girl Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. She, like most reality stars, used her debut to secure appearances on traditional shows, including NBC's Fear Factor. She was also interviewed by Oprah. The message: It pays to go on reality TV, no matter your behavior.

That "opens more doors for you," said Candace Mercer, a 25-year-old saleswoman for a Center City Sprint store who interviewed -- unsuccessfully -- for a spot on The Real World and the Oxygen Channel's Bad Girls Club. "It puts money in your pocket. I mean, what am I going to do when I don't work for the cell phone company?"

Not all teens say they are susceptible to the reality hype. Ironically, while many teens admire the lifestyle of celebrities, they don't seem to respect them. And that has everything to do with how celebrity has gone from a chosen few with a repertoire of talent to, well, anybody who can pick a fight on TV.

"All you have to do is make a fool of yourself to be a celebrity," said 19-year-old Mitzi Smetanka of Marlton, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Smetanka, who watches a few shows other than reality TV, says her favorite is Real World: Road Rules Challenge.

"I think celebrities are people who don't really have any talent," she added. "Celebrities now are like a catchall for people on TV, not people who have done anything." But this makes fame seem all the more within reach. After all, besides having money, what can celebrities do that teens can't?

"Teens see themselves in the same mediums as celebrities," Morrison said. "They Tweet with them and they see images of themselves on YouTube. How are their lives that different?" They text. So does Ashton Kutcher. they videotape themselves at a party and immediately post it online. So does Jessica Simpson. And they think they can gain similar notoriety.

Days after a YouTube video was posted of 7-year-olds gyrating to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" as part of a California dance competition, their parents were appearing on the morning-show circuit, including CBS's The Early Show. One post on YouTube (and countless media stories later), and the first graders are instant celebrities. Just like the Balloon Boy. Or Luann Haley, who called President Obama a hottie-- to his face.