Television Soap Opera Research Articles

The Response in Twitter to an Assisted Suicide in a Television Soap Opera.

Concern has been expressed about the potentially contagious effect of television soap opera suicides and suicidal language in social media. Twitter content was analyzed during the week in which a fictional assisted suicide was broadcast on a British television soap opera, "Coronation Street." Tweets were collected if they contained language indicating possible suicidal intent or used the word suicide. The modified Thompson tau method was used to test for any differences in the volume of tweets in both categories on the day of screening. Content analysis broke down the use of the word suicide into six thematic categories. There was no evidence on the day of screening of an increase in tweets expressing possible suicidal intent but there was an increase in tweets containing the word suicide. Content analysis found the most common thematic category to be information or support, followed by the raising of moral issues in relation to suicide. It is possible that for certain high-profile media events Twitter may be used more as a civic reactive forum than as a medium for introspection or disclosure of distress.

The Image of Bharatiya Nari as Projected by Indian Television Soap-Operas


 Television soaps and serials in private television channels have swept the Indian market in the last few decades. These soap operas have been upholding the socio-cultural patterns of the country through their contents. In the construction of Indian cultural landscape Indian women and their roles in society are the most vulnerable sites. The linkage of national identity and tradition with Indian women’s roles in society places them in a problematic position, given the patriarchal nature of Indian society. Soap operas on Indian television mostly depict women as homely and tradition-bound. Though there are portrayals of educated, professional women but they are also shown to find solace in the family. This paper tries to trace the image of the Indian Woman that has been endorsed by the Indian soap operas since its beginning and in doing so it tries to explore the implications of certain myths and ideologies that drive the story writers and the producers to de-recognize the changes in the contemporary society and to fall back on projecting stereotypical images; thus giving preference to social identity while ignoring individual identity of a woman.

Antropomorfisme Dalam Kesenian Indonesia

Anthropomorphism in arts has been known since the prehistoric period and developed in all over the world, including the primitive arts in the Borneo and Papua hinterland. During the Indonesia-Hindu culture, anthropomorphism was used to represent the character of ‘extraordinary’ in the old fables and serves as a medium of religious. While anthropomorphism in modern Indonesian arts today can be found in the form of comics, movies, and television soap operas although anthropomorphic shape still not as extraordinary as Indonesian-Hindu arts earlier. Key word: anthropomorphism, arts, Indonesia

Editorial: The public understanding of nursing – time for a step change?

Editorial: The public understanding of nursing – time for a step change?

Does Product Placement Change Television Viewers' Social Behavior?

To what extent are television viewers affected by the behaviors and decisions they see modeled by characters in television soap operas? Collaborating with scriptwriters for three prime-time nationally-broadcast Spanish-language telenovelas, we embedded scenes about topics such as drunk driving or saving money at randomly assigned periods during the broadcast season. Outcomes were measured unobtrusively by aggregate city- and nation-wide time series, such as the number of Hispanic motorists arrested daily for drunk driving or the number of accounts opened in banks located in Hispanic neighborhoods. Results indicate that while two of the treatment effects are statistically significant, none are substantively large or long-lasting. Actions that could be taken during the immediate viewing session, like online searching, and those that were relatively more integrated into the telenovela storyline, specifically reducing cholesterol, were briefly affected, but not behaviors requiring sustained efforts, like opening a bank account or registering to vote.

Recognizing the Politics of Visual Imagery through Transplanted Traditions in Indian Television Soap Operas

Television is known to be a powerful provoker and circulator of meanings. The attempt in this article is to read the discursive elements of female soap opera protagonists and find out if they are idealised partly as religious devotees in their whole existence. Wars of production and re-enforcement of meanings are often waged in media space. Therefore an analysis of 'character reading' of the soap operas broadcast in the Hindi networks will help focus analytical attention on different forms of hegemonic power that constitute the text. The objective of this article is to delve into the textual and semiotic codifications used in the characterisation of the protagonists of the select soap operas under study. These codes will help in describing the phenomenon of creating religious devotees in soap operas.

Recognising the Politics of Visual Imagery through Transplanted Traditions in Indian Television Soap Operas

Recognising the Politics of Visual Imagery through Transplanted Traditions in Indian Television Soap Operas

“Is Your Man Stepping Out?” An Online Pilot Study to Evaluate Acceptability of a Guide-Enhanced HIV Prevention Soap Opera Video Series and Feasibility of Recruitment by Facebook Advertising

Love, Sex, and Choices (LSC) is a 12-episode soap opera video series developed to reduce HIV risk among at-risk Black urban women. We added a video guide commentator to offer insights at critical dramatic moments. An online pilot study evaluated acceptability of the Guide-Enhanced LSC (GELSC) and feasibility of Facebook advertising, streaming to smartphones, and retention. Facebook ads targeted high-HIV-prevalence areas. In 30 days, Facebook ads generated 230 screening interviews: 84 were high risk, 40 watched GELSC, and 39 followed up at 30 days. Recruitment of high-risk participants was 10 per week, compared to seven per week in previous field recruitment. Half the sample was Black; 12% were Latina. Findings suggest GELSC influenced sex scripts and behaviors. It was feasible to recruit young urban women from a large geographic area via Facebook and to retain the sample. We extended the reach to at-risk women by streaming to mobile devices.

How structure shapes content, or why the ‘Hindi turn’ of Star Plus became the ‘Hindu turn’

Why was there in the year 2000 a significant shift in the representation of families on Indian soap operas, from middle-class nuclear families with independent working women to upper-class joint families with only homemakers; and from milieus in which the religion of the characters was incidental, to milieus in which the Hindu religion and the performance of it was of central importance? I argue that a confluence of three forces enabled these shifts: (1) in marketing, a radical ‘bottom-of-the-pyramid’ approach; (2) in TV, the industry’s attempts to find audiences in large numbers, mediated by the structure of the Indian audience measurement system; and (3) Hindu nationalists’ focus on ‘middle-class’ audiences. In other words, I show how the very structure of the audience marketplace, especially the Indian television audience measurement system and shifts in marketing practices, abets the naturalization of particular political discourses within popular cultural forms, in this case Hindu nationalist discourse within television soap opera. This article makes a significant contribution to audience measurement studies and, by showing the mechanics of the naturalization of Hindu nationalist ideologies in popular culture, contributes to the literature investigating the influence of ideologies of nationalism in everyday life.

To resist = to create? Some thoughts on the concept of resistance in cultural criminology

Today, we are told, the practice of resistance – especially political resistance in the form of protest and activism – is making a comeback. ‘The world is facing a wave of uprisings, protests and revolutions’, according to the back cover of Paul Mason’s influential recent book Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere (2012), an engrossing text that has become something of a handbook for all sorts of activ‐ ists, from hard-core cyber-protestors to would-be revolutionaries. But while resistance is once again highly fashionable, we should not lose sight of the fact that it is also characterized by a palpable lack of definitional consensus, with the term being employed in a haphazard fashion to describe everything from fullblown revolutionary protest (Adib-Moghaddam, 2013; McDermott & Stibbe, 2006) to women who watch television soap operas (Brown, 1994). This broad application of the label ‘resistance’ to a very diverse and often contradictory set of practices also extends to a growing number of activities and pursuits that occur within the discipline of criminology. It is essential therefore that criminologists interested in studying the subject do so with some measure of conceptual clarity. This article aims to provide a more analytical understanding of the label ‘resist‐ ance’ – especially as it is deployed and appropriated in Western liberal democra‐ cies. It sets out from the premise that the notion of resistance, although it has been current in criminology for some time, is still vaguely defined. In order to provide more analytical precision, we will first review how notions of resistance and rebellion are currently employed within criminology generally and cultural criminology specifically. In the second part, we explore the implications for how we might conceive of a conception of resistance as a positive or ‘creative force’, rather than simply a negative counter-reaction against cultural, social or econom‐ ical power relations that exist at a particular moment in a society. The third part is devoted to four events that radically transform a certain situation in the fields of politics, art, love and science. In the fourth part we investigate the limitations of resistance by reference to the counterculture of the Sixties. In the fifth and final part, we put forward the case for thinking about resistance as a three-stage process.

Doing it Live! Planning and Preparing for a Live Drama Episode: A Case Study of 'The Bill' (ITV, 2005)

Over the last decade there has been a move towards live episodes of popular television dramas and soap operas in the UK being used to celebrate programme and channel anniversaries. This paper, written by a member of the production team is focused on the ‘behind the scenes’ preparation and subsequent broadcast of the live episode of British police drama The Bill on September 22 nd 2005. This live episode became a landmark broadcast as it was the first time that dramatic stunt sequences had been performed live. This article will be supported with examples from the original planning documentation and rehearsal photographs and will examine the production culture in the planning and preparation of the episode. It will also reveal some of the trickery used to execute the stunts, will discuss the difficulties experienced during the live episode and how problems were overcome.

Doing it Live! Planning and Preparing for a Live Drama Episode

Over the last decade there has been a move towards live episodes of popular television dramas and soap operas in the UK being used to celebrate programme and channel anniversaries. This paper, written by a member of the production team is focused on the ‘behind the scenes’ preparation and subsequent broadcast of the live episode of British police drama The Bill on September 22nd 2005. This live episode became a landmark broadcast as it was the first time that dramatic stunt sequences had been performed live. This article will be supported with examples from the original planning documentation and rehearsal photographs and will examine the production culture in the planning and preparation of the episode. It will also reveal some of the trickery used to execute the stunts, will discuss the difficulties experienced during the live episode and how problems were overcome.

A randomized controlled trial of soap opera videos streamed to smartphones to reduce risk of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in young urban African American women

BackgroundLove, Sex, and Choices (LSC) is a soap opera video series created to reduce HIV sex risk in women. MethodsLSC was compared to text messages in a randomized trial in 238 high-risk mostly Black young urban women. 117 received 12-weekly LSC videos, 121 received 12-weekly HIV prevention messages on smartphones. Changes in unprotected sex with high risk partners were compared by mixed models. ResultsUnprotected sex with high risk men significantly declined over 6 months post-intervention for both arms, from 21-22 acts to 5-6 (p < 0.001). This reduction was 18 % greater in the video over the text arm, though this difference was not statistically significant. However, the LSC was highly popular and viewers wanted the series to continue. ConclusionThis is the first study to report streaming soap opera video episodes to reduce HIV risk on smartphones. LSC holds promise as an Internet intervention that could be scaled-up and combined with HIV testing.

Merchandising social na telenovela brasileira

Fíeginning in the late 1980's a new kind of propaganda campaign sprungup in brazilian television: social merchandising. Because of the lack ofinterest of the government, television soap-operas began to incorporatewith-in the plot of the story campaigns of public intevest. The soap-opera “Explode coração" for example dedicated a systematic campaign for lostchildren.

Streaming Weekly Soap Opera Video Episodes to Smartphones in a Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce HIV Risk in Young Urban African American/Black Women

Love, Sex, and Choices is a 12-episode soap opera video series created as an intervention to reduce HIV sex risk. The effect on women's HIV risk behavior was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in 238 high risk, predominately African American young adult women in the urban Northeast. To facilitate on-demand access and privacy, the episodes were streamed to study-provided smartphones. Here, we discuss the development of a mobile platform to deliver the 12-weekly video episodes or weekly HIV risk reduction written messages to smartphones, including; the technical requirements, development, and evaluation. Popularity of the smartphone and use of the Internet for multimedia offer a new channel to address health disparities in traditionally underserved populations. This is the first study to report on streaming a serialized video-based intervention to a smartphone. The approach described here may provide useful insights in assessing advantages and disadvantages of smartphones to implement a video-based intervention.

Handheld Computers to Run ACASI to Assess HIV Risk and Deliver Tailored Soap Opera Video Feedback

The majority of all adolescent and young adult women (90%) with HIV were infected by unprotected sex with an infected male partner (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010b). As of 2008, the epidemic had disproportionately affected Black women who were 14% of the population of women in the United States but comprised 67% of women with HIV infection. It is estimated that in a lifetime, 1 in 30 Black women will be infected with HIV (CDC, 2010a). Innovative approaches to reduce sexual transmission of HIV to this population are needed.

A Longitudinal Study Of Generic Alcohol And Tobacco Cues In Daytime Soap Opera Programs: Fall, 1986, 1991, And 2001

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 34.2pt 0pt 0.5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the frequency and context of generic alcohol and tobacco cues in daytime television soap opera programs broadcast in fall, 1986, 1991, and 2001.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;A content analysis of these programs showed that alcohol cues occurred significantly more frequently than tobacco cues.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The alcohol cues occurred with significantly increasing frequency in 1991 vs. 1986, and then again in 2001 vs. 1991.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Although the alcohol cues were generic (unbranded), in &amp;ldquo;appropriate&amp;rdquo; settings, and neither actively consumed nor directly related to storylines, their significantly increasing use could still be of concern.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

In the Minds of Philippine Audiences: Construction of the Malaysian Culture from Two TV Soap Operas

Prolonged exposure to specific media programs has been observed to develop certain perceptions, attitudes and particular constructions of reality. As a powerful medium that captures the attention of a wide range of audiences, television (TV) soap operas shape and reshape the latter’s values and beliefs. This paper aims to determine what information co-productions of Philippine and Malaysian TV companies provide Filipino viewers in terms of knowledge constructions about Malaysia and its culture. Two TV soap operas, otherwise known as telenovela or teleserye, formed the bases of the investigation. Data were gathered from 80 discussants through Focus Group Discussions. Findings reveal that much of the mediated constructions of Malaysia and its culture have been limited to what the narrative yarns of the TV soap operas provide. Since the TV soap operas were so structured as to tell stories about cultural conflicts and human struggles, viewers’ constructions of Malaysia and its culture revolved mainly around interracial relations, arranged marriages, the practice of Islam, landmarks of Malaysia and the Chinese presence in that country.

Portrayal of Women in Television (TV) Serials

The present study entitled “portrayal of women in television (TV) serials” was conducted with a view to ascertain the responses of men and women regarding the image of women in TV serial and to study the impact of these serials on them. The sample comprised of 120 respondents which consisted 60 men and 60 women purposively in the age group of 35-50 years. Women portrayal of TV is one of the contentions issues surrounding the media today. The modern images of the more liberated woman are not the image of the contemporary Indian women. it seems that sex-stereotyping is more deeply woven in to the fabric of television soap operas does not depicts the reality of women’s role in society, for a variety of different reasons, including the illusionary characters, the concentration on domestic and personal issues. It has been seen that women are portrayed in stereotypical, often fashionable way and never as an intelligent, confident and emancipated women.

‘The truth is out there! Not!’: Shameless and the moral structures of contemporary social realism

This paper will examine the British drama series Shameless (C4, 2004–) within the context of British social realism, particularly as it was reflected in British television drama. In doing so, it will trace social realism's origins in 1930s documentaries through to its incarnation in television soap opera like Coronation Street (Granada, 1960–), single plays like Cathy Come Home (BBC, 1966), and to the newer forms of ‘contemporary social realism’ found in more recent examples such as Clocking Off (BBC, 2000–2003). It will particularly focus on the narrative and filmic perspective of traditional social realism, arguing that it tended to create a portrayal of the British working class from the point of view of the social outsider or ‘cultural tourist’. In contrast, it will argue that Shameless is an example of a new kind of TV drama that attempts to portray the working class (or more accurately, the post-industrial ‘underclass’) from the point of view of the ‘insider’, self-reflexively drawing attention to its own ambiguous claims of verisimilitude. In particular, it will show how the drama's construction of various narrative perspectives means that the objective authenticity of its view of life on this northern ‘sink-estate’ is consistently undermined; the very notion of an objective and impartial ‘reality’ challenged by a number of contrasting and contradictory discourses that profoundly distinguish it from the original moral structures that defined British social realism in the past.