Television Soap Opera Research Articles

A content analytic technique for measuring the sexiness of women's business attire in media presentations

This study describes the development and pretest of a content analytic category scheme for objectively measuring the sexiness of women's business attire in media presentations. In a test of the validity of the category scheme, presentations of women's business attire in television soap operas were compared to real world examples. The television samples were found to be significantly more provocative than the real world attire. In addition, the results of the content analysis of soap opera attire was compared to an intuitive perception of “sexiness.” A significant positive correlation was found between the degree of sexiness as measured by the content analytic category scheme and subject's perception of sexiness.

A content analytic technique for measuring the sexiness of women's business Attire in media presentations

This study describes the development and pretest of a content analytic category scheme for objectively measuring the sexiness of women's business attire in media presentations. In a test of the validity of the category scheme, presentations of women's business attire in television soap operas were compared to real world examples. The television samples were found to be significantly more provocative than the real world attire. In addition, the results of the content analysis of soap opera attire was compared to an intuitive perception of “sexiness.” A significant positive correlation was found between the degree of sexiness as measured by the content analytic category scheme and subject's perception of sexiness.

An Empirical Approach to Representing Patterns of Consumer Tastes, Nostalgia, and Hierarchy in the Market for Cultural Products

Previous empirical research on consumer tastes for cultural products has investigated the structures of markets for art, entertainment, and popular culture by examining how customer characteristics affect preferences among cultural categories (e.g., films versus television) or within a category (e.g., television soap operas versus TV sports programs). The present study explores preferences both among and within cultural categories. It hypothesizes and finds taste patterns that reflect age-related nostalgia and that indicate a hierarchy from highbrow to lowbrow cultural products. Further—in answer to a research question concerning the market segments defined by ethnic group, gender, and religion—it appears that whites, men, and Christians tend relatively to favor the more popular or lowbrow aspects of the consumer culture.

From Practice to Culture on Usenet

Usenet distributes thousands of topically-oriented discussion groups, reaching millions of readers world-wide. Newsgroup participants often create distinctive sub-cultures, which have been all but ignored in scholarly work on computer networks and computer-mediated communication. I illustrate how Usenet discourse can operate as a culture-creating force, and how practice theory can be used to approach Usenet cultures, with a deep analysis of one message in the group ‘rec.arts.tv.soaps.’ This group, which discusses television soap operas, is one of the most prolific on Usenet. The use of a single message demonstrates the potential of all Usenet talk as a locus of cultural meaning. The specific claims I make about such meanings in rec.arts.tv.soaps are grounded in my ethnographic research on this group over the last two years.

Partial Visions: Culture and Politics in Britain, Canada, and the United States.

A study of political culture in the USA, Britain and Canada, this book demonstrates how popular culture - expressed through such media as television soap operas and comedies, textbooks, magazine adverts and corporate publications - subtly deflects and suppresses democratic political action.

The Frequency and Context of Alcohol and Tobacco Cues in Daytime Soap Opera Programs: Fall 1986 and Fall 1991

The author conducted a content analysis to determine the frequency and context of alcohol and tobacco cues in daytime television soap opera programs broadcast in Fall 1986 and Fall 1991. Given societal concerns about alcohol and tobacco, one might expect the frequency and use of these products to be similar. This research found, however, that alcohol cues occurred significantly more frequently than tobacco cues and with significantly increasing frequency in 1991 versus 1986. The alcohol cues were found to be generic, in “appropriate” settings, and neither actively consumed nor directly related to storylines. Nevertheless, their increasing use could still be of concern.

Food commercials during television soap operas: what is the nutrition message?

Studies have examined food commercials appearing during daytime, prime time, and Saturday morning programming; none have evaluated commercials aired during soap operas. The purposes of this study were to examine the dietary composition of food products advertised during soap operas and the health and nutrition claims made on their behalf, using current dietary recommendations as a basis of evaluation. A total of 508 commercials videotaped during the top nine daytime serials for five consecutive days, were for food or beverage products. Most foods advertised were rated low in sugar, fat, sodium, and dietary fiber, and health and/or nutrition appeals occurred frequently. However, of the foods advertised as "low cholesterol," 77% were high in fat. Similarly, those foods advertised as low in saturated fat were high in total fat content. Forty-three percent of the food commercials promoting nutrition were for items such as flavored drinks with little nutrient value. Generally, the nutrition messages conveyed in these commercials supported current dietary recommendations, but the way in which the food products were promoted was often inconsistent and confusing, particularly in the area of fat. Nutrition educators need to address these inconsistencies when assisting consumers in interpreting television food advertising messages.

The Effect of Country Music on Suicide

Abstract T7his article assesses the link between country music and metropolitan suicide rates. Country music is hypothesized to nurture a suicidal mood through its concerns with problems common in the suicidal population, such as marital discord, alcohol abuse, and alienation from work. The results of a multiple regression analysis of 49 metropolitan areas show that the greater the airtime devoted to country music, the greater the white suicide rate. The effect is independent of divorce, southernness, poverty, and gun availability. The existence of a country music subculture is thought to reinforce the link between country music and suicide. Our model explains 51% of the variance in urban white suicide rates. Sociological work on the relationship between art and society has been largely restricted to speculative, sociohistorical theories that are often mutually opposed. Some theorists see art as creating social structure (Adorno 1973), while Sorokin (1937) suggests that society and art are manifested in cyclical autono- mous spheres; and still others contend that art is a reflection of social structure (Albrecht 1954). Little empirical work has been done on the impact of music on social problems. While some research has linked music to criminal behavior (Singer, Levine & Jou 1990), the relationship between music and suicide remains largely unexplored. Music is not mentioned in reviews of the literature on suicide (Lester 1983; Stack 1982, 1990b); instead, the impact of art on suicide has been largely restricted to analyses of television movies and soap operas (for a review, see Stack 1990b). In this article, we explore the link between a particular form of popular music (country music) and metropolitan suicide rates. We contend that the themes found in country music foster a suicidal mood among people already at risk of suicide and that it is thereby associated with a high suicide rate. The effect is buttressed by the country subculture and a link between this subculture and a racial status related to an increased suicide risk.

Ke Wang, a Chinese television soap opera with a message.

China's first domestically-produced, long-running television soap opera, Ke Wang ('Aspirations'), was immensely popular with its audiences since it was first broadcast on a local Beijing television station in October, 1990. An audience of at least 550 million people in China watched Ke Wang, the largest audience in any single country for any television program. While Ke Wang was designed primarily to entertain people, it addressed many of the important social issues confronting the Chinese society: Status of women, social morality, family harmony, class conflict, responsible parenthood, maintenance of traditional culture, volunteerism, child development, physical disability, and others. We trace the history of Ke Wang, showing how the soap opera represents a watershed in Chinese television programming. We analyze Ke Wang's audience success, and investigate the various social impacts of Ke Wang. The promises and problems of entertainment-education soap operas like Ke Wang are discussed.

Effects of a prosocial television soap opera in promoting women's status.

The effects of exposure to "Hum Log," India's first long-running television soap opera, on viewers' beliefs about women's status, freedom of choice, and family planning were assessed in a survey of 1170 respondents from three geographic areas. The soap opera is intended to promote prosocial beliefs about the role of women in India. A structural equation model was developed to measure the impact of awareness, involvement, and television dependency on personal beliefs. Viewers who were most exposed to "Hum Log" were more involved with its characters and more dependent on Indian television for education and entertainment, but were no more aware than their less exposed counterparts of the prosocial beliefs promoted by the soap opera. There was no significant association between viewers' involvement with the characters and their beliefs about women's equality, freedom of choice, or family planning. Moreover, viewers who were more dependent on television did not exhibit significantly stronger beliefs about these issues. There was a significant association between awareness of the prosocial messages promoted in "Hum Log" and viewer beliefs in freedom of choice and family planning. Overall, it appears that, while "Hum Log" enjoys a large and dedicated audience, its messages regarding women's equality are not being assimilated on a large scale. An analysis of the female characters in the soap opera reveals that, in many cases, the self-sufficient, career-oriented women experienced negative social consequences, while characters who pursued more traditional female roles were rewarded. Thus, while there is no evidence that "Hum Log" is making a significant contribution toward changing the way women are viewed in India, its popularity paves the way for future prosocial programming

"I'm Not a Doctor, but I Play One on TV": Characters, Actors, and Acting in Television Soap Opera

"I'm Not a Doctor, but I Play One on TV": Characters, Actors, and Acting in Television Soap Opera

Prosocial effects of entertainment television in India.

The study examines the prosocial effects of Hum Log (We People), India's 1st long running television soap opera. Hum Log was a prosocial TV program that was designed to promote women's status in Indian society. Regression analysis was used to measure the degree to which exposure to Hum Log affected viewers' (1) awareness of certain prosocial beliefs promoted by the series, (2) level of TV dependency, (3) involvement with the characters of Hum Log, and (4) adherence to 3 prosocial beliefs promoted by Hum Log. Exposure to Hum Log was positively associated with viewer's awareness of the program's prosocial messages, TV dependency, and involvement with TV characters in the series. Viewers who were more exposed to Hum Log were also more likely to believe in women's equality and women's freedom of choice, but not in family planning. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of present and future research on the use of prosocial TV programs for development in Asia.

Audience Activity and Satisfaction with Favorite Television Soap Opera

^Recent studies of typal and temporal dimensions of audience activity suggest that activity is an important variable in media effects. Research to date has focused on how types of activity influence media uses and effects.' The present analysis considered the temporal sequence of audience activity in daytime television serial viewing. We examined how prior expectations and activity before, during and after exposure contribute to perceived satisfaction with a favorite television program. important concept becatise, from a marketing perspective, consumer satisfaction influences product purchase and consumption. Consumer satisfaction is an affective, emotional reaction that grows out of confirmation or disconfirmation of product expectations.^ Because people have positive expectations about products, they evaluate the product, after trial, against those expectations. Satisfaction results and repurchase is likely when expectations are confirmed. Dissatisfaction results and repurchase is unlikely when expectations are not confirmed. Satisfaction, then.

Television soap operas for development in India1

During the 19805, television audiences have expanded tremendously in such Third World nations as Mexico, Brazil, the People's Republic of China (Rogers and others, 1985), and India. For the first time, television broadcasting is reaching a sizeable audience in Third World countries: For example, approximately half of China's 1 billion population, and 80 million of India's 800 million people. These millions of new television viewers offer a huge potential audience for development communication messages. However, most television programming which is broadcast in, the Third World consists of entertainment, including imported reruns from the United States like 'I love Lucy', 'Kojak', and 'Dallas'.

Realism, Naturalism and Television Soap Opera

This paper argues that the concept of soap-opera realism, as developed in some of the recent critical writing on soap opera, is central to the understanding of this form of television drama. However, in its present form, this concept is insufficiently nuanced. In developing the concept, the work of Raymond Williams is drawn upon to delineate three sub-types of soap-opera realism: soap-opera realism in the subjunctive mode, soap-opera realism in the indicative mode, and soap-opera naturalism. The latter is then discussed in detail with particular attention being paid to Coronation Street. In the course of this analysis, two key naturalistic elements in Coronation Street are considered: the nature of living spaces and the connection of character to environment.

The aftermath of Angie's overdose: is soap (opera) damaging to your health?

In a study designed to evaluate the behavioural impact of a fictional parasuicide--namely, Angie's overdose on the popular television soap opera EastEnders--information about cases of deliberate overdose treated in accident and emergency departments in 63 hospitals throughout Britain was obtained for the week after the televised overdose (experimental period) and the week before the overdose (control period). After adjusting for trends in the equivalent weeks in a control year (1985) the increase in the cases of parasuicide treated by hospitals during the experimental week was not found to be significant. A significant increase (31%) was found among people aged greater than or less than 45, but this is not thought to be reliable. The increase among women alone (21%) was significant with a one tailed test. Contrary to expectations there was a positive association between trends in overdose and distance from London--that is, the further the distance of the region from London the greater the increase in cases of overdose during the experimental period--and a negative association between trends in overdose and viewing figures--that is, the higher the viewing figure the less the impact on the incidence of overdoses. These findings do not lend support to the claim that there was a strong imitation effect after this televised parasuicide.

Soaps and the Sociology of the Family

Television soap operas are an extremely useful source of illustration for teachers of the sociology of the family. Of course, soaps are not sociological analyses, and whenever one uses them to illustrate a particular point or to introduce a general sociological theme it is important to make clear to students that we are dealing with atypical groups whose daily encounters are highly stylized and are not to be taken as examples of everyday realities. Nevertheless, their central theme is almost invariably family life and they provide us, as teachers, with the opportunity of giving (fictitious) examples with which many of our students are likely to be familiar. Soaps enable us to put some recognizable flesh on sociological concepts in a way which can make teaching more attractive. Additionally, because soaps are frequently long running, they enable us to illustrate life cycle events occurring in the family process and, therefore, to show the changes in family relationships and household composition that occur through time. In this paper I provide some specific examples of how the series Dallas may be used in three areas of the sociology of the family. I am confident that readers will have little difficulty in thinking of their own examples and incorporating them into their own teaching programes-programes that may not be limited to the sociology of the family.

Uses of daytime television soap operas by college students

Interviews were conducted with a random sample of 1023 students at 11 U.S. universities. Four primary motives for watching daytime television soap operas were ascertained via factor analysis. These were: Orientation, Avoidance, Diversion, and Social Utility. Correlation and regression were used to consider the links among these motives and several viewing and life pattern variables. Involvement was a significant predictor of all viewing motives, especially orientation use of soap operas. Life satisfaction and soap opera affinity contributed to nonescapist, diversionary use of the programs. Implications of the findings were discussed with particular attention to ritualistic and instrumental use, audience activity, and life context.

The Rhetoric of the Camera in Television Soap Opera

Journal of American CultureVolume 6, Issue 3 p. 76-81 The Rhetoric of the Camera in Television Soap Opera Bernard Timberg, Bernard TimbergSearch for more papers by this author Bernard Timberg, Bernard TimbergSearch for more papers by this author First published: Fall 1983 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1542-734X.1983.0603_76.xCitations: 6AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume6, Issue3Fall 1983Pages 76-81 RelatedInformation

Sex on the Soap Operas: Patterns of Intimacy

A sample was drawn from all ABC CBS and NBC network daytime television soap operas broadcast in Philadelphia Monday through Friday over the 6 weeks from October 22 through November 30 1970 in an effort to determine the extent and nature of sexual behavior in daytime television soap operas. A simple random sample of 5 afternoons was drawn for each network and all of the programs for each sampled afternoon were coded. The completion rate for the original sample of afternoons was 93% (1 afternoon had to be substittued due to a preemption). The composite 1-week sample of soap operas from the 3 networks produced a total of 12 different soap operas spanning 50 hours (including commercials). Coding categories were based upon those developed by Silverman et al. Erotic touching was defined as interpersonal touching that has clear sexual overtones demonstrating or intending to demonstrate sexual love arousing or expressing sexual desire. 3 subcategories were used to classify whether the participants were married partners unmarried partners or of unclear marital status. Heterosexual intercourse was divided into these same 3 categories and was further coded for whether the behavior was expressed verbally was implied or was actually physically depicted. The remaining categories coded were homosexuality incest pedophilia prostitution aggressive sexual contact exhibitionism fetishism masturbation unnatural sexual behavior transvestitism and transexualism and voyerism. The total number of codable sex acts was 329 producing a frequency of 6.58 per hour. Thus there was 1 codable sex act approximately every 9 minutes. The single category with the largest frequency was erotic touching/unmarried with 115 codable acts followed by aggressive sexual contact/verbal with 68 acts. There was a complete absence of any findings in several categories such as incest homosexuality and masturbation as well as the complete absence of any physical representations relating to intercourse prostitution and aggressive sexual contact. There were 85 codable acts relating to prostitution and aggressive sexual contact resulting in an overall frequency of 1.70/hour. There were 58 codable acts involving married partners and 183 codable acts involving unmarried partners. There were 173 codable instances of verbal sexual behavior. CBS had 7.66 instances of codable sexual acts per hour ABC had 7.20 instances per hour and NBC had 4.60 instances per hour.