Sociology, Social Change and Soap Operas
January 6th, 2010 by SocProf and tagged Culture, Media, Social Change, Sociology
Via Agnese Vardanega, this fascinating article:
And apparently, research shows it has an impact (with usual correlation / causation disclaimer):
It is customary to be condescending towards the genre (and not just because it is gendered) but classic soaps have traditionally addressed themes that primetime tv would not touch with a 10-foot pole, like homosexuality or HIV-Aids.
However, the article, in asking whether such entertainment vehicles could be used to promote social change in the US (I’m not sure it is a relevant question) is not as sociological as it should be if it were to be faithful to its title. In other words, there are a lot of variables to consider beyond simply screenwriting containing more or less socially-conscious messages. First, as the article mentions, telenovelas are not exactly structurally similar to soaps. Also, as always, social context matters: media structuring, audience composition, etc..
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