Television Impacting Cultural Change - Essay Example

Television and Cultural Change Introduction Technology plays a pivotal role in influencing the behaviour and shaping the personalities of people in many present day societies. With the advent of television and the internet, the ease of access and speed of communication has been considerably advanced. Today, information is readily available to people across all ages after just a simple click of a button. Though many people perceive these communication media as sources of entertainment only, it is undeniable that they profoundly affect our livelihoods. Indeed, these programs are a true reflection of the actual society, and this has been substantially supported by UK based soap operas. This paper seeks to elaborate on UK based soap operas, and their conveyance of social responsibility and moral values. Soap operas derive their tag from their history with soap manufacturers who were the key sponsors of these programs. This genre of television shows refers to dramatic media productions that focus on abstract dramatic events that are intertwined. These programs are made up of many linked stories that unfold over many episodes. The classical characteristic of these programs is the unique way in which every episode ends in suspense. This creates a promise of another twist on the story. This leads to people getting hooked and craving for more thus leading to popularity of these programs amongst its viewers (Silverstone, 1994). History of UK based Soap Operas These television series have a wide fan base in the United Kingdom since time immemorial. They majorly showcase the normal day to day activities of societies unlike those of the United States that build their story on romance (Len, 1985). The first programs of this genre were aired in the U.K as radio broadcasts in local media mostly in the evening. Among the first television series, were “Mrs. Dales Diary”, “The Archers” and “The Grove Family”. The three premiered on radio in the late 1940s and early 1950s. According to Casey, the 1960s brought change to the platform with the introduction of new and fresh drama episodes of the series “Coronation Street” and its counterpart “Emergency Ward 10” (2008). Other productions of this era include “Compact”. It was centred on the lifestyle of employees in a ladies print media company. The series “Newcomers” was also launched. It focused on the drama surrounding a multinational company that wanted to invest in a new place. This period also saw the showcasing of the program “United” that focused on the life of people in a certain soccer association. Most of the programs during this era faded away with the exception of “Coronation Street”. It continued with production up to 30 years later (Geraghty, 1991). In the 1970s, the series “Pobol y cwm” premiered, and its production has continued to be produced up to date. In the 1980s, airing of these television programs changed from evening to during the day. This caused the marked rise in popularity and viewership of these programs. Some of the new entrants included “General hospital, Home and Away, Neighbours, The Young Doctors, Sons and Doctors and The Sullivans” (Geraghty, 1991). The 1980s also saw the premier of the series “Brookside” which was different from the earlier soap operas. This series was set on high end neighbourhood. The cast depicted people who had acquired property, in addition to those with good lifestyles. This was unlike earlier series that majorly showcased the daily activities of people that were considered as the working class (Holmes & Jermyn, 2003). The content of the television program was more flexible than earlier programs. It also incorporated political characters when compared to earlier programs. Therefore, it was a break from what was considered as the usual. It paved way for the use of scenes of violence in some episodes and hence brought another angle to these soap operas. Other soap Operas of the 1980s were “The EastEnders” and “Prisoner” (Hobson, 2003). In 1990s, the popularity of soap operas in the UK rose to new heights. Early in the decade, there was premier of the series “Eldorado” which was short lived. Later, the series “Hollyoaks” was produced which majorly focused on issues related to young people. In this decade, earlier versions of television operas advanced their plots and continued being successful. From 2000, fresh soap operas have been continuously released while the previous programs aim at fine-tuning their plots to meet market acceptability. Some of the new releases of this era include the series “Doctors” and “Royal Today” later in the decade (Ien, 1985). Format British soap operas are usually of short duration with the majority of episodes lasting for less than half an hour. Moreover, most scenes are also short lived to discourage the viewer from getting bored. A classical feature is the unpredictable and non-committal nature of the plots as this allows for suspense and room for limitless possibilities that the viewer cannot fill. Moreover, the many concurrent stories in the main story lead to development of the plot. As one subset of the story is ending, another twist is developing in another subset; therefore, leading to the never ending suspense. Moreover, most of these soaps also incorporate events in the calendar to their plot such as Easter and New Year. Family and individual ties are usually most highlighted in most U.K soap operas, and the main themes are domestic in nature. Weddings, loss of lives, diseases and conception are mainly used in plot development. UK based soap operas gain their attractiveness from the fact that they are realistic. It is also easy to relate with the actors (Bignell & Lacey 2005). CHARACTERS The success of any soap opera is highly dependent on the choice of characters. This is because they convey the message of the story. They serve as icons for the viewers. Dramatic events like births or marriages serve as key parameters used to introduce new characters into the plot while death is the main avenue for departure of characters within a plot. The attributes of characters are vital with regards to the outcomes of the UK based soap operas (Len, 1985). This has led to the use of Stereotypes to advance and modulate the direction of plots. In most UK based soap operas, bully characters are used to diversify the nature of the plot. An excellent example is Bobby Grant in the television series “Brookside”. On the other hand, characters stereotyped as gossipers, mentally impaired or crooks lead to the enhancement of humour within the plot (Geraghty, 1991). Most UK based soap operas have a specific geographical setting based on the audience. “East Enders” was set at the Eastern side of London while “Coronation Street” had its setting on the city of Manchester. The location significantly impacts the plot of many UK based soap operas, for example, the series “Emmerdale Farm” which focused on a society with vast farmland in Dales (Silverstone, 1994). In this series, the magnificent environment in the location coupled with the countryside aura led to a variety of filming options and hence this series gained a large audience in UK. These UK based soap operas attach a lot of meaning to the society. Most of them create a central meeting point within the society where all the characters can meet and interact. This is demonstrated in the series “Coronation Street”; the central area is “The Rovers Return”. In the series “East Enders”, the meeting point is “The Queen Vic” (Hobson, 2003). The way actors have been portrayed in the UK based soap operas has greatly transformed over the years. These television series utilizes specific characters. This is dependent on the audience that they intend to capture. This brings out the relevant issues that they face. In the early years of UK soap opera, majority of the audience were housewives. This led to early television series like “Mrs. Dales Diary” making use of female characters. In addition, the television series “Hollyoaks” was produced later to target the youth (Casey, 2008). It made use of youthful characters that were decent looking and focused on issues like campus experience, substance abuse, fornication and ambition. Throughout the history of production of soap operas in the UK, issues that were considered controversial were the subject of focus in some instances. However, the subject of controversy is dynamic and highly variable. What was considered as controversial in the 1960s cannot be considered controversial in present day times (Bignell & Lacey, 2005). For example, the 1960s soap operas brought out the subject of unmarried mothers as a subject of controversy. An outstanding example is in the series “Compact”. The issue of homosexuality was considered as extremely controversial in the 1980s. Though the significance has tapered off, the subject still remains a thorn in the flesh up to date. This was observed in the television series “East Enders” in 2009. The issue of introduction of a scene where a gay character would kiss a person in a Muslim family brewed a lot of controversy. It led to elevated levels of attention from the local media (Steemers, 2004). Regardless of the period in history, UK based soaps have significantly focused on highlighting social agendas like disease, moral decadence, poverty, lack of employment opportunities, substance abuse, sex, domestic qualms, bullying and racial segregation. The outcome of these efforts is the increased awareness of these social issues within the community. A clear demonstration is the HIV/AIDS awareness message carried in a scene in the series “EastEnders”. This helped to clarify the understanding of this disease among audiences in the UK in the 1980s. In this series, one of the main actors, Mark Fowler, is portrayed as a family man who has contacted the disease. That gesture helped viewers understand that the disease was not a disease for the homosexual people as was earlier believed. Indeed, it helped to bring out issues concerning the disease that would otherwise have been assumed (Creeber, 2004). UK based soap operas do not deviate significantly from reality in their plot, unlike other fictitious productions. They are tailored in a realistic manner. This ensures that the audience can comfortably relate with them; therefore, foster social realism. These soap operas manage to capture multiple issues that affect the societies (Holmes & Jeremyn, 2003). Though many soap operas have been produced in the UK, some of the most notable include “East Enders”, “Coronation Street” and “Hollyoaks”. East Enders This successful television series was set in an abstract geographical area of London called Walford. It portrayed most of its actors as working class people who meet regularly at a local restaurant in the area. As the plot grew, there was the introduction of characters from a different race. The essence of this was to capture the racial diversity of the area; just like in real life situation. Recently, this program has introduced more youth who are portrayed as top achievers so as to tap more audience in this group. It has vastly showcased social realism and covered some controversial subjects like substance abuse, early pregnancy, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, cancer of the breast, rape, mercy killing, abortion, homosexuality and poverty (Hobson, 2003). Coronation Street Coronation Street was one of the first soaps to be aired on television. It portrayed its characters as working class people residing in Weatherfield, Manchester (Bignell & Lacey 2005). It came with a fresh edge over most of the previous television series which employed the use of the Queen’s English. It made use of bold female characters that were portrayed as strong willed (Silverstone 1994).). Hollyoaks This television series was set in an abstract area named Chester, which had a nearby learning institution. This meant that the majority of the characters were youthful. The youthful nature of its audience was constantly used to raise awareness of existing social problems that usually face people in this age group. Other issues that were highlighted regularly in this television series include arson, HIV/AIDS, gambling, bullying in institutions, sexuality, substance dependence, incest, interracial relationships and incest (Casey, 2008). Bibliography Bignell, J. & Lacey, S., 2005. Popular Television Drama: Critical Perspectives. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Casey, B., 2008. Television Studies. London: Routledge. Creeber, G., (ed.). 2004. Serial Television: Big Drama on the Small Screen. BFI, London. Geraghty, C., 1991. The Aesthetic Experience in Women and Soap Opera. Cambridge: Polity. Hobson, D., 2003. Soap Opera. London: Polity Press. Holmes, S. & Jermyn, D., 2003. Understanding Reality Television. London: Routledge. Ien, A., 1985. Watching Dallas: Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination. London: Methuen, Silverstone, R., 1994. Television and Everyday Life. London: Routledge. Steemers, J., 2004. Selling Television: British Television in the Global Marketplace. London: BFI. Read More