Globalization of Popular Culture:

The Culture of 'the Soaps'

TOPIC DESCRIPTION

Soap Operas, what makes them so fascinating to consumers? What is it that consumers are hoping to gain when they watch and become involved with Soap Operas? Escapism? Attachment or a sense of community? Entertainment - bored with their mundane lives? Soap Operas are representative of the cultures and societies in which they are produced, so what structures of society (politics, social movements, gender issues, etc.) do Soap Operas symbolically represent in different cultures. What is the relevance of their social and cultural force? How do Soap Operas affect out lives, and what do they reflect about the cultures in which they are found - do we imitate it, does it imitate us, or is it somehow both, and what does that mean about human behavior and norms in different cultures?

This discussion aims to reveal how the different cultures of the United States of America, Latin America, Japan, and ‘Global Africa’ (most specially Egypt) consume various Soaps and what the Soaps that they consume comprise.

METHODS

In order to engage in the discussion of Soap Operas and popular culture, I will review and examine various styles of literature in which information about this topic is available. By looking at articles, both in journals and via the Internet, as well as books relevant to this study, I will examine the genre of the soap opera, its history, its viewers, and how it is used in and how it affects various cultures.

DISCUSSION OF TOPIC

The significance of this study is relevant when the answers to those questions above inform us about the various cultures and how the people that live in those cultures define and relate to the popular culture of Soap Operas and the media outlets from which they are received. While tracking the evolution of political, and social structures as well as the advancements of technologies, it can be observed and determined how the cultures of the U.S., ‘Global’ Africa, Latin America, and Japan have also developed and therefore affected and interacted with the changing faces of the Soap Opera genre.

It is necessary, first, to define Soap Operas and review its complex and multifaceted history. Because the concept of the Soap Opera is recognized as having its beginnings in America, with Radio Serials, we will treat the Soap Opera phenomenon in America as the axis to which Soap Operas in other cultures, and its progressions there, are compared. It is then necessary to examine American consumers of the Soap, not only as a starting point and basis upon which to look at and compare other consumers in other cultures, but to trace the evolution and adaption of the consumers themselves and how that reflects the societies in which they live.

Because the history of the Soap is complex and almost paradoxical, it will be dealt with here in this section briefly. However understanding the Soap Opera’s history is key in understanding the purpose that it serves, so the Soap Opera’s relevance to this study as a whole will be further discussed in detail in the following sections. Furthermore, the Soap Opera’s definition can be best understood through the comprehension of its history and how its definition has transformed over time and over various spaces.

Before there were television Soap Operas, the concept of a soap was constructed and conveyed through the media of radio. However it is important to acknowledge that its beginnings on radio broadcasting was originally inspired by the 19th century serial novels quite comparable to the drama, emotions, and romantic values of the less tame Romance novel. Beginning before the commence of WWII, the radio Soap Opera ruled the airwaves, representing some 90% of broadcast time, and consumed by more than forty million listeners (All, www.mbcnet.org/ETV/S/htmlS?soapopera/soapopera.htm). The original motives behind the radio soap was advertising. Companies like Proctor & Gamble used Soap Operas to promote and advertise their products. As women were their target audience, radio soaps appealed to ‘womanly’ issues including family and house hold issues (Slipping into Soaps, http://cct.georgetown.edu/curriculum/505-98/students/joanna/104picts/presnewest/history.htm). Soaps remained popular through out the war and after, but as the society changed so did the motivations of the radio soap.

Just before, during, and after WWII radio serials were strongly manipulated by the Federal Security Agency within the U.S. Office of Education, and the Office of War Information. Their goals were to promote "unity, racial harmony, [and] to facilitate the successful mobilization of American people for the war effort" (Frentz, 1992). This was done through changing scripts and shows so that they were more sensitive to those issues and more revealing about those issues. After the war, radio soaps were used as a mechanism to bring some understanding to a changing world. This was done by presenting motherly characters to shows with the themes of giving advice in trying and changing times. This nature of the soap was prevalent up until the 50’s. The 1950’s marked a pivotal point in the history of the soap. With the development of television, Soap Operas were transmitted to the screen. While radio serials still remained popular, by the 1960’s the televised Soap Opera was becoming a staple of American popular culture (Abrams, www.mtr.org/exhibit/wwe/wwe2.htm).

The history of the soap does not end there but merely begins within the context of how Americans responded to the Daytime Soap Opera.

FINDINGS AND DATA

The Daytime Soap Opera is "a... television or serial drama performed usually on a daytime commercial program... [They are] long- running serials concerned with everyday life..." that are potentially endless (Slipping into Soaps, http://cct.georgetown.edu/curriculum/50598/students/joanna/104picts/presnewest/history.htm). Soaps are characterized as stories that are generally set in the present, targeted towards female audiences age 18- 49, and full of intrigue, sex, heightened drama, scandal, and unrealistic plot lines that viewer somehow relate to or are just fascinated by. The most distinctive features of a Soap Opera are its never ending story line, and its slow pace (Tune in Tomorrow, www.bctv.net/telcom/tell3/10soaps.htm, and All, www.mbcnet.org/ETV/S/htmlS?soapopera/soapopera.htm). These distinctions have a definite function in how the soap is viewed and distributed. Those functions will be further discussed in the section on the Soap Opera audience and how the two interact.

Going back to the history of the Soaps, it is clear that Soap Operas, from its origins, served a poignant purpose in relating to, advertising to, and addressing the listening public. Whether it was to sell soap to housewives, to serve political goals towards social development, or to help people remain hopeful in trying and confusing times, the Soap Opera started out as a vehicle to serve many people while satisfying the diverse motives of its producers.

By the sixties, the Soap Opera had become a staple of American television. Having gone through trial and error as for what most affectivity brought in audiences, the Soap Opera began to widen its appeal to a broader viewing public.

Here it is important to introduce the founding mother of the Soap, Irna Phillips and her protégé, Agnes Nixon. Phillips, starting with radio Soap Operas, was a pioneer of the soap opera. Striving to address the needs of American housewives (their target audience), Phillips was strongly interested in the progression of the social framework of society. Along with her protégé and predecessor Agnes Phillips, the two women paved the way for the contemporary, and controversial soaps that dealt with political, and social issues (Abrams, www.mtr.org/exhibit/wwe/wwe2.htm). For the first time, beginning in the 60’s, "a host of medical, emotional, sexual, and psychiatric problems [were dealt with] including incest, impotence, amnesia, illegitimacy, and murder" (All, www.mbcnet.org/ETV/S/htmlS?soapopera/soapopera.htm). Though their strides were not revolutionary, in that their soaps were never banned or highly scrutinized for its controversial dealings- it never pushed the boundaries too far, they were ground breaking because those types of issues had not been discussed on daytime television for the daily consumption of women. This change in Soap Operas was directly related to, both a cause and an effect of the social changes that people were experiencing in their changing world.

Soap Operas continued to change as they were increasingly sculpted to influence and/or relate to its audience. By the 70’s the 1930’s Soap had significantly adapted to the ‘modern’ woman. As Soap Opera stars aged, in order to keep its viewers young and interested, younger Soap stars were introduced to Soaps and riskier, more sexy plot lines were being seen by an audience of twenty million (Abrams, www.mtr.org/exhibit/wwe/wwe2.htm). The Soap industry was booming and the semi final adaptations of Soaps in the 70’s left us with three remaining types of Soap Operas: the family focused Soap (where the Soap’s main focus is on a central family or two central families, their matriarchal or patriarchal head, and then the interrelations of others involved), the medical Soap (or the socially controversial Soap), and the sex and scandal Soap (it is important to note that no Soap Opera is completely one of these three but more of a combination with a dominant theme of one of the three emerging) ( All, www.mbcnet.org/ETV/S/htmlS?soapopera/soapopera.htm).

The 80’s however changed the industry, weakening it beyond repair. Several aspects construct the decline of the Soap Operas in the U.S., but also has it finding a new audience. Women joining the work force, the ability to record Soaps, the availability and mass consumption of cable, the popularization of the Soap Magazine, and, by 1995, the O.J. Simpson trial- hence the audiences’ desire for more reality based dramas (Bauder, 2001). With these changes, not only did the audience change as far as age, and sex, but the audience decreased- by 1995 a 28% decline from its original viewership (Fortney, 2001). Women joining the work force made it difficult for many to view Soaps. Not only were they unable to view their soaps because of their job obligations but a shift in their priorities occurred as well. The access of cable affected Soap Opera viewing because of the availability of other options to watch. The video recorder, though it still gave people the opportunity to view the soaps, took away from the measuring capabilities of finding out how many were actually watching (Baym, 1999). The Soap Opera Magazine simultaneously helped and hurt the industry. While the magazine made it possible for those who were unfamiliar with soaps (those who worked during the day- mostly men) to become familiar with them and thus new fans, the magazine also allowed women who now worked the possibility of not having to watch their soaps but still be able to know what was going on . The most interesting and unexpected change for Soap Operas was the affect that the O.J. Simpson trial had on them. For months viewers were separated from their soaps as they were halted for the trial. Many fans, when the trial ended did not return to their soaps, and many more became disenchanted, more interested in shows with the qualities of ‘real life’ dramas as those presented on talk shows and later reality tv (Bauder, 2001). These changes, again, are representative of the consumers and the changes in their worlds.

When Soap Operas began in the 1930’s the audience was specifically targeted towards the middle class housewife and as the female consumer culture had begun, women consumed Soap Operas and the products that were advertised along with it. The messages portrayed in Soap Operas were geared at speaking directly to those women for social and advertising values as much as entertainment values. However as the world in which those women lived changed so did the Soap Opera, and so did those watching.

By the 80’s women were far from comparable to the women of the 1930’s radio serial listeners. Their views had changed, and their roles had changed and what they looked for and wanted in Soap Operas had changed, and it seems that Soap Operas kept up with their demands and changed with them. One- third of American adults over 18 reportedly watch Soaps regularly (at least a few times a month), 70% of them are women (Healthstyle Survey, 2000). Over the time period of the existence of Soap Operas it viewers gained several things in watching: emotional release, fantasy fulfillment, information, entertainment, private time, and a community to relate to (Matelski, 1988). Although these reasons for watching vary depending on the time in which they are watched, more or less these are the factors involved in why Soap Operas are watched. Just like there are two sides to every coin, it has been realized that there are two sides and sometimes more, to why people watch Soaps. The most important factor to acknowledge here is that like Shakespeare’s plays resonated with and adapted to American people once upon a time so do Soap Operas. They are changed for and by those who watch them.

Today’s Soap Opera Audience, though now much more diverse- including college aged men as well as men over 50, is still mainly comprised of women. And though Soap Operas have recently been described as "On a Slippery Slide," or "Old and Zestless," they are still popular- the longest running serial of any form. One of secrets to Soap Operas’ success has to be its two most distinctive features- its never ending plot line, and it snail like pace. These two functions keep Soap Operas going as they become extensions of its viewers’ world (or dream world) in its mere existence (Tune in Tomorrow, www.bctv.net/telcom/tell3/10soaps.html). They become their life stories that are easy to relate to through families, emotions, dramas, and romance. Their slow pace makes it possible to return after months of being away and still remain in the swing of things- just like a child leaving home only to return sometime later and find that things have not changed much- its comforting.

This brings us to another interesting factor involved in the world of the Soaps- the fan or fanatic. This is a multi leveled phenomenon because on one hand it is revealing of a strange and complex subculture of fans and on the other hand it is reflective of those viewing the fans themselves (society). The issues concerning the celebrity of the Soap stars (or at least their characters- who seem to be the targets of worship as opposed to the actual person playing the role), the fans, and their fans (normal people- not Soap fans- who are awe struck over how much the fanatics are fans) has the potential for a separate discussion and study. However, for the purposes of this discussion we will deal with the stereotypical ideas about the Soap fan and how they are portrayed in a masculine world. Stereotypically, Soap fans are thought of as mindless housewives that are addicted to their soaps. These women sit and do nothing but watch and are often led to do silly things like write fan mail or participate in lunatic behaviors like sending wedding presents when characters get married. Although these fans may exist the majority of fans do not fit this specific description. Today, not only do women who work outside of the home watch Soap Operas, but even professional educated women partake in the genre (Matelski, 1988, and Baym, 1999). Why then do these stereotypes exist? "However unjust, womens’ things tend to be considered less valuable then mens’," (Hautalahti, 1998) and so just like the Romance readers of Smithton, Soap Opera viewers have to justify their viewing and are scrutinized and belittled because of it (Radway, 1974).

Establishing that these stereotypes are just that- stereotypes, is not to say that Soap Operas are not justly criticized. Many Feminist are strongly opposed to Soap Operas, at least for the most part. As early as the 60’s when Soap Operas were becoming more controversial, feminist argued that they were not controversial enough. They accused Soaps of not pushing the boundaries enough, and of not addressing issues, like women's rights and liberation, that were most relevant to their biggest audience- women (Anti- Racist Feminism, www.yorku.ca/mlc/sosc3990A/projects/racefem/racefem3.htm). To Feminist, Soap Operas trapped female viewers in the designated gender roles that the soaps provided- those of the oppressed woman ultimately submissive and controlled by patriarchal forces- and portrayed women in stereotypical roles (Anti- Racist Feminism, www.yorku.ca/mlc/sosc3990A/projects/racefem/racefem3.html). Contradictory to their accusations Feminist at times perpetuated finger pointing and stereotyping in their stereotyping of those who watched Soap Operas (Meehan, 1983). Also Feminist argued that Soap Operas were not counteractive enough against the issues of sexism and racism and if anything perpetuated them. This notably went on especially in earlier soaps but also in recent soaps as they try to become more representative of the times but still try to reflect images that its viewers are accustomed to (Anti- Racist Feminism, www.yorku.ca/mlc/sosc3990A/projects/racefem/racefem3.htm). On the other hand Feminist did commend Soaps for the outlet that they provided for women to claim time and space of their own, but their affirmations end there.

Exploring these issues helps us to understand the motives of those watching, how those that are watching are viewed, and what that says about the significance television and soap operas have in how we view our world. Soap Operas very much so serve the purposes of their culture and what the culture deems idealistic and socially acceptable.

How is it then that the American Soap Opera is able to transcend culture? The Japanese Soap Opera will be discussed first because although Soaps in the other two cultures are similar to American Soap Operas, there are as many differences as there are similarities. The Japanese Soap Opera, however, is very similar to the American Soap Opera, though the range of shows and range of characters and thus audience is more eclectic. With origins in comic books or the Manga, Soap Operas, though many times dealing with the same romanticized, dramatized issues of American Soaps, provide audiences with a stronger, more animated woman- a woman with qualities of the action figure heroines of comic books (A History of Manga, 1998). Though there was little information to be found in English about the details of how the Soap Opera genre commenced, it can be acknowledged that because the Japanese are such great consumers of Popular Culture, especially with the media outlet of television, they are also great consumers of American Soap Operas that have been translated and have become popular in Japan. It is magnificently intriguing that Japan is such a different culture when compared to America, yet the two cultures can consume and enjoy very similar products. This must be representative of the two cultures’ economic and political infrastructures’ similarities and therefore their production - consumption industries.

‘Global’ Africa, and Latin America, on the other hand share common qualities in that they are both underdeveloped nations. Therefore their social, political and economic goals differ from those of the U.S. Not only are their means of consumption different but also their special gains in consuming are different -or the stakes at what is to gain are higher from their consumption of certain media. Here the notion of the adaptation to the entertainment- education Soap Opera comes into view although popular Americanized Soap do exist as well only in small quantities in ‘Global’ Africa (Egyptian Drama, www.metimes.com/issue45/commu/womansview.htm).

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When Soap Operas became popular in ‘Global’ Africa, it was in the form of radio broadcastings which were very similar to the American radio Soap. Exported by the British and Australians in the 1940’s, radio Soap Operas reached millions in African countries but those Soaps did not meet the needs of those people further than their entertainment ones. There only attraction was that they listened in order to be the "the fly on the wall, [have] vicarious travel, and [for] the love of the story." What the radio serials should have done, in some people’s opinions is provided radio that played "important roles in examining the new ways of life and the important changes [that were going on]." Although U.S. radio always hinged upon this notion, sometimes being less successful than other times, African radio did not provide this at first (Frentz, 1992).

Frentz makes available an article by Vivert Cambridge on Soap Opera radio in Africa. It is Cambridge’s conclusion that the lack of self- efficacy, and the abundance of fatalism in ‘Global’ Africa could be counteracted by providing a media outlet such as the Soap Operas that will allow Africans to deal with and encounter issues that they face, ridding them of domestic negative stereotypes, and promote self- efficacy. He believes that "this prosocial strategy is based on the power in communication development"- entertainment/ education (1992).

Originally coined and used by Sabido, entertainment- education Soap Operas are a type of Soap that is intended to not only inform the audience about social issues, to promote development, and development of skills to achieve a particular end, but also to entertain them as well (Singhal, 1999).

Through the means of Cambridge's study and others, like Farag Elkamel, who looked at an Egyptian Soap Opera and how it impacted its viewers’ health through the Soap, it can be concluded that the Entertainment- Education format is the best and most successful way to go with Soap Operas in underdeveloped nations. There the market is massive and the culture, as long as there is a means of production, is ready and willing to consume (Elkamel, 1998).

One of the most successful and productive Soap Opera markets outside of the U.S. is that of Latin America. Not only are Latin Americans heavy consumers of U.S. soaps, translated or somehow adapted to their culture, but also their own local Soap Operas as well. Not only are they consumers they are also producers of nearly 100 Soap Operas exported to Europe. The Latin American Soap Opera industry (which can be closely compared to American Soap Operas, due to their dramatic and romanticized nature) is rapidly growing. Their usage of the ‘telenovela’ a closed ended Soap that does end eventually, unlike the regular American format of the never ending Soap. Originally presented in radio and pamphlet/ book format, the telenovela is now seen on television, widely popular, and has become a trend setter affecting even American Soap Operas (Nariman, 1993).

Although this format is popular and greatly consumed, it has been found by employers of the entertainment- education for social change theories that this format is not as popular, beneficial and useful as the entertainment- education Soap Opera. Because many Latin American countries are underdeveloped, entertainment- education Soap Operas are useful learning tools for the people and are recognized as such. So not only are they presented in a well known and accepted format, but they are useful to those that watch them (Nariman, 1993).

The goal of entertainment- education is a rather grand one, but it is noble and it more than anything else seems to be working. The criteria for this format to reach its full potential is that the Soaps be produced and distributed. "...Socially, Soap Operas are relevant around the world because people are incurable romantics. Television is a reflection of people’s fantasies, and we want them to see that the key to a better life is a better education, a lower birth rate and the equality of women" (Picard, 1986).

CONCLUSIONS

Shakespeare may have said it best, All of the world is a stage, and we are players in it. This is true of the lives of Soap Opera viewers and how they become apart of the Soap Opera as it becomes apart of their world as well. It can definitely be determined that while different cultures consume at fairly different levels and fairly different products, the way in which Soap Opera fans become immersed and involved in their watching is consistent across the four cultures studied. The reasons and stipulations for why people watch and what they get out of their Soap are not only a combination of escapism, entertainment, and attachment, but also, as we see with entertainment- education, a means of learning.

Soap Operas reflect, more than anything else, the economic, political, and social structures of the different cultures and how people exist in them and relate to them. They perfectly illustrate that viewers need to relate to the world of their Soap Opera and/or gain some sort of relief (whether it be escape, education, etc.) from it in order to stay tuned and in order for the Soap itself to gain some power as a cultural force. By this I mean that in order for Soap Operas to push the boundaries of a society it must be given the authority to do so. Soap Operas that people connect with and that serve the purposes mentioned above are granted this power. And although Soap Operas rarely exceed the boundaries of acceptable norms they do influence and persuade those watching and therefore those norms are shifted.

It is clearly recognized that for various reasons, there are different Soaps for different folks. However the Soap Opera community, with million consuming Soaps everyday, makes it clear that the phenomenon of the popular culture of the Soap Opera speaks volumes for understanding people and their lives.

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LINKS