Why Are Soap Operas so Popular

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Why are soap operas so popular? Television researchers have established a number of reasons why soap operas appeal to such a large and diverse audience. In this essay I will be examining these reasons with reference to my own attraction to soaps, and seeing how they fit into the everyday lives of the millions who watch them. Furthermore, I will investigate the way in which the construction and conventions of a soap opera aids its appeal. I will be considering such aspects as class, race, ethnicity and gender in order to determine the pleasures of soap opera viewing and will briefly look at their international appeal. My discussion will comprise aspects of the British soaps, for example, Brookside, Coronation Street, Crossroads and Eastenders, the American super soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty and the Australian soap Home and Away. Dorothy Hobson conduced a set of interviews between February 2nd & 7th 1987, to establish how far the soap operas fit into the working environment of women. With the help of her secretary she set about interviewing six women who worked for Birmingham City Council: Diane, Gill, Mary, Susan, Vijya and Wendy, whose ages ranged from 23 to 35. The interviews took place at a night club which opens for lunches during the day. The informal setting enabled the women to speak freely about their viewing habits and the mode of discourse was relaxed as the women were accustomed to socialising together. In consequence, talking in unison or interrupting one another were not uncommon during the interview, for example, when Gill was commenting on the characters she found annoying in Brookside, the other women added in unison "The Corkhills" (Seiter et al., 1991: 153), in support of her opinion. Hobson asked the women why they actually like soap operas and they claimed that it was due to their undemanding natures, the interesting story lines and

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