Soap Opera Genre –

Target Audience

Name: Sean WayneCandidate Number: 1254Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities - The denotation of the target audience for a soap opera would be older white women aged 35 – 50. They are most likely house wives that spend the majority of their time doing housework or shopping for their families. However the soap opera genre can also appeal to a younger audience, appealing to girls aged 18 and above (as shown in the link at the bottom of the page) This demographic of people are more likely to watch a soap opera as females tend to get more emotionally attached to the characters in the TV show and are more intrigued by the drama that takes place. Also for housewives, soap opera are a form of escapism, giving them a way to get the excitement and thrill that they don’t get from there real life. Although mainly women watch soap operas, men may also be interested in and watching a soap opera. This can be due to some of the strong male characters that can be found in many soaps as well as the idea of family life which is usually one of the main focuses in any soap opera. On top of that soaps have also been know to objectify women to appeal to the male audiences (Diana Saco’s “Female gaze” ideology) giving the male audience more pleasure when watching the soap.

Socio-Economic Needs - The stereotypical audience for a soap opera are most likely going to be people from the B-D classes of the socio-economic needs. This is because the majority of the issues raised by a soap opera can be related to many of the issues that people in these socio-economic class have to face in real life. Although a lot of the issues in a soap opera are extremely exaggerated, people from this class of the socio-economic needs are still able to largely relate to this issues made by the soap opera as they feel as they are connected to the characters of the show as the characters are having to deal with similar problems and struggles of everyday life as they do. This allows them to feel sympathy and empathy towards the characters, giving the audience the impression that they are more involved with the characters of the show. This audience is likely to watch a soap opera during the time between 7-11pm. This is due to the fact that this is the time when younger children begin to go to bed, giving mothers more time to relax and watch a episode of a soap opera. Also, half of this time is after the watershed, which means that the audience can enjoy the use of language or acts that they can not usually experience as much as a result of their children. On top of that this is the end of the day, when people usually want to relax or unwind.

Stereotypical Target AudienceImage of someone in the target audience:

http://www.museum.tv/eotv/soapopera.htmSecondary Source:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – Based on the deconstruction of a range of soap opera promotional media products, the denotation of the stereotypical target audience would be ‘Caregivers’ as they are able to sympathise with the characters of the show, as well as care about the characters well being. This is because the audience is able to relate to the problems and issues the characters have to face within the show. As well as that ‘Survivors’ would stereotypically watch a soap opera, because in any soap there are always people that have specific stereotypical roles that can be found in a community as well as a specific routines each person has to follow. This gives these type of people a feeling of security and comfort as it ensures that there are no drastic changes within the soap, giving them a way to know what to expect when the watch the soap. On top of that ‘Explorers’ would also stereotypically watch a soap opera. This genre of audience is often influenced by social change, which is often focused on in a soap operas, for example events that have happened in the real world, such as terror threats, might effect the way the different characters act and behave. This also means that any shocking or controversial event that takes place within the soap opera will attract and interest these types of people.

Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory – According to ‘Katz’s Uses & Gratifications Theory’ the stereotypical audience that consumes a soap opera will be able to build up a ‘Personal Relationship’ with the different characters. The characters in the soap are usually in a similar environment to the target audience and have to face similar issues and problems, this means that the audience will be able ‘personally identify’ with the character and be able to support and form a relationship with the different people in the soap opera that are similar (see a part of themselves in) to them. Also, according to ‘Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory’ the target audience will stereotypically use a soap opera as a ‘Diversion’ from real life. It is a way to escape the boring reality of everyday life. It is able to give the audience the excitement or thrill that they wouldn’t usually experience.

Psychographics – The stereotypical lifestyle of the audience of soap operas according to the lifestyle scale is most likely a ‘reformer’. This is due to the fact that people that watch soap operas tend to lead normal lives and have to go to school or work. This can be considered boring to those that watch soap operas, as nothing as exciting as the events from a soap opera happen in real life, even though the setting are extremely similar. This may draw people, or make them feel pressured, to make similar life decisions to the characters shown in the soap. Also the fact that these ‘reformers‘ are socially aware of the people and community around them, result in them feeling more conscious of the difference between real life and the soap.