TV and Popular Culture

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TV and Popular Culture
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Why should we be interested in T.V when studying
culture?

• T.V is a reflection of culture or social reality
  like music, it is a social ritual in which we
  all share
• It is produced for a mass audience which makes it
  part of popular culture
• It transmits cultural values or dominant ideology
• It is capable of satisfying the cultural needs of
  a diverse group of viewers
• T.V is an agent of socialisation - we construct
  our identities based on different representations
  and role models

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The role of TV in your life

• In the UK the average television set is switched
  on for between five and six hours a day, and the
  average British adult watches for approximately
  three hours. Recent research has shown that the
  average child born in the mid-1990s, when 18
  years of age, will have spent more time watching
  television than any other activity except sleep.
• In what ways does TV affect your life? How often
  do you watch? How long for?
• Write down your ten favourite programmes from
  childhood. Compare your list with a partner.
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/2000s.shtml
• Now compare your lists with the rest of class.
  How many programmes do you have in common?

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Social ritual

• Does television serve the same function in
  British peoples lives as it did in the past?
• Do we watch TV in the same way as we used to 20
  years ago?
• Does it satisfy our social needs?

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Whose culture was reflected in early T.V
broadcasting?

• Watch these early clips of the BBC which class
  is being reflected? Look at the clothing,
  settings, accents and genres of
  programmeshttp//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/Yo
  u can also find some of these clips on this
  website http//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/

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The role of the BBC in British cultural life

• During the Second World War the BBC, as the first
  national broadcaster, assumed cultural authority
  and importance - their founding principles were
  to educate, inform and entertain.

• Which of those principles (educate, inform,
  entertain) do you feel was the most
  important, having watched the earlier clips?

• BBC saw itself as the guardian of morals,
  provider of culture - which definition of
  culture do you think this meant?

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Representation of Gender, Race and Class

• Look at the following programme clips from the
  1940s and 50s. How are men and women shown?
  What roles do they take? What kind of programmes
  do they appear in? http//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/s
  tory/1940s2.shtmlhttp//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/st
  ory/1950s.shtml

• What kinds of people are in these programmes?
  How many working class or ordinary people or life
  are depicted?

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What kind of issues and social trends were
reflected in T.V of different eras?

• Look at different genres of programmes - news,
  drama, popularity of different genres
• How have genres changed over time - police drama,
  soaps, fantasy and escapism?
• Sitcoms regarded as a rich form of cultural
  expression - why?

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Issues and eras

• Find in your notes a brief history of T.V
  programming and the links with social trends and
  issues - look at it carefully and underline in
  different colours - gender, race and class
  concerns.http//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/1960
  s.shtml Race
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/1990s.shtml
  Gender
• Try to watch some clips from these programmes on
  the BBC website\
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/

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Audience Consumption

• We also need to understand how, why and with what
  effects people consume T.V.
• Not all theorists believe the same thing about
  how TV affects us there are several effects
  models
• 1. Hypodermic model
• 2. Cultural effects
• 3. Uses and gratifications

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Hypodermic Model

• So-called because, like being given
  an injection, this theory assumes that if you
  watch something you are directly affected by it,
  like being injected with drugs.
• e.g if you watch violence, you go out and
  commit violent actsCommon belief, for example,
  killers of Jamie Bulger supposed to have watched
  Childsplay.
• Simplistic model media not the biggest
  influence on people family, peers etc much
  stronger influence

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Cultural Effects model
The thinking behind this theory centres on the
long-term effects of particular ideological
representations on our beliefs and values. Media
representations of beautiful women have been
influential in giving both men and women a view
of the ideal women. This now extends to men.
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Uses and Gratifications Theory

• The assumption with this theory is that
  individuals are active participants in the mass
  communication process that people use TV and
  other media to satisfy their needs. McQuail,
  Blumler Brown categorised these needs into four
  types
• The need to reinforce a view of personal identity
  by comparing our own roles and values with
  similar roles and values represented in the
  media.
• The need to have companionship and interaction
  with others characters in the media take on the
  role of a real friend or acquaintance
• The need to be informed
• The need for entertainment and diversion need
  for fantasy as an escape from the constraints of
  reality.

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How to conduct uses and gratifications research

• Use an informal group of friends, whom you know
  enjoy the genre you are researching get them to
  give you reasons why they enjoy watching it.
• Make a list of these statements along with some
  of your own, which should relate to the needs
  stated in the previous slide.
• Construct a questionnaire using the statements,
  and a sliding scale strongly agree, agree etc.
  
• Now take your questionnaire to a new sample of 20
  people. Make sure you ask equal amounts of males
  and females so that you can see if gender is a
  factor.

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Sample questionnaire

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Programme Case Studies

• We are going to look at The Simpsons, Will
  Grace, L-Word and Eastenders as case studies in
  lessons - key areas of interest will be
  representations of gender and sexuality, class
  and race and how issues of concern in society are
  explored and expressed. In The Simpsons we will
  also be interested in the effect of
  post-modernism.
• You will be expected to do a programme study of
  your own on a genre or programme of your choice.
  Part of this study will be to do your own uses
  and gratifications research.
• http//www.bilborough.ac.uk/subjectcontent/communi
  cations/mod5page5b2.asp

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T.V and Theoretical Perspectives

• Feminist how are women represented on
  television, how do women consume television
  what sort of programmes do they watch and in what
  sort of social conditions, how do they interpret
  them and identify with them? Which gender
  controls and produces television?
• Marxist how are different classes represented,
  which class controls and produces television,
  what sort of programmes do different classes
  watch and how do they interpret and identify with
  them?
• Post-colonialist - how are different ethnic
  groups represented on television, how do
  different ethnic groups consume television what
  sort of programmes do they watch and in what sort
  of social conditions, how do they interpret them
  and identify with them? Which ethnic group
  controls and produces television?
• Postmodernist how do different influences,
  genres, eras influence television?