Demythologizing the Filipino Soap Opera

Report 33: Demythologizing the Filipino Soap Opera (A Study on the Relations and Effects of Filipino Soap Operas on the Consciousness and Conditions of Urban Poor Women)

In this age of information technological advancement, when the power of technology, through media, has touched almost all facets of human lives, it is but proper to have a better understanding of the social implications of such modern-day achievement. Thus, the focus of this study was on the impacts of Filipino soap operas on the lives of their viewing public, particularly the urban poor women. Through interviews and informal discussion with the women, this study was able to get the firsthand information necessary in identifying the relations and effects of these local soaps on the very lives of the respondents. This study also looked into the political and economic underpinnings of soap operas’ making (and unmaking). It provided some of the factors that affect the overall content of the soap operas. Lastly, this study presented an analysis of the soaps’ contents vis-a-vis women’s acceptance and/or dissatisfaction with their condition while fantasizing the former’ s significance. In this part, interviews with people from academe and television network and the personal observation of the researchers were very helpful. Class, gender, and sociocultural perspectives served as the tools of analysis in establishing and scrutinizing significant patterns and trends of the study.