SIXTH BLOG POST TITLE Media Audiences: Television, the Emotional Attachment

SIXTH BLOG POST

TITLE Media Audiences: Television, the Emotional Attachment

PROBLEM STATEMENT

How emotion could be understood as a visual quality that made for good television? Speaking to some viewers of popular South African soapies, these viewers revealed how emotionally connected they are to their favourite characters on the soapie programme. One viewer described how she couldn’t handle the emotional blackmail of Lucas Nyathi towards Mmaletsatsi Khumalo. Although she stayed glued to the screen she was crying when it was revealed that Lucus slept with Mmaletsatsi. These moments are familiar to many television viewers and signal an emotional connection with television.

This research is interested in such encounters with television, How they tell us something about television visuals the audience and the notion of emotions.

BACKGROUND

Television remains the most accessible mode of communication in the world. Television offers visuals and sounds at the sometime and therefore is extremely important medium to understand and study. There are many when that we are very engaged on what we watch.  These moments are driven by our emotional responses to the television programme. Some People use Television as an anchor point and as something to shape their lives around. Is this due to the emotional connection to television? Is it good for people to live their lives based on what they see on Television? The way in which viewers acquaint themselves towards what they watch and these emotional encounters that resonate with personal and cultural experience are intimately linked. This research proposal shall argue that emotion is an important territory to be considered within the study of Media audience.  

In a special edition of Cinema Journal (2005) Horace Newcomb argues that we should ‘ask questions that help explain to others why television continues to be so important.’ Newcomb argument is very important one as it is necessary for television studies to reveal how audiences reflect on their lives using television as their yardstick. Newcomb argument also helps to consider whether you should be now concerning us with more specific issues like emotional encounters with television.

Watching television is often viewed as or synonymous with doing nothing or just killing time. People tend to feel guilty for watching television more than doing something productive. Because some television programmes are so compelling and showing either the viewer’s everyday living or filling their emotional fantasy life-style people will continue to watch television.

These days watching television is no longer a family affair. Although some families will still watch one particular programme as a family. Social  Media platforms available for almost every television programme demonstrate the way in which audiences connect over their favourite television programme. What then does it mean to bond over television?

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to analyse How emotion could be understood as a visual quality that made for good television? The emphasis in this study is both on audience and emotional engagements. This study will seek to analyse the notion of audience are immovable and manageable and not concentrate on ways in which television is part of most people’s everyday lives.

This research is will prove that there is connection between with television, How they tell us something about television visuals the audience and the notion of emotions.

SIGNIFANCE

The significance of this study is the understanding how audience emotional engagements with television helps them to make choices about life. These choices could include living standards or how people what to live based on what they see on television.  

This study is important to television producers and campaign planners and marketing agencies. This study will assist them to shape their messaging on television.  

Bad messaging could created on television if such a study is not done. Audience could be exposed to bad messages which do not talk to their emotions.