| 1. | Soap Opera Syndrome | ||
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The tendency to be mesmerized by television. Trance like state brought on by televised commercial advertisements interspersed with fragments of dramatic teleplays. Also, as a component of post-industrial consciousness. e.g. "Television rules the nation." The term references the advent of drama created to sell soap, soap operas. Broadcast on radio with soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as sponsors and producers. Alice: Everyone says I probably have Attention Deficit Disorder. It's possible considering I am easily distracted. Theres got to be some excuse. What do you think? Bob?
Bob: Huh? Sorry Alice I was zoned on this laundry detergent advert. Tide really does get my whites whiter and only 'mildly' pollutes our drinking water. Alice: I'm thirsty. Alien: Soap Opera Syndrome Advertisements take airtime away from programs. In the 1960s a typical hour-long American show would run for 51 minutes excluding advertisements. Today, a similar program would only be 42 minutes long; a typical 30-minute block of time now includes 22 minutes of programming with 6 minutes of national advertising and 2 minutes of local. |
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