The influence of television on the values, beliefs and mental development of a society can be noticed. But whether the effect will be positive or negative depends on the content of the television programs. The issue is quite controversial. On the one hand, television is seen as one of the means of creating public awareness, on the other hand, it is seen as a link between social decay and subculture. There is no end to this debate. However, the main topic of today's article is how dramas or programs broadcast on television can help bring about positive change in a society.
In Brazil since the 1970s, soap operas or television dramas have helped control the population or reduce the overall fertility rate. Due to the public awareness created through soap operas, the total fertility rate has come down to 60 percent or more in just three decades or thirty years.
Eleanor La Ferrara, Alberto Chong, and Susan Duria - three economists - have been working to gather data and provide evidence on the changes in Brazil's population control caused by television or drama. They presented this information in their research paper titled ‘Soap Opera and Fertility: Evidence from Brazil’.
The role of television in Brazil
Television in Brazil, in particular, helped to improve women's perceptions of marriage and family from 1970 to 1991, as well as to increase the rate of education, spread awareness about contraceptive methods, and raise awareness about government regulations. After the military government came to power in 1964, they began to use television as one of the means of developing the country, discussing various social issues, expanding the market system, and accurately disseminating political information. The military government has taken steps to increase the use of television by subsidizing the sale of television sets and providing financial and other assistance to a particular network in conducting programs or dramas. And this particular network was Red Globo. The Red Globe began operations in 1965. In a very short time it became the main national network in Brazil.
According to the study, the number of viewers of "novella" or drama in Brazil is usually 60 to 80 million (2008). There are three main reasons why Globe's novella or dramas have gained so much recognition or popularity. First, the play becomes more enjoyable for the audience as they can easily recognize the places shown in the play or have a sense of patriotism. Second, the Globo Network dramas are meant to be understood by everyone in the vernacular, a well-known middle-class family system, a well-known social system for the Brazilian people, and in real-time dramas celebrating various national festivals. Third, the Globo Network also spends a lot of money to make their plays beautiful and to ensure the use of good quality technology.
At the time, it cost 125,000 to build an episode of the Globe Novella; Which was 15 times the cost of producing an episode of another Latin American novel or drama at the same time. If all these conditions are met, a drama can still gain fame, and then such dramas were rare in Brazil. So in a short time, Globo's plays won people's hearts.
Red Globo
Red Globo is currently the second largest commercial network in the world. Red Globo's position after ABC. It is the largest network in Latin America and the foremost in the construction of ‘Telenvela’. The Red Globe basically showed three types of novella or drama. Around 6pm, ‘Novellas das Sais’, based on the historical story of slavery. The audience of such plays was less than other plays. The Novellas das Sete, then aired at 7 p.m., was entertaining and full of stories of violence and conspiracy. And the story of the play 'Novellas das Oito' at 8 pm (or 9 pm) was about various social problems. The audience of such dramas was the highest.
The Red Globo channel was, or still is, very much exclusive to the production or broadcasting of television programs in Brazil. From 1965 to 1999, about 115 plays were aired on Globo. Of these, 72 percent of the main female characters (50 or younger) had no children, and 21 percent had only one child. Such a family or idea was something new for people accustomed to the traditional family system and ideas in Brazil. In the years since the Globe's novella or drama management initiative, the total fertility rate has dropped by about 50 percent between 1970 and 1990.
The main audience of these dramas aired on Globo was women. However, changes are more or less with age. The effect of these dramas on 15-24 year old women is not immediately seen. Evidence of a change in the thinking of 25-34 year old women is that the birth rate of women in this age group is reduced by 11 percent. In the case of women aged 34-44, the rate is reduced to 8 percent. Evidence that the thoughts of 15-24 year old women are affected can be understood in the following years.
The study compared areas in Brazil that had a Red Globe signal all year round or had the opportunity to broadcast soap operas, novellas or dramas to other areas where there were no such opportunities. It is noteworthy that in areas where there is no globular signal, the probability of having children is reduced by 0.6 percent in areas where there is a signal. This was the case in some of the areas selected for testing, where awareness of family planning did not increase even after the increase in women's education. But due to the broadcast of Globo, unprecedented diversity is seen.
Not that family planning and population control were openly discussed in novels or plays. Moreover, the Brazilian government delayed the formulation of population control policies until the end of the seventies. Advertising of contraceptive methods was also prohibited. Even then, Brazilian society underwent drastic changes in these areas. The obvious stories of the novel contribute to this. The important things are planted in the minds of the people in the guise of entertainment and story.
Most of the novel's main character families were healthy, urban, lower-middle class or upper-middle class single families. In these plays, single family was considered as the norm in defining happy family. Usually the audience in the play would see an urban middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro or so Paulo, where the story progresses with family types, values, attitudes and behavioral changes.
On the other hand, the story of Brazilian drama was basically about four or five families. Families were shown to be small in order to take care of the main characters. In order to handle the story, these plays sometimes showed unrealistic family structures in the context of Brazil. In any case, the positive message of these plays began to reach the people, and that is the real thing.
Just as single or small families were shown for happy and prosperous families, families with poor or family expenses and conflicts were shown for large families or having more children. And such scenes make people think about their faith and life.
Most Brazilians, being from middle-class families, were worried about their daily expenses. When the benefits of keeping the family small to cope with the burden of expenses and family problems came to the notice of everyone through drama, it started to bring change in the society. Later, other networks besides Red Globe also started broadcasting Novella.
The positive effects of ‘soap opera’ or television drama on population control in Brazil show that television can act as a regulator in building a healthy society. This is why you must be careful while conducting dramas or programs.
Thanks to everyone for reading this article
Great article. So nice