Television as a site of social and ideological contestation : an analysis of the producer-audience dynamic, and the interpretation and reproduction of meanings associated with television dramas aired between 1980 and 2000

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly connected, new platforms and content from all over the world are constantly emerging, reaching audiences, and changing the way people view content such as drama series. Such may result in making television viewing less relevant, and with new foreign content sprouting, Singapore drama series seem less appealing. However, viewing of Singapore drama series on the television played an important role in the lives of average Singaporeans before the advent and prevalent use of the Internet. The study seeks to find out how viewing Singapore’s drama series on television was conducted on a daily basis in ordinary homes during the 1980s to 2000s. More specially, this study will analyze how audiences receive information, messages, and symbols through television drama viewing. I argue that television viewing of drama series was not simply a one-way or top-down approach where masses gladly receive messages intended or imposed by producers/directors. Instead, television viewing of drama series was a social activity where ordinary Singaporeans actively sought to create and recreate interpretations, meanings, and symbols that are a result of their different and unique context, experiences, and worldview.