Soap operas send clean messages in developing nations

Brian Willse, BFA '91

Imagine a soap opera that doesn't glamorize sex, scandal and violence but spreads educational messages to its millions of viewers. Such programs exist, but you won't find them keeping company with "Days of Our Lives" or "All My Children" on daytime TV.

Soap operas in developing nations are making a positive impact on audiences with themes related to gender equity, HIV prevention, adult literacy and other social issues, says Arvind Singhal, an Ohio University associate professor of interpersonal communication and co-author of the book "Entertainment-Education: A Communication Strategy for Society Change."

Governments in countries such as India, China, Mexico and Peru have successfully blended educational messages into engaging television or radio soap operas to inspire social change. For example, a radio drama called "Tinka Tinka Sukh" ("Happiness Lies in Small Things"), which promoted gender equity in the 1990s, was connected to a decision by a northern India village to renounce the custom of requiring a bridal dowry.

"The programs are not the magic bullet that will solve all these problems, but they provide a climate in which people can discuss issues and some people may be motivated to make changes," Singhal says.

The soap opera format is key to the programs' popularity. The episodic, often weekday airing of the shows allows producers to repeat educational messages, and dramatic story lines keep audiences engaged.

Singhal found that such motivational programs affect individual and community changes, which are prompted by viewers' identification with characters they see as role models.

Discussion of the plot twists with friends, family and neighbors also fosters greater awareness of social issues, and a large number of audience members report adopting family planning and HIV prevention practices or attending adult education classes after the shows' broadcasts.