The document discusses the target audience of soap opera genre. It argues that the stereotypical target audience is white-British women aged 25-40, as they have increased free time at home in the evenings to watch soap operas due to gender stereotypes. It also notes that soap operas can appeal to all ages and socioeconomic classes by addressing real-life issues. Modern soap operas, like Coronation Street, are trying to attract younger digitally native audiences through social media platforms like Twitter.

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Target Audience
Name: George Barnstable
Candidate Number: 3010
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities
I strongly believe that the stereotypical target audience for the ‘Soap Opera’ genre is women. This is because women
are stereotyped as much more sympathetic and caring compared to men, who are seen as emotionless. This
therefore leads women to be the more targeted audience because of their ability to relate to certain scenes and
aspects of ‘Soap Opera’s’. Moreover, ‘Soap Opera’s’ run during night-time, where women are stereotypically at home
caring for a child compared to the man who would be working. This demonstrates why the ‘Soap Opera’ genre targets
the female population over the male because of the increased amount of ‘free time’ they have over men where they
are able to watch television and relax, which ultimately results in more viewings for the media texts. ‘Soap Opera’s’
tend to have a fairly older audience than most genres, however would appeal to anyone in the age range of 16-120
because of their mature scenes. The mature scenes also explains why ‘Soap Opera’s’ are displayed later in the night,
averagely airing between 8pm and 9pm. In contrast, many families often watch ‘Soap Opera’s’ together and therefore
the scenes are being seen by children, highlighting how the genre can appeal to all ages. Therefore, I conclude that
the most common stereotypical audience for the Soap Opera genre would be white-British women aged 25-40
because of their ability to relate and ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with the media texts broadcasted.
Socio-Economic Needs
Most Soap Opera’s would appeal to the working class; whom are financially stable and are classed as C1 and C2 on
the socio-economic table of needs. However, the Soap Opera genre consists of real life issues and problems which
occur to people who are not financially stable and associated with the lower-class, denoting that the media texts are
also linked to the D category in the socio-economic table of needs. Therefore, I would generalize the Soap Opera
genre to be representative of the working class, C2 category, because of their ability to engage with the issues in the
viewings as well as being able to afford the viewings of the media texts.

3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
I believe that the main audience for Soap Opera’s should be classed as ‘Caregivers’ (Maslow) because of their ability
to show sympathy for the characters. This is mainly because they are able to build a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with
the characters and their thoughts and feelings due to their previous experiences of experiences and relationships of
their own. Also, some viewers may take the ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) further and care for the character like how a
mother would care for their daughter, indicating how viewers are so easily able to ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with the
media texts. However, some of the audience could be classed as ‘Explorers’ (Maslow) because of their easily
influenced social change which can occur when they appear to react in a similar way to a situation they have previous
seen aired in a Soap Opera. Finally, some viewers could be labeled as ‘Survivors’ (Katz) because of the lengthy
duration of Soap Opera’s episodes and series. This means that some individuals are able to have their lives consumed
by the shows, in which, the viewings could fit into their daily routine.
Psychographics
The lifestyle of the stereotypical Soap Opera audience would appear as ‘normal’, where individuals are able to
‘personally identify’ (Katz) with the characters in the media texts. These people are also known as ‘social reformers’
due to their awareness of every day issues and ability to ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with the issues shown in the Soap
Opera genre. Moreover, the most stereotypical audience would be work- or stay-at-home Mother’s who have plenty
of time in their day to be able to watch the multiple Soap Opera series. Also, many Soap Opera’s are scheduled
towards the evening, suggesting the target audience of the genre is more focused on the older generation of
Mother’s. Viewers may also follow a different lifestyle because of the way that characters act in the Soap Opera
episodes, making the way they deal with situations different to how they usually would have and more like how the
characters deal with them in the media text scenes.
Katz’ Uses and Gratification's Theory
Due to the emotional nature of Soap Opera’s, many individuals will build a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the
characters due to the issues presented to that character as well as the continuous seeing of them in a series or
episode. This also demonstrates how some viewers are able to be classed as ‘Survivors’ (Maslow) because of the
ability for the media texts to consume their lives, in which, the viewings become a daily task. Furthermore, viewers
‘personally identify’ (Katz) with many of the issues raised in Soap Opera’s and therefore can establish a personal
connection with the characters, making them more hooked on the series. On the other hand, some people may just
simply see the Soap Opera genre as a form of entertainment through TV and therefore relate to the scenes
whatsoever, demonstrating how the genre is not as generalizable as thought.

4. Soap Opera ‘Coronation Street’ attempts to
interact with its audience largely through social
media platform Twitter. Through their extensive
use of Hash tags and pictures, the Soap Opera is
able to target the ‘Digitally Native’ (Prensky)
viewers by asking for their opinion. This also
suggests how the producers of Coronation
Street are trying to attract the younger
generation of viewers because of their large
association with social media platforms, such as
Twitter. Both Coronation Street and Twitter are
denoted as ‘gossipy’ because of the ability for
users and viewers to interact with each other,
voicing their thoughts and feelings.

5. BBC’s EastEnders is similar to Coronation
Street, in which it utilizes social media
platform Twitter to target and
communicate with its audience. Another
way that the two Soap Opera’s allow
viewers to ‘stay tuned’ is by offering
previous shows on iPlayer or OnDemand,
as well as informing them about upcoming
episodes. This allows an audience to re-
watch or watch an episode they previously
missed to ensure they are up to date with
the series.

6. Scheduling of Soaps during prime time hours (7pm – 11pm)
Most commonly, Soap Opera’s are scheduled between the times of 7pm – 11pm. This time zone is also referred to as
‘The Watershed’, which is a time where adult programmes are allowed to be aired. Soap Opera’s are commonly noted
as featuring mature content due to the covering themes of adultery, implicit language, sex scenes, drug use, alcohol
consumption, and death. On the other hand, many families will get together and collectively watch a Soap Opera,
highlighting how it can appeal and be viewed by all ages. This however can have a negative impact on the children of
the family, causing them to develop habits such as smoking or swearing. Therefore, it is a good idea for the time zone
of Soap Opera’s to focus in the 7pm – 11pm range because this will be the timings in which children will be getting
ready for bed or already asleep, depending on what time the media text is being aired.