Telenovelas and Female Audience: A Study of Telenovela Viewers in the Tema Municipality

ABSTRACT

This study examined the telenovelas that interest women and the cultivation of these interests among female audience in BBC, a suburb of community 2 in the Tema Municipality. Also, the study examined the characters that women identify with in telenovelas and finally, examined why women identify themselves with these characters in telenovelas. Purposive sampling strategy was applied to sample 20 female audience of telenovela viewing for data collection. With the use of questionnaires, further supported by the cultivation theory and the social cognitive theory, this study established that the kind of telenovelas that women have so much interest in watching are those that have themes revolving around love, romance, relationships, etc. Again, it was established that telenovelas that have been translated into local languages (i.e with the use of voice overs) are the ones that have become popular and majority of female viewers can identify with. This is because the translated version of the telenovelas aids their understanding and helps them to better appreciate the plots of the story. In characterization of telenovelas, it was revealed that female audience recognize the role of the main characters and as such identify with them as role models as these characters mirror their own lives on the screen. The study also established that due to constant watching of telenovelas, women cultivate habits and values which they imbibe into their everyday lives.