The Cultural Impact of the Disapperance of Soap Operas

Soap operas were first introduced to American culture via the radio in the early 20th century. They were so named because the first sponsors and producers of the radio dramas were soap manufacturers, such as Dial, Proctor and Gamble, and the Lever Brothers. When one thinks of a “soap opera” they think of a daytime drama, in which a new episode is aired every business day, and they would be right. In America soaps hit television in 1946, mainly shown during the day, targeting housewives, allowing those who watched to escape their mundane lives for an improbable life situation and unexpected drama, which occurs during each episode. At their height they numbered nineteen different soap operas, which have now decreased to four. The longest running soap opera, Guiding Light, began on the radio and transitioned onto television, it aired for 72 years, before ending in 2009.

Soap operas have become a cultural norm over the years, which should be expected as they have been airing for seventy-six years; expected to air as daytime programming after the noon news and last until talk shows, such as The Talk, or reality shows, such as Judge Judy, airs. The characters of these dramas have been welcomed into homes and become a part of the family of their viewers; watching their lives unfold on television day after day, allows one to escape their own life and become a part of someone else’s, if only for an hour or two each day. Due to the affect they have on many people, specifically women, look at their lives, relationships, communities, and the world and affairs within it. Soap operas have, over the years, affected American values, caused distractions in the lives of many, and enabled many to think of their lives as better put together than ot...

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... lives as better put together than otherwise imaginable.

The impact of the disappearance of soap operas begins to tell a new story of them. While many people enjoy soap operas, they are now being replaced with talk shows, which are cheaper, because they aren’t scripted, and only have a few paid actors and actress. As with everything in this world, it always comes back to money. Also, since many women now work outside the home, the viewer base has gone down and has caused the producers to lose money. With society as high-paced as it is, most don’t want to watch something every day to discover what new twist is going to happen, as such they have been replaced, and some may say that reality television is better, but the impact is that there are less who will understand and know what soap operas have meant to viewers and how they were so influential in viewers’ lives.