MPK Bahasa Inggris 28

Vina Damayanti
Teknologi Bioproses

Mr. Pangulu
Essay

1306370865

Why Are Soap Opera So Popular in Indonesia?

Television is a medium of communication. There are so many TV show in television

such as soap operas. In Indonesia, soap operas are called Sinetron stands for Sinema
Elektronik. Watching soap opera is one of favorite pastimes for considerable number of
people. It is no secret that the greatest fans of soaps are women, especially of elderly age. It is
conditioned by the fact that women are emotional, hearty, emphatic, and like to experience
many different emotions. In Indonesia, Indonesia society hobby in watching soap operas are
so high, although for some people, soap operas is not educate and even so annoying. On the
other hand, the majority are like to watch soap operas because of their simple mindset. Soap
operas in Indonesia have some characteristic such as no scene without music background,
anything pronounced, and due to its continuity.
A narrator in the documentary How Art Made the World, Dr. Nigel Speavey said
that music is very influential in attracting the attention of the audience. It is used in soap
operas in Indonesia. There are no scenes without music background. Any dialogue must be
accompanied by music. It can attract the attention of the audience because of the frequent,
although the music backgrounds are monotonous and less creative. Music gives a significant
difference to the audience between drifted into visual images only and drifted into visualaudio. With the music, all the events that occurred would seem to be more real.
Soap opera are broadcasted during the week at varied times. Some are broadcasted
every week, several days a week, or everyday. If the viewer miss the episode, sometimes
there will be repeated at a later time or date, and often. Sometimes the audience has no choice
but to watch soap operas due to the time slot that is too long. On the other hand, the people
who do not have solid activity very pleased with the continuity of soap operas. Although the
story is often not weighted, people who do not have any activities will be entertained and not
feel lonely. Because of that soap opera is very closely with the majority of women who are at
home and be a housewife.
Number of episodes of the soap operas is so much, due to a very long storyline
because there is nothing that is not spoken in the soap operas. Any gestures, scenes, and
events are not enough merely visually displayed, but must be pronounced. By that way, the

audience will instinctively imagine what soap operas pronounced, so audience will attract by
soap operas. Because of that, the viewers have no awareness of the source of their needs, only
of specific impulses to watch one of the programmed rather than another (Schroder 1988:67).
Actually there are so many reasons that make soap opera so popular. Music
background, anything pronounced, and the continuity these are some reasons which causing
Indonesia societies like to watching soap operas so much. The simple mindset of Indonesia
societies is felt fit to watch a simple TV show too like soap opera. Everybody choose the TV
show that can entertain and also can satisfy them in vent complaints. So soap operas so
popular in Indonesia due to the simple thought of Indonesian society who also looks for
events to fill their spare time.