scholarly journals Pushing against the boundaries: Entertaining impoliteness and taboo discourse in the Egyptian TV show Abla Fahita

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 372-405
Author(s):  
Wesam M. A. Ibrahim

Abstract Impoliteness can be defined as the use of “communicative strategies” which are “designed to attack face, and thereby cause social conflict and disharmony” (Culpeper et al. 2003, 1564). The present study applies Jonathan Culpeper’s (2011a) model of “impoliteness” supplemented by the notions of jocular mockery, jocular abuse, and recipients’ responses (Bousfield 2008, 2010, Haugh and Bousfield 2012) to the Egyptian TV show Abla Fahita. Abla Fahita (Egyptian Arabic: أبلة فاهيتا‎ [ʾabla fāhīta]) is a puppet character that has regularly appeared on Egyptian television since 2011. The show is hugely popular and has been phenomenally successful, being watched on average by millions, according to the Egyptian Centre for Research on Public Opinion. It should be noted, however, that, due to the conservative nature of Egyptian culture, Abla Fahita and other similar TV shows are considered to violate Egyptian politeness standards radically. Hence, such shows have been condemned as degrading and of low moral standards and have been accused of causing a deterioration in the standards of Egyptian public taste. Despite all denunciations, Abla Fahita still enjoys a huge audience and dominates broadcast ratings. Part of the show’s popularity can be ascribed to its characteristic impoliteness, particularly Abla Fahita’s off-beat expressions in mocking her guests and her use of sexual innuendo, which is seen as entertaining by many viewers. The study, which reveals that Abla Fahita employs what can be called a humorous-impoliteness formula to entertain viewers, is an attempt to apply contemporary Impoliteness Theory across cultures, and to Colloquial Egyptian Arabic in particular.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 485-500
Author(s):  
Silke Meyer

In this article, the intersection of the economic and social dimensions of thrift is analysed under the special condition of debt. The debt context serves as a focal glass exposing agents, their social practices and strategies of accumulation capitals with regard to appropriate spending. In order to capture the many layers of thrift, the concept of moral economies is applied. This concept tries to reconcile two seemingly divergent dimensions of human behaviour which can be described as individualistic, calculating and serving a self-interest (economy) on the one hand and community-oriented and benefitting a common good (morality) on the other hand. Starting out with an overview over studies on moral economies in historical and social science since the early 1970s, I will explain the heuristic use of the concept for the case of debts research and apply it to representations of thrift as visualised and popularised in the reality TV shows Raus aus den Schulden (Getting Out of Debt) and Life or Debt. Here, the images of homes are clues for the cultural productions of appropriateness on TV: What are suitable ways of living when in debt? What are adequate scenes of dwelling and narratives of dealing with debts and which normative structures regulate those stories, the perception of the self and potential social exclusion? By examining the TV show as a strong voice in the debt discourse, thrift turns out to be a cornerstone in the internal and external regimes of governing debt in the micropolitics of TV.


SURG Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
Sarah McGuire

This article uses key terms and concepts from Television Studies to “close read” the reality TV show Duck Dynasty in its visual form. This article questions not only how Duck Dynasty represents rednecks, but also how the representation of the “redneck” is understood by the TV audience. It explores the success of Duck Dynasty as a reality TV show and argues that it redeems “rednecks” from Hollywood’s previous portrayals of the overly caricatured redneck stereotype. The Robertsons have the ability to convey truth – even if it is through a partially fake/mediated realm – and what they actually represent is a more subdued, modern form of redneck identity in comparison to classic Hollywood depictions. However, viewers cannot trust reality TV to wholly or singularly inform how they understand other social groups despite how “real” reality may appear on reality TV shows. Instead of viewing the redneck jokes and portrayal on reality TV as offensive, Duck Dynasty’s jokes and portrayals can be powerful tools for exposing the absurdity of the stereotypes previously perpetuated by Hollywood and can help subvert them. Keywords: Duck Dynasty; Duck Commander; Buck Commander; Robertson; redneck (representations of); reality TV; television studies; hillbilly; Southern culture; stereotypes; sitcom; American dream; American television


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Guerrero-Solé ◽  
Reinald Besalú ◽  
Hibai López-González

AbstractSince Davison (1983) proposed the hypothesis regarding the Third-Person Effect (TPE), it has been widely accepted by researchers in communication. The objective of this study is to test both perceptual and behavioral components of TPE in Spain related to media in general, violent, pornographic, and trash TV shows (in particular, the TV show


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Amalia E. Maulana ◽  
Lexi Z. Hikmah

Subject area Social Marketing, Entertainment Education Program. Study level/applicability Postgraduate program. Master in Strategic Marketing and Master in Business Administration. Case overview In the midst of the many TV shows that do not provide enlightenment, Kick Andy TV Show appeared to provide answers to the public unrest. In the spirit of “Watch with Heart” Kick Andy serves Entertainment-Education and Social rarely glimpsed by the television station. Success of Kick Andy TV Show made this brand doing brand extension such as Kick Andy Foundation, Kick Andy Magazine, Kick Andy Enterprise and others. Challenge for this program is to maintain the right balance between social, entertainment and education. Expected learning outcomes This Case Study illustrates that Kick Andy TV Show filled the value gap that viewers experienced from existing TV show. This show is similar to the offer of Oprah Winfrey Show in the USA. Student is expected to understand social marketing primarily related to entertainment-education TV show. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 126-136
Author(s):  
Irina Nikolaevna Kemarskaya

The article is devoted to the scriptwriting of TV shows and the role of the social practices of TV-viewing in the creation of script plot of periodical programs. Script construction of contemporary TV shows differs greatly from the classical film screenwriting due to its primarily focusing on predicted audience reactions in every single moment of broadcasting. The show creators are directed by the intention of giving the viewer the opportunities to feel the emotions he/she anticipates watching every new issue of the program. In order to attract the audience to the screen, hold it, to ensure its return to the favorite show the TV creators are obliged to imagine the established rituals and social practices of screen viewing. The paper covers the historical aspects of the social TV viewing practices, their formation and dynamics, from the Soviet "collective viewing" in a communal apartments with a sole TV-set up to a contemporary tendency of individual binge-watching of full ser seasons through internet services. The author specially emphasizes gender, generational, socio-demographic differences in TV watching and their influence on different creative techniques and discoveries. As to the gender habits of audiovisual information perception, the author pays attention to the so called "female" way of TV watching, characteristic of empathy, emotional involvement in the perception of the show, against the "male" choice of action, spectacle dynamics and often simultaneous viewing of different channels. Changes in common practices of TV watching cause the script decisions, adapted to the habitual behavior of different audience groups (shortening of audiovisual elements within programs, clip cutting, priority of emotion over logic-screen narration, etc.). Resume: rapid changes of screen watching social practices challenge the well-known creative technologies, turning the familiar TV shows into the part of the hypertext with different logic of reading and understanding.


Author(s):  
Андрей Барашков ◽  
Andrey Barashkov

The present research investigates the phenomenon of political humour in modern Russian TV shows. The paper features the case of such wits and humour competition as the KVN Show (The Club of the Funny and Sharp-witted). The author describes the concepts of laughter, humour, and the comic and explains their political component. The research objective was to reveal the role of the KVN's political humour in the political culture of the country. The author used the method of discourse analysis to study the performances of the KVN teams in the Major and Premier Leagues taken from "YouTube". The research results are of particular interest, which make it possible to develop the issues of political humour and the phenomenon of the KVN.


Author(s):  
Srđan Krstić

In this paper I deal with the concept of the binge-watching of television series episodes. The word binge means a period of excessive indulgence in an activity. Particularly, in terms of media theory, it becomes synonymous with obsessive, marathon watching of TV shows and movies through streaming television. The central hypothesis is that binge-watching goes beyond what has for previous decades been considered a generally accepted way of watching TV content. In order to better understand this notion, it is also necessary to explain the importance of non-linear television and its distinction in relation to ‘traditional’ or linear television. I will pay special attention to social networks as an indispensable factor that completes the binge-watching experience. Social networks are also involved in the peripheral specifics of binge-watching that lead to the emergence of new occupations, which are in direct correlation with the desire of viewers to be informed about their favorite TV content. I also performed a case study of the TV show Pretty Little Liars (PLL). This show had strong effect on connecting creators with viewers through social networks. As a relatively new phenomenon, binge-watching has the potential to soon become an interesting subject of research. Article received: March 27, 2018; Article accepted: May 10, 2018; Published online: October 15, 2018; Original scholarly paperHow to cite this article: Krstić, Srđan. "'Binge-Watching': The New Way of Watching TV Series." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 17 (2018): 15−23. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i17.266 


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 728-728
Author(s):  
Valentin Grigore

AbstractTV shows have the biggest impact for the public, so we can use them to inform and educate the public about light pollution and the importance of the dark sky for humanity and for the contemporary society. Some examples used in the TV show Us and the Sky at Columna TV, Romania, are presented.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Viswanathan ◽  
Edward C. Malthouse ◽  
Ewa Maslowska ◽  
Steven Hoornaert ◽  
Dirk Van den Poel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study consumer engagement as a dynamic, iterative process in the context of TV shows. A theoretical framework involving the central constructs of brand actions, customer engagement behaviors (CEBs), and consumption is proposed. Brand actions of TV shows include advertising and firm-generated content (FGC) on social media. CEBs include volume, sentiment, and richness of user-generated content (UGC) on social media. Consumption comprises live and time-shifted TV viewing. Design/methodology/approach The authors study 31 new TV shows introduced in 2015. Consistent with the ecosystem framework, a simultaneous system of equations approach is adopted to analyze data from a US Cable TV provider, Kantar Media, and Twitter. Findings The findings show that advertising efforts initiated by the TV show have a positive effect on time-shifted viewing, but a negative effect on live viewing; tweets posted by the TV show (FGC) have a negative effect on time-shifted viewing, but no effect on live viewing; and negative sentiment from tweets posted by viewers (UGC) reduces time-shifted viewing, but increases live viewing. Originality/value Content creators and TV networks are faced with the daunting challenge of retaining their audiences in a media-fragmented world. Whereas most studies on engagement have focused on static firm-customer relationships, this study examines engagement from a dynamic, multi-agent perspective by studying interrelationships among brand actions, CEBs, and consumption over time. Accordingly, this study can help brands to quantify the effectiveness of their engagement efforts in terms of encouraging CEBs and eliciting specific TV consumption behaviors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document