Telenovela Consumption: Rosas y De Ruptura

Now that we've finished four consumption presentations in class, I have found myself really captivated by some of the ideas discussed. The recent presentations of the telenovelas, Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal and Narcos, were interesting due to each telenovela's historical relevance to the drug trade in Columbia. However, what really fascinated me with the presentations was the ideas discussed on the first day regarding consumption of telenovelas rosas and telenovelas de ruptura.

I was a member of the first presentation group and we chose to focus on two telenovelas rosas called La Usurpadora and Yo no creo en los hombres. We chose these two telenovelas due to the time period in which they were created. La Usurpadora was produced in 1998 and Yo no creo en los hombres was more recently produced in 2014. Ultimately, we chose to discuss how each telenovela fell into the rosa category, but also how each telenovela addressed certain cultural ideas of the time in which it was created. For example, we discussed how the evolving issue of gender roles is portrayed in the two telenovelas. In the older telenovela, the female characters have a more domestic role and are encouraged to stay in that role throughout the telenovela. However, in the more recent telenovela, the female characters have a more prominent role and our portrayed as hardworking, educated and strong. 

We also discussed how social media impacted the consumption of both of the telenovelas. Obviously, social media is a more recent development; therefore, telenovela users did not use it to discuss telenovelas in the 1990s. Interestingly, social media has played a large role in the consumption of Yo no creo en los hombres. Viewers are using blogs and twitter to communicate and discuss their ideas, likes and dislikes about the show. What I am most fascinated with, however, is the idea that telenovela viewers are more likely to consume and be aware of the cultural ideas in telenovelas when the telenovela falls into the rosa category in comparison to the de ruptura category.

Following our presentation, the telenovela de ruptura group presented their findings. They concluded that viewers of telenovelas de ruptura don't typically discuss cultural issues or topics online and instead, focus mainly on the plotline in their discussions. In comparison, they suggested that telenovelas rosas typically fostered more online discussion about the plotline, but also the cultural issues in the story as well. 

I think this is an interesting idea for two reasons. One, it's interesting that the traditional love story remains the dominant plotline that viewers enjoy. And two, I wonder if because telenovelas de ruptura are made to be more realistic and relatable than telenovelas rosas, that people have a more difficult time picking out cultural issues within their plot. Telenovelas rosas are historically more dramatic and exaggerated than telenovelas de ruptura and they tend to really fixate on the love story. As a result, I wonder if the love stories causes viewers to become more analytical and interested in the telenovela as a whole. And because telenovelas de ruptura are more realistic and not as dramatic, viewers may not be as compelled to get super analytical or interested in more than just the superficial plotline.

Obviously, there are several factors that go into how a telenovela is consumed; however, I just find this a compelling idea and something worth thinking about a little bit. Let me know if anyone has other opinions on this topic!