Nick Morgan’s article on the culture and sensationalism of an ever-growing, rapidly popularizing subgenre of telenovelas, the narconovela, reveals some fascinating insights into the nature of the relationship between television and society. Specific to Colombia, Morgan discusses the narconovela and the significance of its departure from more conservative, ‘socially moral’ novelas of the past. As a genre that explicitly popularizes and makes televised representation of corruption, deception, and cynicism, Morgan notes how the novela, with specific reference to ‘Sin Tetas’, is accused of “pandering to its audience’s less salubrious desires” (53). What I found especially fascinating in this article was the notion that the audiences of these shows- at least those of varying demographics rather informally surveyed by Morgan – are generally “quite aware of artifice and assume an ironic distance from the narrative” (74). Of course, from the several clips I have seen from Sin Tetas it seems rather difficult to doubt the fictional nature of its plot and social imaginary, but instead of inhibiting its popularity, it seems to stimulate it.
Considering the topic of societal representations and perceptions as a function of media representation is very relevant to my final project, I am particularly interested in this subject. I found Morgan’s discussion on the “cynical understanding of social life” present in narconovelas quite compelling, as it “crosses class barriers” and is viewed by a widely diverse range of individuals (75). I guess it makes sense, as anyone can observe the pattern in what ‘sells’ most lucratively in the media industry, and that usually involves escapism through drama and turmoil. It is human nature to feel drawn to discuss and observe the flaws of others, and it is interesting when this is harnessed and sensationalized in the form of popular and widely accessible television. With respect to Colombian society and its representations Sin Tetas, as acknowledged by Morgan, it is important to understand that despite media representation, pessimistic and negative social imaginations don’t “conquer” whole societies. What is equally fascinating about narconovelas, along with what they portray, is what they do not.
I wonder, do narratives created by shows like Sin Tetras about Colombian society, observably fiction or not, play into a national cultural conscience? What stories do narconovelas tell about Latin American societies, and could there be a dimension of the internalization of these by their audiences?