My Conclusion

     For the majority of the data collected, the subjects seemed to be unaware of the signs being presented to them, and their decoding of the signs. For example, the main reasons the under 18 age group gave as to why they watch the show were simply because they think it’s a funny show with funny characters and funny situations. However, once asked to explain why they think the show Friends is funny, it became obvious that they (unconsciously, passively) code and decode the signs presented to them. The silly, absurd situations that the characters get into prove to be funny not just because they are silly and outrageous, but because they walk the fine line between fact and fiction, and thus encourage the viewer to try to distinguish between the two. For example, Chandler and Phoebe enthusiastically pretending to be interested in a football game so that they don't have to help Monica with the cooking and cleaning is funny because most people have done something like that to avoid doing something they don't want to do. But it's made even funnier by their exaggerated feigned interest in the game. Also, Joey's bet with Monica to eat the whole Thanksgiving turkey is funny because, once again, most people have made crazy bets with their friends. But they are hardly ever followed through. This one, however, is.

     Similarly, the older age groups know that they watch for reasons other than it just being a funny, entertaining show. It’s just that figuring out what those other reasons are prove to be a little bit of a challenge, because it requires extra effort when watching television is often considered to be a passive activity. The 18-30 age group can see themselves, or aspects of themselves in the characters. The representation of the "real" world is real enough that they can make correlations and parallels with the real real world in which they live, while still knowing that aspects of the "real" world in the show are far from real. For example, the apartments in which the characters live are available to them despite their economic/financial situations. And while they all seem to have jobs or careers of some sort, they have the luxury to spend much of their time just hanging out in the apartment or the coffee shop. The ability to distinguish between fact and fiction is proof that the audience is reading the show as a piece of text because there is that moment when the audience wants to think of the "real" world as being that easy going, carefree and fun. But there's also the realization that that world, the "real" world being presented, is not real.

     These examples serve to prove Hermann's point that " the way we put meaning to what we see on TV does not differ too much from how we understand the world we live in." The audience relates to the show because they can see aspects of their own lives being represented. However, the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction allows them to see how they are actively taking part in the reading of television as a text. Rather than passively absorbing the content of the show like empty vessels, the fact that they the audience is able to recognize and, more importantly, verbalize what it is that keeps them watching is evidence that they are getting more out of the show than just entertainment.

Work Cited: Hermann, Stefan. "Do we learn to 'read' television like a kind of 'language'?" http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/sfh9901.html

Melissa Lim

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