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Video: Probably the most legendary Eastenders “duff duff” moment… “You ain’t my mother!”

Once again Media Culture has led me to question and rethink a media text that I actually enjoy, this week it’s the “compelling teenage soap”, Hollyoaks.

Hollyoaks is part of the highly popular soap opera genre which is often considered an integral part of British television consumption. The popularity contest between the vast number of soaps is regularly contested by dedicated award ceremonies and between friends, colleagues and across online fora. But really, what’s the difference between Hollyoaks, Eastenders and Coronation Street?

I’m the first to admit that I’d watch Hollyoaks over Eastenders any day of the week, but I can’t really answer why it’s any better or why I prefer it. If you look at the story-lines, no single British soap stands out against the others for original story-lines - even when script writers try to go against the odds they are often met with a tough backlash from the burgeoning fan-bases, take the Eastenders baby stealing plot for example. Look at the characters and there are often striking similarities. Even the actual imagery of the programmes is decidedly coherent.

With so many of these programmes supposedly based on ‘real life’ and reflecting some of the emotions, experiences and feelings of their respective audiences, soap operas are excellent examples of a culture industry. Often magazines cover real-life experiences which have come to the forefront after similar soap story-lines, and script writers and directors step out in support of a particular cause or faction. But are these programmes merely just conforming to the Frankfurt criticisms of culture industries?

It could be agreed that soap operas only bring topics they choose to the attention of the masses, oppressing the Marxist base by controlling their culture-consumption. Equally, with such similarities - in story-lines, characters and imagery - the Adorno and Horkheimer theories of mass-reproduction and standardisation can quite easily be associated with the soap opera genre.

A key part of the Frankfurt culture industry theory is the notion of pseudo-individualisation. Whilst there are great similarities between the great British soaps, their subtle differences allow them to target different audiences, approach different cultural issues and, essentially, be slightly separated and alternative. Each soap has it’s own following, just do a quick search online for the different soaps and you’ll soon find their online communities, but are they really that different? Or as consumers are we just buying into the pseudo-individualisation of another culture industry?