Theoretical Elaborations on the Capacity of Humor in Media to Directly Influence Society

Theoretical Elaborations on the Capacity of Humor in Media to Directly Influence Society

ABSTRACT

This study provides various theoretical explanations on the capacity of humor in the television situational comedy and political satire Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata, to directly produce an intended effect in society. Guided by theoretical discussions on humor, ridicule, and satire, a character analysis is drawn from the first five episodes of the first season of the television program. The character analysis is used as a background to debunk the assumption that media can produce an intended direct effect in society. The social systems theory by Niklas Luhmann explains why the mass media as a system cannot produce an intended effect to the political system or other systems in society. Another objective of this study is to provide archival and historical data through the encoding and compilation of the scripts of the first five episodes of the first season of the television program. This study is not prescriptive. It does not offer a way of how satirical media texts should be produced in order to effect change in the current order of things nor does it offer a standard of what accounts for an ‘effective’ satire. The study offers additional perspectives on viewing and processing broadcast texts on political satire and humor.

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