A Study of Representations of Occupational Types in TV Idol Dramas and the Audience's Perceptions of Occupations and Career Choices in Taiwan

• Main Authors: PAN, SHIH-TING, 潘詩婷
• Other Authors: CHU, HSU-CHUNG
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/80232878286809082711

碩士 === 國立屏東大學 === 文化創意產業學系碩士班 === 105 === Since the drama You're My Destiny debuted in 2008, changes on script strategies in Taiwan idol series have taken places, in which subjects have started to focus on real life, and shape problems and issues surrounding workplaces and families, instead of students and campus. This research attempts to study how and what occupations and workplaces are represented, and whether loyal audiences to these idol dramas perceive and make career choices accordingly. The study has adopted both content analysis and in-depth interview to examine the research objectives. For content analysis, the study sampled 50 Taiwan idol dramas which ranked top 5 in the annual ratings each year from 2006 to 2015, and analyzed the representations of occupations related to characters and story arrangements in order to find how both male and female characters’ careers are shaped in those dramas. Also, in-depth interviews were conducted on 12 participants, mainly university students, office worker, and aged between 18 and 35, who used to watch various types of Taiwanese idol drama as their long-term hobbies. These participants were. The study results found that types and depictions of characters’ occupations in Taiwanese idol dramas have been gradually diversified along with the time. Additionally, workplace descriptions in the dramas help audiences adopt positive image, and encourage audiences to pursue similar careers. Based on interview results, people would like to engage a job because of the job representations in the idol dramas, but yet, the finding also suggests that career planning is sometimes influenced by parents, even to choose non-interested jobs. On the other hand, university students mentioned workplace and career descriptions in Taiwan idol drama help their understanding whether those jobs attract them. Over romanticized career representations in drama may have effects on young adults’ perception of occupations, career choices, and even their performances and expectations at workplaces. The purpose of the research is to provide a reference of Taiwan idol drama in hope of obtaining more understanding on the differences between drama representations and reality.