Television and the Formation of Urban Middle-class Identities

Nayana Borgohain

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i02.14700

Television and the Formation of Urban Middle-class Identities

Author(s)	Nayana Borgohain
Country	India
Abstract	The Indian middle class has been a powerful force in the sphere of consumption culture since the formal advent of economic liberalization in 1991. With the advent of television, Indian society has been witnessing changes in class identities. The role of Indian television shows has been instrumental in shaping urban middle-class identities within Indian society. These shows have been effective in creating a desired lifestyle and everyday practices that are symbolic of urban middle-class practices. The objective of this paper is to reflect upon how these shows portray a way of common and relatable practices of the Indian middle class and explore the representation of the middle-class lifestyle. The idea of new modes of consumption reflects itself as a way of economic coercion that the capitalist world is trying to propagate with the practice of mass consumption. Thus, the concept of culture industry attempts to argue how commodification and the consumption of capitalist goods act as a way of manipulation to preserve the reigning capitalistic order. Through the lens of Birmingham School, this paper attempts to understand the process of Indian middle-class formation within the sphere of Television programs. The messages and values deciphered by the content of the television shows are in various ways interpreted by their audience. This study will be based on qualitative data that aims to use several secondary sources such as academic journals, articles, and online blogs to analyze the ideas that are put forward in understanding the very idea of consumption culture and middle-class formation. The investigation is also based on content analysis which will include a thorough analysis of the television show ‘Yeh Meri Family’ and its portrayal of consumerist practice within its specific context. This brings us to the fundamental idea of the paper of examining 'television' as a significant household gadget symbolic to middle-class families and also understanding the content put forward by television shows encouraging consumerist behaviours.
Keywords	Television, Middle-Class Identities, Consumerism, Commodities, Modernity, Desires
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 2, March-April 2024
Published On	2024-03-10
Cite This	Television and the Formation of Urban Middle-class Identities - Nayana Borgohain - IJFMR Volume 6, Issue 2, March-April 2024. DOI 10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i02.14700
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i02.14700
Short DOI	https://doi.org/gtmzvg

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Television and the Formation of Urban Middle-class Identities

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