Teknokapitalist (Tele)vizyon: Japon Televizyonlarında Wideshow'lar ve Bilgi-Reklam

Etnografik veri toplama yöntemlerinden yararlanılan bu çalışmada, Japon televizyon yayıncılığının hızla tecimselleşen türlerinden Wideshowlar'ın üretim süreçleri, eleştirel ekonomi-politik yaklaşımla incelemektedir. Japon televizyonlarına özgü bir tür olan (ancak son yıllarda yakın içeriklere çevre ülkelerde de rastlanan) Wideshow, kültürel açıdan özgün bir info-tainment (bilgi-eğlence) içeriğine karşılık gelmektedir. Çalışmada, televizyon kanallarının ekonomik kaygılarının ve (ekonomi temelli) güç ilişkilerinin bu türün üretim-dağıtım aşamaları ve program içerikleri üzerindeki belirleyici etkileri tartışılmaktadır. Üretim aşamasında ekonominin oynadığı rolü açığa çıkaran veriler, iki televizyon kanalında (MTV ve NTV) yapılan yoğun katılmalı gözlemlerle elde edilmiştir. Bu verilerden yola çıkılarak, tecimselleşmiş bilginin bu televizyon türü için yaşamsal bir öneme sahip olduğu, söz konusu şey'leştirilmiş bilginin, yerel, ulusal, kültürel ve teknik öğelerin bir arada kullanıldığı stratejilerle üretildiği ileri sürülmektedir. Wideshow'lar, bir anlamda, tecimsel iletilerin program içeriklerine dikkatlice yerleştirildiği birer araç işlevi görmektedirler: İzleyicileri çevreleyen maddi dünya, aile ortamını andıran telegörsel bir atmosferle yeniden paketlenerek sunulmaktadır. Ancak bu stratejilerin uygulanması aşamasında, televizyon kanallarının ekonomik amaçları özenle gizlenmektedir. Güç ilişkilerinin yayın rutinleri üzerindeki belirleyici etkisi post-prodüksiyon biriminde görevli personel tarafından reddedilse de, yapılan görüşmeler ve gözlemler, televizyon kanalı, sponsor şirketler ve ortaklar arasındaki kurumsal bağlılıkların Wideshow içeriğini doğrudan ve kaçınılmaz olarak şekillendirdiğini göstermektedir. İzleyici ve maddi/tecimsel dünya arasındaki bir başka kanal ise telegörsel içerikte belirgin biçimde gözlemlenen tabloidleşmedir. Japonya'da en çok izlenen televizyon türüne ve en çok tüketilen kitle iletişim aracına odaklanan bu çalışma, telegörsel olarak dolayımlanan tecimsel bilginin Japon toplumunda üstlendiği işlevleri tartışmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

japon televizyonu, medya etnografısi, ekonomi politik, bilgi-reklamlar, melez türler

Technocapitalist (tele)vision: The Wideshows and Infomercials in Japanese Television

This paper adopts widely used ethnographic methodologies and a critical political economic approach to investigate a highly commercialized form of communication on Japanese television so-called Wideshow. The Wideshow is a unique form of infotainment and consists of two constants: Entertainment and information. In the political economic tradition, this paper demonstrates the decisive role that economic considerations and (economic-based) power relations exert on production and distribution processes of Wideshows, thus greatly influencing televisual content The powerful role economy plays emerged from my intensive participant observations in MTV and NTY studios. Interview data with performers and producers underscores the centrality of commodified knowledge. My data shows how commodified knowledge is dressed within local and cultural elements. The Wideshow acts as a medium for carefully-crafted commercial messages: Extended ads that package the material world of the audience into a homey televisual atmosphere. Importantly, the economic intentions of the TV station, though present; are carefully disguised. Although the post-production staff rejects the determinative effect of power relations on their broadcasting routine, observations expose how ınstitutional tie-ups between the TV station and sponsoring companies inescapably shape televisual content. The heavy tabloidization of the program content and increasing amount of infotainment, I argue, is another immediate conduit between what the audience agency and the material/commercial world. This study, then, demonstrates the many ways in which commodified forms of mediated knowledge function in Japanese society today, through its most-popular communication form, on its most consumed medium, television.

Keywords:

japanese television, media ethnography, political economy, infonnercials, hybrid genres,

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