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The Influence of Talk Shows on Egyptian Society: Harmless or Alarming?

October 22, 2022

When Egyptian talk show host Yasmine Ezz dedicated an entire monologue to remind her female viewers that wives’ primary purpose is to always comfort and support their husbands, it sparked a nationwide social media debate on gender roles and patriarchal tropes. Whether viewers agreed, disagreed, or mocked the segment, it was evident that talk show hosts’ opinions generated online traffic and stir debates. Studies that delve deeper into societal talk show viewing indicate that the discourse that comes out of talk show segments could even shape Egyptians’ opinions. “Online media expanded the opportunities for political discourse on Egyptian television at critical moments in national politics, suggesting a breaching of the satellite-Internet divide,” writes Naomi Sakr, a professor of media policy. The psychological effects of television viewing on human behavior and beliefs is a long-running field of research – from a 1970 study on the effects of Sesame Street on children’s literacy and behaviors to a recent study on the trivialization of political opinions for adolescents through talk show segments. With the advent of social media, which allows for online public spheres to discuss popular talk show segments, Egypt’s talk show…


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