Joris van Hoof's research got a lot of media attention over the past few weeks. `Alcohol every five minutes in GTST,' the headlines said. Van Hoof did the research, which was part of his thesis work, for the Alcohol Prevention Foundation (STAP).
`My thesis is about priming. I study what happens when people consciously or subconsciously are exposed to stimuli. Everyone knows the example of the Coke commercial in American cinemas. During the main feature, a barely detectable image of a Coca Cola commercial was shown and afterwards everyone wanted a Coke. My research is aimed at alcohol use. If a viewer sees people on television drink alcohol, what happens? What is the effect of that stimulus?'
Every day, Van Hoof sits down in front of the television with pen and paper to join 1.7 million other Dutchmen in watching the adventures of the television family Alberts and their friends. `GTST is the oldest and most watched soap opera in the Netherlands. That's why we chose these series. Also, many children watch it; they are a vulnerable group.'
While watching, Van Hoof recorded the amount of alcohol per character, the situation in which the alcohol was consumed and the type of drink. `Most of the alcohol is consumed in undesirable situations, such as at work. And, when the characters are in trouble, they immediately reach for the bottle.' The student also gauged that 4.4 alcoholic units are drunk per episode, which is one drink every five minutes.
According to the Alcohol Prevention Foundation, it is not unlikely that watching GTST stimulates irresponsible drinking. In the second part of his thesis work, Van Hoof will examine the effects of a structural exposure to this alcohol use.
`I also wonder what the difference is between the effect of a real alcohol commercial and this kind of hidden advertising. By the way, product placement of alcohol is illegal - you will not see any brands in the series. But the effect on the viewer might be the same.'
Has the Communications student by now become a GTST devotee? `I already watched an episode from time to time,' he confesses. `But now that I was forced to watch forty whole episodes, I'm completely addicted.'
Translated by Jeroen Latour
