Teleaffective Memory
Teleaffective memory is a concept developed by Brazilian researcher Mário Abel Bressan Júnior, which examines the interaction between television and the emotional memories of viewers. This concept focuses on how TV programs, especially reruns, contribute to the formation of emotional and social bonds with viewers, as well as evoking memories of the past. Bressan Júnior's research explores how television serves as a "social revisitation space," where viewers not only revive emotional memories but also connect with social groups in an affective way.
Researcher’s Career
Mário Abel Bressan Júnior is a researcher and professor at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL), with a research focus on communication, media, and memory. He obtained his doctorate with research on affective memory and viewers, with special attention to Canal Viva, a Brazilian television network dedicated to reruns of old programs. His research focuses on the emotional impact of television on viewers' memories and how these impacts can be analyzed through social media interaction, such as Twitter.
Bressan Júnior's doctoral thesis, titled "A memória afetiva e os telespectadores: um estudo do Canal Viva" ("Affective Memory and Viewers: A Study of Canal Viva"), is based on content analysis to investigate how the public’s interactions on digital platforms reveal the formation of affective and collective memory. Through these interactions, he explores how the reruns of TV programs create a network of shared memories, connecting the audience to a collective and social past.
Concept
Teleaffective memory is understood as the process through which viewers build and revisit emotional memories through the consumption of television programs. This concept is primarily applied to the analysis of reruns of old shows, such as those aired on Canal Viva, where viewers are invited to relive past moments and, in doing so, reconstruct their own emotional and social memories.
In this context, television is not just a source of entertainment, but also a medium for emotional connection that goes beyond the simple reception of content. Viewers do not just watch programs; they engage emotionally with the narratives and with the social groups formed around these memories. This social reconstruction happens through interaction on social media, such as Twitter, where people discuss their experiences, express emotions, and share their memories, creating a "teleaffective collective memory."
