Targeted Entertainment

Pattern number within this pattern set: 
182
Diego Bonilla
California State University, Sacramento
Problem: 

Voices that agree partially or do not agree at all with the way corporate media frames reality normally are not incorporated into regular entertainment programming. This void creates a scenario where entertainment role models promote only the values that are beneficial to corporations or that do not threaten the corporate agenda.

Discussion: 

The solution lies in creating good quality entertainment that departs from a non-corporate point of view. An example of this type of content can be found in the HBO program “Six feet under”, where one of the many underlying topics is the value of self-owned businesses and a frank acknowledgement that corporate power is a force that disintegrates community values.

Incorporating activism discourses in entertainment programs promotes understanding of critical civic issues at an earlier stage in life. This is also the main objective of an interactive movie entitled “Asymptote” (http://www.asymptote.ws) which discusses issues not normally found in the media in an interactive and entertaining way. Threats related to the concentration of corporate power, the pervasiveness of the advertising industry, the technological speed at which we are going and the current macroeconomic agenda are presented and fervently discussed by three young characters.

Using entertainment as a means to promote social criticism and knowledge of critical societal issues would reach segments of society that normally are not reached by other forms of activism.

Solution: 

Facilitate access to resources in order to create entertainment that exposes normally uncovered societal issues. Resources like equipment, instruction, facilities and server space can be found at Universities, High Schools and Public Organizations. Promote the use of the World Wide Web as a medium of delivery.

Pattern status: 
Released