Week 13

I really like this topic of Entertainment and Popular Culture. Sometimes I think it is easier to learn or remember something when you are being entertained by something you choose, whether it be a movie, TV show or song. It can be easier to learn when you have something to relate the message to, like a story or character. In class we don’t usually pick the lecture topic and even if it is of interest, it can be easy to forget when a professor is standing in front of the class preaching to you. But the idea of people learning by putting health topics out there in popular shows or movies I think is brilliant. The popular shows reach thousands of people and they are choosing to watch the show, it is not as if we are “forcing” this topic on them. I would venture to guess that many don’t even realize that they are learning about health while watching an episode of Friends, 90210 or as Laura mentioned Saved By the Bell, yet they will remember how Rachel, Donna, or Slater handled a situation. The only problem, which is a huge problem, is when the writers give false information. Even so I think it is a good way to get people talking and to get messages out there.

I also thought the idea of the communication contract was interesting. We learned that the persuasion contract is when the message is to persuade someone about something and the consumers job is to evaluate the message. Dr. E used the example of going into a used car lot and a salesperson approaches you. They are going to try to talk you into buying something and immediately the customer is a little defensive and has their guard up. The other type of contract is the entertainment contract. Their job is to give you a good time, where the customer’s job is to suspend disbelief. The example in class was going to the movie theater. You are there to be entertained, perhaps you are there for comedy. So their job is to entertain you with humor. Immediately you go into it with open arms and your guard down. This is important to think about when we’re promoting health and trying to get out health messages. We don’t want to approach it so that people have their guards up from the beginning. We want them to have an open mind about it, so we have to give them what they want (i.e. comedy).