By Ryan Sexton
Arvind Singhal knows that we can spread peace and well-being throughout the world…with a soap opera. Though it’s not “General Hospital” or “Days of Our Lives” that’s getting researchers and producers around the world engaged in bettering the lives of people in developing areas, dramatic programming is being infused with messages to combat domestic violence and spread awareness of health issues across the planet.
Nancy Kaplan, from the University’s Department of Radio TV and Film organized the conference after hearing a podcast of Sonny Fox, prominent TV host and broadcasting consultant, speaking about media and its responsibility to incite change. The “Media and Social Change” symposium that came to fruition after her enlightened moment occurred on March 26.
Though few are aware of the fact, media isn’t used simply to keep people abreast of what’s going on around them, and entertainment isn’t solely intended for fun. “I am anxious to raise a profile of how entertainment is being used to such great effect around the world,” said Fox. Right now, newspapers across the country are closing their doors, often relegating themselves to web only publications. But the entertainment industry isn’t necessarily on its last legs. The work that the researchers of the symposium highlighted underscored the profound success of this unique approach to social reformation.
Bob Geldof was the embodiment of the kind of change that these pioneers of media convergence are talking about. The lanky, handsome, accidental Irish rock singer was a relatively ancillary figure in the punk and new wave movement going into the 1980’s.
Arvind Singhal, the last speaker at the conference, highlighted the importance of his contribution to social change in Africa. Despite being essentially a B-grade rock star, Geldof constructed the illustrious Live Aid concert held in 1985, which eventually spawned Live 8, a more recent incarnation of the concert series. The fusion between media and social issues began humbly at first, but it is now a more commonly instituted method of inciting social change, says Singhal, an acclaimed researcher at the University of Ohio.
Recent examples include the PMC organization’s soap operas and broadcasts promoting fistula awareness. Unfortunately, many women in developing countries suffer through the excruciating pain of Fistula’s, ignorant of the fact that they can be cured. The incredibly painful condition develops when a placenta is not removed after a woman gives birth, resulting in severe nerve damage, incontinence and pain.
PMC, or Population Media Center, uses the world-renowned “Sabido Method,” derived from one of the preeminent researchers on media and social change, Miguel Sabido. Initially, Sabido focused on promoting healthy, thoughtful family planning through the soap opera “Acompaname,” or “Accompany Me.” First instituted in Mexico, these “telenovelas” led to a 34 percent decrease in the size of Mexico’s overall population from 1977-1986.
The Sabido method marked the advent of converging media and social change and is crux of many of the programs being produced today. PMC’s fistula awareness program produced remarkable progress when its listeners in Gugar Goge were polled: female listeners were significantly more likely to answer “yes” when asked if fistula can be cured, plus about 5 percent more males. PMC also uses programs to quell alarming rates of Domestic abuse and family planning issues. The programs have generally experienced warm receptions by populations around the world, often acting as a catalyst for change people need but don’t know how to achieve.
Arvind Singhal ended the conference on a hopeful note, saying, “We need each other, academia, production.” Eager communications students in the University’s illustrious program may not understand that now. But in the evolving landscape of media, it is likely that some students will find themselves not writing for Rolling Stone or Newsday, but writing to protect the health and welfare of people around the globe.