PHD Perspectives: What Satire Can Teach Us About Being Accountable - Judy Vogel - MediaBizBloggers

By Media Biz Bloggers Archives
Cover image for  article: PHD Perspectives: What Satire Can Teach Us About Being Accountable - Judy Vogel - MediaBizBloggers

I'm looking forward to a new television season. Though I have always considered myself a light viewer -- mostly due to a rather busy lifestyle -- like most I have found ways to watch what I want. And increasingly, my genre of choice is anything that smacks of sarcasm. It isn't hard to find; satire is alive and well in media!! From Stewart and Colbert to Huffingtonand The Onion, there is no shortage of options for the satire-seeker.

Satire is the use of irony, sarcasm or ridicule in exposing, denouncing or deriding vice or folly. I'm sure each of you can think of a half dozen media favorites that fulfill this description (in addition to the above, as I would suggest much of today's popular reality qualifies as well). It isn't hard to find vice and folly to denounce or deride, as big business, corporate leaders, celebrities and politicians keep content both abundant and fresh.

But it was only recently that I realized the greater good that such a satire-rich media palette serves. Satire works because it appeals to our human nature on so many levels: it questions established norms, probes ideals seemingly gone awry, and draws us into the absurd. All of which are sentiments and behaviors being regularly expressed by today's meaning-conscious consumers.

Could it be that our increasing use of such media takes us beyond pure entertainment and toward introspection? Are the stories we see and read that mock bad behavior and extreme opinions causing our own behaviors and opinions to be modified?

Through PHD's Consumer Radar study, we track consumer attitudes and behaviors on a number of measures. It's interesting to note the correlation between the eroding confidence in government, corporations and the leadership of these institutions, and the rise in personal accountability

Over the past 20 months, we've seen consumers generally disillusioned with the efforts of corporate and government leaders to solve the economic problems plaguing all of us. The Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that almost half of the population does not trust companies to "do what is right." Only a quarter of the sample trusts the information that comes from corporate CEOs. While these figures are significant improvements over the 2009 stats, a whopping 70% think companies will go back to their old ways when times get better.

Yet, month after month consumers are saving more, spending less, and doing what they can to reduce their accumulated debt. Their personal values have shifted to self control, building and maintaining long-term personal relationships, contributing to their communities through volunteerism and an increased sense of civic responsibility. The overarching attitude is one of self-responsibility. People are not passively living with the wrongs they see happening. According to Edelman, 77% are refusing to buy products or services from a company they distrust and 72% are openly criticizing a distrusted company to a friend or colleague. Social media has given a big platform to the public wishing to express their inner satirist. http://www.youtube.com/user/NextNewNetworks

One of the great satirists of the 17th century was Moliere, a French playwright, actor and director. His plays were marked by their intelligent mockery of human vices and vanities. He once claimed "It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable". Moliere's comment reflects nicely upon the sentiment of today's consumer and their desire to self-regulate and "do" where they sense others are doing too little.

Judy Vogel, SVP, Director of Research at PHD Media, a Division of Omnicom.

Read all Judy’s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at PHD Perspectives - MediaBizBloggers.

Check us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggers.com
Follow our Twitter updates @MediaBizBlogger

Copyright ©2024 MediaVillage, Inc. All rights reserved. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.