Gus writes, “When we created The Media Show (previously) decided the best way to teach about digital and media literacy was to answer the questions people were already asking Google, we didn’t anticipate how bizarre some of the questions would be.”
Beginning searches for media-related topics and letting Google Autocomplete finish them, Rob Vincent, Abby Estes and I found ineffable questions they weren’t even sure had answers: Is the Internet… good or bad? Why do actors… act? How do I get my Facebook back?
These mostly aren’t questions that can be answered in a way that most people would find educational. But they were a heck of a lot of fun to answer, and by approaching them in a humorous way, we thought we might pull people in to our channel and answer some of their other questions about the media and technology.” I’m the show’s producer and the puppeteer behind the Adbusters-influenced punk puppet Weena.
The team found that sometimes even odd questions could have enlightening, specific answers. The Media Show’s answers to the question “Is TV real?”, for example (yes, people ask Google that), include a reckoning with reality TV editing, a nod to the ripped-from-the-headlines stories on Law and Order (trigger warning: contains images of hipster gentrification), and an upcoming episode pondering whether the news is real.
Boing Boing readers might have already seen interview with hacker Mitch Altman and our episode dismantling bad statistics about online predators. We’re currently wrapping our third season on Kickstarter funding and exploring ways to reach a broader audience through new digital channels.
(Pro tip: The puppets are pretty sure the best way to get your Facebook back involves a mariachi serenade.)
The Media Show [Youtube]