Pop culture & entertainment

Popular Culture and Entertainment was the topic of last week's lecture. I loved it!-- Almost more than the health literacy lecture. We learned about Entertainment Education and pretty much focused on how entertainment can work to promote health. We watched clips of Hollywood movies, including As Good as it Gets and Spongebob Squarepants, that have incorporated health messages into their storyline. We also discussed communication contracts, and I learned that one of the reasons I do no enjoy movies such as the Matrix and Star Wars is because I break the entertainment contract by not suspending belief. I also learned the importance of the source of messages. In order to influence behavior, whether using entertainment or not, you must match the appropriate source to your target audience. For example, one student mentioned receiving information about flossing from her dentist and from a doctor on Oprah. Although her dentist has told her to floss a million times, it wasn't until she heard the same information from a doctor on Oprah that she started flossing. Anyways, I think entertainment is a great, effective way to promote health and modify behavior.