Information shapes the world. And it does so primarily through the reinforcement of its cultural roots. With the development of interactive media, everything has grown on a global scale. Information is virtually at our fingertips, and everyone can now search for what they want. But what happens when this opportunity is corporatized and misused? We are not “only” talking about the misuse of personal data. Rather, what is interesting is how these huge companies and corporations make money and, unfortunately, often lose money.
Let us take show business as our main example. An actor has had a reasonable career. He is admired by critics and fans alike. When discussing a hypothetical movie in which a hypothetical actor plays the protagonist of the product (which he is promoting in this interview), he is asked hypothetical questions related to his personal opinion about X, not about the movie. The interviewee has several choices: answer to the best of his knowledge and conscience, subtly avoid the question, or abruptly terminate the interview. And it is up to the studio offering the product to decide how to handle the situation.
In any case, in today\’s interactive world, it is virtually impossible not to offend or offend someone. Therefore, it is up to the company to decide how to handle the situation. A professional approach in such a situation would probably be a sign to minimize risk and maintain as much profit as possible. This is logical from a business perspective. Then there is the possibility of publicly offending one side of the audience rather than trying to bring them together. Examples include the “Star Wars” series, “The Terminator,” and “Watchmen.” All of the aforementioned franchises have recently become profitable bets that were never successful, yet the political and social clouds are still celebrating their successes on social media, even if only on the surface.
But when something similar happens in the news industry, the more serious the situation, the stranger it is. Will a news organization that has long been characterized by neutral and accurate reporting risk losing its fictitious credibility for the sake of moralistic, even amoral, credibility? Take the example of CNN, a media conglomerate with a rapidly dwindling audience base. So is this strategy appropriate and financially sustainable? Probably not. After all, information shapes the world.