“Techies” debut new brand with goal of bolstering an informed electorate.
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In a recent filming for a #PhillyChangers chat with digital-first, social good news organization, Generocity, I was asked what I think my challenges in 2015 will be.
Thinking in duality as both the CEO of a growing, global news brand and an activist who cares deeply about communities, I responded: “getting more people to care about social issues, in order to grow my audience.”
I could’ve, like most media executives, just said getting more eyeballs on the product will be hard enough, but my belief is that for journalism to truly be successful, you’re audience should be participants in the democracy you protect.
To that end, I announced to the host of the show the development of a satire media brand developed by Techbook Online called Taboo!™.
To the laymen, the connection between satirized stories and civic engagement may seem like a stretch. But according to Dr. Sophia A. McClennen, who directs Penn State’s Center for Global Studies and Latin American Studies Program, the connection is not only organic, but seemingly divine.
“The production of satire among citizens help them think through their political decisions… that’s great for democracy,” said Dr. McClennen, who authored the relatively new book, “Is Satire Saving Our Nation?: Mockery and American Politics.”
Research has consistently showed, said the world traveler who in 2006 was the Fulbright Research Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, that “people who watched satire knew more about current events” than those who view regular (news) broadcasts.
Dr. McClennen continued:
“Satire has performed a vital role in maintaining an informed citizenry. Satire is an important way to sort out anxiety… abuses of power… satire exposes faulty logic. The narrative being fed to you by people in power is wrong… that was satire tells you.”
Another key point I picked up during Dr. McClennen’s interview with WHYY’s, Ms. Marty Moss-Coane, is that satire “encourages critical thinking.”
That’s a big selling point to me, as every day I publish stories detailing complex system and social structures that requires a high level of assessment and analysis.
For the millions of people a month who are exposed to Techbook Online, I’m excited to present Taboo!™ to them as another route to becoming a civic engagement champion.
Though many people have disagreed with me when I say politics should be more fun and engaging, I truly believe, like any other service, it should marketed to the public in a way that would attract people, like when Techbook Online organized a drum competition in the courtyard of City Hall where the winner was decided by the ballot.
Elections should be electric; politics should be magnetic; and civics should be the center attraction of societies.
With the market now devoid of quality satire – due to the retirement of Mr. Jon Stewart and the end of the Colbert Report – I’m jumping in the game to make people laugh at, and think about, the world around them, by publishing fun at real life. Follow Taboo!™ on Twitter at @TBOTaboo.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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