It’s not controversial to say that social media, is on the whole, toxic. Fostering a thick, musky layer of conceit, sensationalism, and self-aggrandizement, nowhere in its algorithms does it seem to value truth. In addition, Tik Tok or YouTube cannot express nuance that requires over twenty minutes to communicate.
Other long-form types of media, however, have a better chance of success when it comes to influencing young minds in a positive direction. Here’s my argument.
I think the most powerful aspect when it comes to the conceptualization of a TV show, for example, is vision.
Whether an artist creates storyboards or improvises like Miyazaki, there are central tenets to one’s identity that bleed out through osmosis. Perhaps it is themes of man v. nature. Perhaps it is the location in which someone grew up. Art grows a likeness toward its master: a signature of identity.
What I’m trying to say is that TV shows and movies flesh out existing tropes and situations that can be learned from. Conflict among characters are often parallels to real life situations, no matter how fantastical or weird.
I’m going to use the children’s show Steven Universe as an example, since I’ve been binging clips of it lately.
World building is essential to Rebecca Sugar’s universe in which her characters exist. Gems are female-presenting projections with delegated roles in society since birth, acted out over lifetimes. The stage is Earth and the rest of the Galaxy, under the leadership of a quartet of Diamonds.
Various gems come into contact with Earth and the renegade Pink Diamond: some defect. Each individual has a personality that I observe in others; in real life. There truly is evil, and not every person can be treated with patience, kindness, gratuity. I have become more careful over the years. Adult life is rife with social navigation and survival. Call me a cynic, but my paranoia and reticence serves me well.
Sugar’s vision is about heart amidst chaos. Each character must decide what values are most important, on an entirely personal interpretation. Every person has a limited understanding of Pink Diamond, and when all secrets are revealed, she cannot be forgiven for her past, but the whole picture humanizes her. And her compassion wins over Gems in many key moments.
I think that’s the best part about this series. Despite the fantasy elements, themes of betrayal and camaraderie run deep.
It makes me reevaluate the relationships I have in real life, and it makes me stronger for it.