Social development, entertainment-education, reality television and the public sphere: The case of<i>Zola 7</i>

Burger, Mariekie

doi:10.1080/02500167.2012.662161

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…A strong body of theory has developed, based on robust evaluation, on how such dramas can influence audiences at emotional, cognitive and behavioural levels (Bandura 1977;Cody et al, 2004). More recent reality television formats involve the audience directly, with audience members telling their stories to a national audience and interacting with experts or celebrities in activities which entertain the audience while enabling them to explore possible implications for their own situation (Burger, 2012). Obregon and Tufte's (2014) review of research on Edutainment acknowledges that it is 'a highly successful communication strategy that has achieved global recognition as a useful and effective approach to tackling contemporary development challenges' which had its origins in agricultural extension services.…”

Section: Mass Media and Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya

et al. 2018

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Edutainment, the combination of education with entertainment through various media such as television, radio, mobile phone applications and games, is increasingly being used as an approach to stimulate innovation and increase agricultural productivity amongst smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Shamba Shape Up, a widely publicised makeover reality TV programme, is an example of edutainment that has received considerable attention, and airs in three countries in East Africa where it is estimated to be watched by millions of viewers.There is no published academic research on the influence of makeover television formats on innovation systems and processes in smallholder agriculture. Using an Agricultural Innovation Systems approach, this paper explores how makeover edutainment is influencing smallholder farmer innovation systems together with the effect this is having on smallholder farms. In the absence of previous research, it articulates a Theory of Change which draws on research traditions from mass communication, agricultural extension and innovation systems.Data came from two large scale quantitative (n = 9885 and n = 1572) surveys and in-depth participatory qualitative research comprising focus group discussions, participatory budgets, agricultural timelines, case studies and key information interviews in Kenya. An estimated 430,000 farmers in the study area were benefiting from their interaction with the programme through increased income and / or a range of related social benefits including food security, improving household health, diversification of livelihood choices, paying school fees for children and increasing their community standing / social capital.Participatory research showed SSU enhanced an already rich communication environment and strengthened existing processes of innovation. It helped set the agenda for discussions within farming communities about opportunities for improving smallholder farms, while also giving specific ideas, information and knowledge, all in the context of featured farm families carefully selected so that a wide range of viewers would identify with them and their challenges.Broadcasts motivated and inspired farmers to improve their own farms through a range of influences including entertainment, strong empathy with the featured host farm families, the way ideas emerged through interaction with credible experts, and importantly through stimulating widespread discussion and interaction amongst and between farmers and communities of experts on agricultural problems, solutions and opportunities. The fact that local extension workers also watched the programmes further enhanced the influence on local innovation systems.The findings indicate that well designed makeover edutainment can strongly influence agricultural innovation processes and systems resulting in impact on the agricultural production and behaviours of large numbers of smallholder farmers.

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Section: Mass Media and Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya

et al. 2018

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“…EE, in turn, also transformed to become more participatory and narratively complex as producers acknowledged the complexity of social problems and the value of audience input. An early innovator, the South African television Television & New Media 15(2) show Soul City was produced with input from the audience regarding key issues, plotlines, and casts (Burger 2012;Usdin et al 2004).…”

Section: Entertainment-education and Audience Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Development communication assumed a passive audience that would simply act as a sponge, soaking up these messages. Early EE programs have been criticized for following this logic (Burger 2012; Fourie 2011). According to Singhal et al (1993), “Entertainment-education is defined as the process of putting educational content in entertainment messages in order to increase knowledge about an issue, create favorable attitudes, and change overt behavior concerning the educational issue or topic” (1-2).…”

Section: Entertainment-education and Audience Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Team Online

Tully

Ekdale

2012

Television & New Media

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This article examines an entertainment-education program, The Team, which began airing in Kenya after the 2007–2008 postelection violence. The show promotes cooperation and national unity among Kenyans through the metaphor of Kenya as a football (soccer) team. The focus of this article is twofold: viewers’ identification with and reaction to certain morally ambiguous characters and audience members’ interaction with the program through the online social networking site Facebook. We argue that the producers’ attempt to create less didactic storylines and more complex characters resulted in unanticipated audience opposition to the death of a character the producers understood to be negative but audience members viewed as sympathetic. Second, the adoption of social media resulted in less controlled discussions in which Facebook users occasionally questioned, challenged, and sought to reshape the producers’ goals and strategies.

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Reality TV and civic engagement

Baú

2023

Creative Industries Journal

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Social development, entertainment-education, reality television and the public sphere: The case ofZola 7

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya

Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya

The Team Online

Reality TV and civic engagement

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