The Cultural Algorithm

Spherex announced the introduction of a newsfeed that aggregates stories from across the globe related to the globalization of TV and film content. Called World M+E News, the company is providing the newsfeed as a service to the entertainment industry as culture becomes more critical and TV and film content goes global.

Every time we turn on our television, and before any program begins, a box appears on our screens that contain the show's age rating. Also known as parental guidelines, this rating may not matter much to kids, but it informs parents that what they watch may or may not be suitable for everyone.

Discipline, integrity, motivation: What values can military veterans bring to your company?Editor's note: This is an excerpt from an article honoring veteran business founders in Silicon Valley. It was originally published in the Silicon Valley Business Journal on 5 November 2021.

We generally don't write about specific shows unless something really goes wrong on the culture and localization side of things and highlights problems content creators may face when preparing for international release. Netflix's latest global hit, the South Korean title "Squid Game," falls squarely into this category for three reasons. First, it demonstrates the impact social media has on the public perception of a title. Second, it highlights how translations can tell a very different story in subs and dubs than in the native language. Finally, it points out how complex the localization process is and the sacrifices that are sometimes made to get a title released.

As the uproar over the Dave Chappelle comedy special "The Closer" refuses to die down, it is clear that Netflix has hit a nerve. Netflix is no stranger to controversies. Issues with its content continue to grow in international markets alongside the company's slate in local language programming.

In the past several months, an emerging trend is evident in the media and entertainment industry: increased levels of and calls for content censorship and regulation. It doesn't matter what country you live in or where you want to release your title, regulatory bodies and private groups exist that can limit what story you tell and how you tell it. Worldwide, varying levels of censorship exist, and some countries are more prohibitive than others. Some restrictions are intended to protect young audiences from sensitive subject matter, but others are to deter government criticism and to discriminate against minorities. It's this latter category that should concern content creators.

Culture Matters:Award ceremonies have long been used by people in the media and entertainment industry to make statements about our world. Occasionally controversial, one consistent theme revisited year after year is culture and impact on content. One of the most memorable statements was when, in 1973, Marlon Brando refused the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in "The Godfather." Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather took to the stage and declined the award due to Brando's views of "the treatment of American Indians by the film industry, of TV movie reruns, and also recent happenings at Wounded Knee." Littlefeather thanked the audience for their indulgence and said her hope was "…in the future, our hearts and understandings will meet with love and generosity."

We spend a lot of time examining how different industries approach culture. One industry that has lessons for media and entertainment is advertising. Like film, advertising tells stories, albeit 30-90 seconds versus 30-90 minutes. Still, advertising's long history of initially getting culture wrong, learning from those mistakes, making relevant changes, and winning market share are valuable lessons for content creators.

Spread across thousands of islands bustling with beautiful flora and fauna, Indonesia is the world's largest island country. Over the centuries, its people have welcomed several cultures they came across through trade and commerce. As a result, we now have a melting pot of cultures in Indonesia to study and appreciate.