The Cultural Algorithm

Did you know the first Thanksgiving ever celebrated in the U.S. occurred 400 years ago this year? If you didn't, then don't feel bad. Most Americans couldn't tell you when or where it happened or why the natives attended in the first place. The vital lesson of that first celebration is that despite different cultures and traditions that are a literal world apart, overcoming language and cultural barriers can lead to productive relationships amongst people worth celebrating. Those lessons are as valid today as they were then, and we should be thankful for them.

From horses to boats to trains to planes and books to plays to movies to TV, the distances between people and ideas continue to shrink. Each of these advances, except for the horse, was the result of some technological advancement. Each was disruptive, exposing people to different perspectives, continents, climates, languages, customs , and cultures. Over time, these and others have all impacted or influenced life and society worldwide—whether anyone liked it or not. The advent of streaming media has disrupted what had been a primarily regional distribution of content. It forces us to look more closely at global content distribution and what it means for international audiences.

Technology is the backbone of every company today. For the first time, Fast Company is recognizing the tech breakthroughs that promise to define the future of industries, from healthcare to agriculture to artificial intelligence.

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.