The Cultural Algorithm

India's government has established new rules for digital news organizations, social media intermediaries and OTT platforms under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, released by the Electronics & Information Technology Ministry and the Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Feb. 25 2021.

Big Tech is on watch with Australia's new media bill . Introduced to parliament in December 2020, the new bill "will pass into law fairly soon" and require digital platforms to pay for news. This means that companies like Google and Facebook will have "to pay local media outlets and publishers to link their content," according to CNBC.

The Mouse Empire is on roll, churning out quality content for its lucrative Disney+ which currently has 95 million subscribers. Mickey has developed a devout following that consumes whatever the Disney overlords produce. So, to further its ambition to win the streaming wars, Mickey and friends are giving the fans what they want-more violence.

The recent release of Amazon Prime Video's "Tandav" created enormous controversy in India. Many viewers accused the show of offending religious sentiments. "Tandav" is a political drama with several popular Indian actors including Saif Ali Khan who also starred in the contentious "Sacred Games" and Dimple Kapadia who was seen in Christopher Nolan's "Tenet." The actors ran into trouble when, in six different states, multiple police cases were filed (FIRs) against the program's creators and cast.

Who knew back in 2016 that "Deadpool" would become the highest grossing R-rated superhero movie of all time? It's no surprise that its sequel "Deadpool 2" would garner even more success. After everyone's favorite rodent swallowed the Fox Corporation back in 2019, they acquired the rights to the Deadpool franchise. Now fans can rejoice that "Merc With a Mouth" is back for a third installment-thanks to Disney. The Mouse Empire revealed its plans to release "Deadpool 3" with an R rating; the first R-Rated film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Often, before going to see a film at the theater, or pressing play on our remote, we check the rating of a film or series. On most streaming platforms, this is found on the title’s information page. For movies in theaters, ratings are found at the end of the trailers played on television commercial breaks or in the paper.

The world is entering a new era of international collaboration in media and entertainment. How do stakeholders and participants blend and interpret their respective cultures and points of view? What results--a piece of work that celebrates the beliefs and values of local people, or will misunderstanding and controversy flourish? The film, "The Lady of Heaven," is one such multicultural endeavor. It was produced by the U.K.'s Enlightened Kingdom, directed by Eli King, an Australian born actor of Egyptian descent, and written by Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib, a Kuwaiti Shia Muslim cleric, and the head of the London-based Khoddam Al-Mahdi Organization. After watching the trailer, the film appears to be a vivid, multilayered story with significant religious overtones. "The Lady of Heaven" was due to be released Dec. 30 but has not. While no official reason has been given, dissent about the content's veracity has already begun.

Switzerland's Federal Council recently submitted a draft of the Youth Protection Act (YPA), which will make age labels and controls "uniformly stipulated throughout Switzerland and made mandatory for films and video games."

More hours are being spent on the couch than on the road now with everyone in quarantine and working from home. We have seemingly replaced commuting in cars to bingeing TV. Streaming platforms are taking advantage of this new reality by churning out as much original content as they can. Older, forgotten shows are getting rebooted or renewed for additional episodes exclusively for their respective platforms. The show "Friends" has a reunion special confirmed to be exclusive to HBOMAX in 2021.