The Green Code: Cinematic Communication for Sustainable Behavior
In 1906, author Upton Sinclair penned a work of fiction that would change the course of history. His novel, The Jungle, led to the disintegration and reformation of Chicago’s meatpacking industry, which was plagued by managerial corruption and egregious health code violations. Shortly after the novel’s released, the federal government launched an official investigation into the industry and took legal action against the industry (Hevrdejs). Sinclair’s novel demonstrates the power of fiction to create social change. However, since the early 20th century, society has transitioned from a reliance on the written word to a visual culture, where images posses more meaning than prose. …show more content…
For instance, if someone has a strong positive opinion of renewable energy, for example, and believes time and money should be spent in developing alternatives to coal and oil, that person is said to have a high ego-involvement. Ego-involvement naturally corresponds with one’s attitude toward a subject; a strong attitude equates to high ego-involvement (Sereno). However, it should be noted that high ego-involvement does not always correlate with positive attitudes; one can be strongly opposed to an issue, such as being opposed to tax breaks for big oil companies, and still have high ego-involvement. Low ego-involvement exists only when the audience does not care about the topic whatsoever—there is no strong attitude in favor or against a topic (Sereno). Once examined thoroughly, ego-involvement loses its mystique. However, variation between ability and ego-involvement levels within audiences often complicates persuasion attempts (Dainton and Zelley 119). Specifically, ego-involvement can act as a double-edged sword for the message …show more content…
The film used the thematic elements of affiliated with environmental issues without giving proper consideration or explanation for the impact of these ecological themes; the film expects these issues to speak for themselves and uses this half-hearted connection to appeal to audiences. In an interview, director and producer James Cameron explained that his goal in directing Avatar was to enthrall audiences with visual design while implanting ideas about becoming environmentally sustainable. He hoped that by engaging audiences with a visual experience, he could motivate them to action (Pike 136-137). Adults with low ego-involvement may have been enchanted by the immersive visual design, as Cameron had wanted, but this sort of persuasion does not last psychologically. And because the deforestation and destruction of nature occurs on the alien planet of Pandora, it is too far from home to truly be worried about—millions of light years away, to be precise (Pike 135). Adults strongly opposed to environmental messages will only use this distance to bolster their own arguments against the reality of environmental issues. Had there been a film crafted a central argument more close to home, much akin to what The Jungle accomplished simply through the use of prose, Cameron might have succeeded in persuading audiences to behave more sustainably. Understandably,
In 1906, author Upton Sinclair penned a work of fiction that would change the course of history. His novel, The Jungle, led to the disintegration and reformation of Chicago’s meatpacking industry, which was plagued by managerial corruption and egregious health code violations. Shortly after the novel’s released, the federal government launched an official investigation into the industry and took legal action against the industry (Hevrdejs). Sinclair’s novel demonstrates the power of fiction to create social change. However, since the early 20th century, society has transitioned from a reliance on the written word to a visual culture, where images posses more meaning than prose. …show more content…
For instance, if someone has a strong positive opinion of renewable energy, for example, and believes time and money should be spent in developing alternatives to coal and oil, that person is said to have a high ego-involvement. Ego-involvement naturally corresponds with one’s attitude toward a subject; a strong attitude equates to high ego-involvement (Sereno). However, it should be noted that high ego-involvement does not always correlate with positive attitudes; one can be strongly opposed to an issue, such as being opposed to tax breaks for big oil companies, and still have high ego-involvement. Low ego-involvement exists only when the audience does not care about the topic whatsoever—there is no strong attitude in favor or against a topic (Sereno). Once examined thoroughly, ego-involvement loses its mystique. However, variation between ability and ego-involvement levels within audiences often complicates persuasion attempts (Dainton and Zelley 119). Specifically, ego-involvement can act as a double-edged sword for the message …show more content…
The film used the thematic elements of affiliated with environmental issues without giving proper consideration or explanation for the impact of these ecological themes; the film expects these issues to speak for themselves and uses this half-hearted connection to appeal to audiences. In an interview, director and producer James Cameron explained that his goal in directing Avatar was to enthrall audiences with visual design while implanting ideas about becoming environmentally sustainable. He hoped that by engaging audiences with a visual experience, he could motivate them to action (Pike 136-137). Adults with low ego-involvement may have been enchanted by the immersive visual design, as Cameron had wanted, but this sort of persuasion does not last psychologically. And because the deforestation and destruction of nature occurs on the alien planet of Pandora, it is too far from home to truly be worried about—millions of light years away, to be precise (Pike 135). Adults strongly opposed to environmental messages will only use this distance to bolster their own arguments against the reality of environmental issues. Had there been a film crafted a central argument more close to home, much akin to what The Jungle accomplished simply through the use of prose, Cameron might have succeeded in persuading audiences to behave more sustainably. Understandably,