Page 90 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

kept down only by her bookish looks and bad vision—and apparent in-
ability to keep her glasses on her nose or purchase contacts. 15

Because media communicators look closely at historical trends as mate-
rial for media presentations, some genres actually anticipate future devel-
opments. As an example, since the initial success of the dramatic series 24,
terrorism has become a standard backdrop for the action/adventure genre.
Faced with competition from dramas like Sleeper Cell (Showtime) and The
Unit (CBS), 24 has demonstrated a willingness to take on sensitive issues.
Plots from the 2005 season included a middle-class, Islamic sleeper-cell
family in Southern California, nuclear footballs, deadly rocket attacks, and
strained Sino-American relations. Professor Clifford Peterson declares that
24 “has raised a number of issues before it was raised by the media. That’s
a real contribution the show makes beyond the entertainment value.” 16
Science fiction writers are often well versed in scientific achievements
and can envision new possibilities. For instance, science fiction stories
such as Michael Crichton’s novel Prey and the film The Matrix (1999)
create worlds in which robots have assumed human characteristics and
have become adversaries of the human race. As farfetched as this idea
sounded when it first appeared, scientists have now reported successful
experiments in developing muscle fibers that enable robots to power
themselves instead of relying on external electrical power—just like real
muscles. In addition, the latest generation of robots has demonstrated
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the ability to draw inferences from information—in other words, to
“think.” Indeed, a new generation of robots has even been programmed
to reproduce themselves. Professor Hod Lipson explains, “We really
want to make something that can adapt and can have a lot of different
configurations and change its morphology as needed. Self-replication is
the ultimate form of self-repair.” 18
In this era of rapidly evolving technological developments, it is be-
coming increasingly difficult to distinguish between science fiction and
current realities. In his review of the science fiction program Level 9
(2000), Neil Genzlinger wonders which of the surveillance technologies
on the show have already been developed, and which ones are still part
of the imaginary landscape:

The scariest thing about “Level 9,” a slick new cyber cop series . . . is that
it gives no clue which of the dazzling technologies in its stories actually
exist and which are made up.

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