Ideas for a world ruled by media channels?

[Zemekis]

I am looking for some ideas/social quirks which might happen to you on a world completely dominated and ruled by media.

I put my players through some sort of Running Man-show but now they will be staying a little longer on the planet and I need some more ideas what can happen on such a world.

Here's what happened before:
Due to a navigation mishap I had my players crashland on this TL9 world on the unoccupied but holy continent. For some yet unknown reason a nuclear explosion went off near their crash site.

The Justice Channel had them arrested and charged with genocide.
Before the show they were given rags and/or stereotypical clothing to better fit their roles as the "mad scientist", the "pirate captain", etc.

During the show the TV channel produced some (fake) footage which clearly depicted them as wrongdoers.
There was an interview round with patched through phone calls "Why do you hate us so much?" and other crackpot questions regarding lifestyle, appearance, childhood, sexuality (esp. the aliens) and other stuff.

Afterwards the viewers had to decide guilty or not guilty (guilty!) and the accused had to spin the Wheel Of Justice which featured several punishments inlcuding different terms of imprisonment, fighting bears, racing motor cycles by feet, and community serivce.

Things looked pretty grim but they managed to swing mood when a group of freedom fighters/terrorists forced their way into the studio and took everyone hostage. The managed to get rid of the terrorists saving several lifes including the TV show host in front of the camera.

Most players had to be hospitalized but they received plenty of fan mail and flowers and groupies started waiting in front of the hospital.

This is the current situation. Now that they are the center of a media buzz what might happen next on a world like this?

 

[The Chef]

hmm interesting idea.

This is how i would play it.

Firstly, this worlds status quo has been altered as the network has been seen as falible, the heroes have managed to survive and have been granted a reprieve.

So the networks, ever aware of popular demand will seek to villify the heroes no matter how innocent they seem. Take the media in todays society. They love a hero, but they love to break a hero as well.

so behind the scences the network managers/producers and teams of propergandists will be seeking any avenue to both build on the support for the heroes and construct their inevitable downfall. I would imagine there would be press conferences, bed side vigils, book signings that sort of thing. then slight undercurrents, for example a jerry springer/ jeremy kyle type show "i'm having the aliens babies" or a manufactured disease that is "spreading through the populace, never seen before".

also things such as the host of the original program "retireing due to the traumer" (ie murdered) people who seem friendly with the heroes (such as the staff at the station) being reassigned and pushy PR people (think of the people behind the likes of the big brother winners or other "everyday" stars). and just as the heroes slip up, the networks are there camera's rolling on a live special.

 

[Vile]

You should try to get a look at Lexx and 'Lafftrak' (Season 2, Episode 5) - for an extreme example of two planets which destroyed each other in a ratings war ... :shock:

 

[Supergamera]

Who is behind the terrorists? Was it a rival network, or maybe the network itself, looking for rating and not too thrilled about the costs of the latest contract.

Now that the aliens are more "acceptable", they can do a lot more cross-promotion. This week on "fashion challenge" - make a Vargr-inspired cape. How about an Aslan cooking challenge? Or the ever-popular "I want to marry an alien?"

Could also be rival networks/factions at play. One side sees this as an opportunity to open the world to outside influence, while the other hopes to turn this into a humiliation/scare episode, to show people the follies and dangers of alien contact.

 

[EDG]

You should probably check out the SLA Industries RPG .

 

[Jeff Hopper]

Max Headroom

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

"Venus for Sale! Sold!" and it's sequal (don't remember the name) is exactly what you are looking for.

Media controls everything, specifically, SALESMAN control everything.

Salesmen come up with an idea to sell and then get scientists and engineers to build it.

Subliminal sales techniques and all that good stuff.

Sorry I don't remember the authors name.

 

[AndrewW]

"Venus for Sale! Sold!" and it's sequal (don't remember the name) is exactly what you are looking for.

Media controls everything, specifically, SALESMAN control everything.

Salesmen come up with an idea to sell and then get scientists and engineers to build it.

Subliminal sales techniques and all that good stuff.

Sorry I don't remember the authors name.

Venus, Inc. By Frederick Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth.

 

[GypsyComet]

"The Space Merchants" by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth.

(edit: Not quite fast enough, I see. This story was doubled up with another by the SFBC many years ago. The second deals with many of the same setting assumptions, but stays on Earth.)

 

[lastbesthope]

I am looking for some ideas/social quirks which might happen to you on a world completely dominated and ruled by media.

The first thing that springs to mind is from Demolition Man, where the modern day people view old advert jingles as songs, maybe something similar could happen on your world.

LBH

 

[alex_greene]

The episode "Bad Wolf" of Season whatever of Doctor Who. The penultimate Chris Eccleston episode, where they arrived on a space station where all the reality TV from the early 2000s had been subverted into lethal perversions, such as Big Brother with disintegrators, The Weakest Link with Ann Droid and so on.

Oh, and its kind of prequel, with Simon Pegg as the executive running the station, and his master the Jagrafess of Giant Toothy Genitalia Hanging From The Ceiling.

 

[Galaga]

First thing that popped into my head was SMASH TV.

Heh, great stuff in this thread.