Corporate and social media are announcing that former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated yesterday in Nara, Japan while campaigning for a parliamentary election. Mr. Abe was the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister. On 26 September 2007 Mr. Abe officially ended his term, and Yasuo Fukuda became the new prime minister of Japan.
Briefly discussed was a viral video of a girl at a KFC jumping up onto the counter and harassing workers. This was a good opportunity for the cultural critics at Book of Ours to demonstrate what to look for in these viral videos, what questions to ask and how to assess the performance of the actors in them. Further commentary on this particular video can be found here: https://twitter.com/bookofoursjulie/status/1545225282482847744
When looking at photos, stories, videos and commentary of social media of highly triggering events, such as story of the Shinzo Abe assassination, we recommend the following:
- Never refer to the event as it is. Always refer to the event as something that the media is telling you. For instance, it is not the “Shinzo Abe assassination”, it is “the story of the Shinzo Abe assassination”
- Develop an eye for photoshopped images – for instance the image of the shooter that the media is sharing shows him holding a rifle. But, the rifle is as big as he is. This is a distortion of the truth.
- Look at video as if you’re a director or camera crew
- Look for messaging and signals. The story is that he was shot in the back and the word “assassination” is trending. This might indicate that it was state-sponsored. Usually people shot in the back have been betrayed – think of the term “stabbed in the back” – the story is that the shooter shot Mr. Abe from behind, in the back. Who potentially betrayed Mr. Abe? If he was betrayed, then who did Mr. Abe piss off? Was Mr. Abe going to go public with some information that the state didn’t want him sharing?
- What is your viral video star wearing? Can you fully see your viral video star’s body? Can you see a clear picture of their face? Are their words discernible?
- How is the video being filmed? Who is filming the video? Is your viral video star in a public place or a retail set? Where are the other customers? What is their reaction?
Those are just a few questions you can ask yourself regarding highly triggering emotional stories, such as the story of the Shinzo Abe assassination or even something as seemingly innocuous or entertaining as a TikTok viral video star.
In this hour-long audio the media critics opine messaging behind the story and what it signals.
Please click this image to listen:
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