Unified Consumerism: How it affects Modern Media

By Dakota Jones

As communications technology advances, society has increased the potential to connect and share thoughts and opinions. Social media platforms such as Reddit and Facebook have provided people with a safe place to form web-communities, or “fandoms”. In recent years, many prominent fandoms impacted business models for large media companies in ways that have never been seen before.  The interconnectivity that we maintain has allowed consumers to unite and voice their opinions. Ideas spread quickly over the internet, borders are nonexistent, and web-communities are formed off of the passion of others.  Not only do these communities connect people and give them a sense of belonging, but they also help people realize that their voices matter and they can make a difference.

Broken promises and terrible public relations have become more transparent since the rise of social media. Although these issues were not absent previously, the film and video game industry continues to see social change as consumers become increasingly fed up with cash-grabs. Electronic Arts (EA), a video game development studio, received international backlash after releasing the second instalment in their “Star Wars: Battlefront” series. The controversy sparked a couple months before release over the introduction of Loot Boxes, a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive random cosmetic and game-changing unlockables. Considering the initial price consumers had to pay ($80+ retail, depending on which edition) it is no doubt that people were upset. Allowing players to save time by spending extra money to accelerate the unlocking of major characters such as Darth Vader, is the definition of “pay to win”. Regardless of whether you have the money to afford these transactions; excluding content that should have already been in the game is greedy and wrong. Consumers united together to boycott EA to send a message, which was quite successful. Stocks and sales dropped as EA tried to remedy the storm with multiple PR moves. EA’s holds a notorious reputation for cover-ups after big mistakes like this. Consumer uproar ultimately leads to the scrapping of loot boxes for the debut of the game but was implemented later – big surprise. This event added to consumers’ ill will towards the company.

I remember the excitement friends and I shared over the new wave of Star Wars films. “The Force Awakens” (2015), the first of the movies, broke the record for the highest grossing film of all time at over $2 billion worldwide; it was a gentle re-introduction to the series, and despite mixed reviews, it was fun and served its purpose. Feeling refreshed and optimistic, I couldn’t wait for the next instalment. When the time came, as a long-time fan and avid film lover, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with Disney’s second film, “The Last Jedi” (2017). Now, I didn’t completely hate the film, there were some great scenes, and the visuals were terrific – but that was pretty much it. I left the theatre not knowing how to feel. It took a long while for me to come to my own conclusions on the film, and like a lot of others, it just didn’t feel like “Star Wars”. This is the film that made me realize what direction Disney was taking the series, it lacked substance and originality. Not only was the film a mess, but the backlash that followed is considered one of the most iconic outcries in recent times. Clearly, Disney is taking the series in a direction that values quantity over quality. The Last Jedi still managed to gross $1.3 Billion worldwide, although sales dropped significantly compared to the first film. The next year Disney introduced their first anthology film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018). The movie itself was enjoyable, much more than the last in the main series, but ended up being the biggest blunder of Disney era “Star Wars”. “Solo’s” failure resulted from disinterest and distrust of Disney to provide worthwhile content after many were disappointed with the previous film. The fans spoke with their wallets. Disney reactively cancelled future “Star Wars” productions following the disastrous release of Solo.

 Media companies are beginning to surrender to their audiences because without them their companies would never exist. United consumerism is a recent trend that continues to gain traction. Consumers now have a voice like they never had before, thanks to social media, and the rise of social justice. Knowing others feel the way I do about questionable business practices is reassuring. Respectable companies work together with their fans to create great content that doesn’t lack substance or originality, and don’t overcharge their fans to leech more profit; Respectable companies care for their fans and listen to their concerns. Bringing light to these issues is the best way for this movement to thrive because there is nothing more frightening than an angry fan base.

References:

Fortune.com - "EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2 Controversy."

Chicago CBS - "Opinion on the disgusting dark side of Star Wars materialism"

CNBC - "EA Vows to never offer paid loot boxes in controversial Star Wars Battlefront II game."