Citation

Krebs E. Crit. Stud. Media Commun. 2020; 37(2): 188-200.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15295036.2019.1704038

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The release of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (13RW) was met with vehement backlash from individual viewers, medical institutions, and scholars around the globe. Many claimed that the show's gruesome portrayal of suicide would cause viewers dangerous psychological distress--particularly because the show was aimed at teen audiences. While these concerns about a potential contagion effect are valid for some viewers, a broader view of 13RW reveals a pedagogical text that can impact, but not determine, the actions of its viewers. As such, I frame 13RW as a form of scientific pedagogy that engages audiences in productive ways, specifically through its emphasis on scientific and narrative uncertainty. The show provides medically accurate information about suicide's risk factors based on current research while also engaging with the uncertain, incompleteness of that information. I argue that this format effectively democratizes knowledge about suicide prevention and allows audiences to learn about suicide in a constructive manner that shows lay people have the power to engage in both prevention and building knowledge about the subject. © 2019, © 2019 National Communication Association.

Language: en

Keywords

13 Reasons Why; contagion effect; narrative tellability; public understanding of science; scientific uncertainty