Culture
Like in the book, what Game shows in the modern world similarly forces people to contend for money?
What are Jeopardy, Family Feud, Love Island, Wipeout etc?
In the book, the Network purposely keeps people ______ over class rather than unified.
What is divided?
Richards is constantly tracked — cameras everywhere, citizens encouraged to report him. What item exists today that tracks every move you make? (Hint: you have it on you right now)
What is your phone?
Who produces and controls every media system in the Book?
What is the Network?
What company/organization in the book has complete and total control over the games and media?
What is the Network?
In the book The Running Man, the audience's obsession with watching daily runs of the show mirrors today's culture of binge-watching what popular reality tv show? (Hint: season 7 (arguably the worst season) just aired this past summer)
What social class are all the contestants to the Network?
What is poor/broke :(
Richards' every move is tracked, recorded, and used for entertainment. Today, we have something that tracks records and collects (and sells) data on us constantly. What is this called? (Hint: every form of social media implements this on their platform to give you "better ads")
What is an algorithm?
What is it called today when a company has exclusive and complete possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service? (Hint: also a game)
What is a monopoly?
When Richards would send in the tapes, the network would ______ the tapes so when they were published to the public his message was distorted. (Hint: another word for suppression, specifically of media)
What is Censor/Censorship?
In the book, Ben Richards explains that from a young age, he and his brother had to take on dangerous, even life-threatening jobs just to be able to barely survive. What big companies exist today that are often reported for poor treatment of their workers?
Amazon, Shien, Nike, Apple, literally anyone working in healthcare
1. Who runs the Network in the book? 2. Is he rich or poor? 3. Are the other people running the Network wealthy or poor? 4. As such, what economic standing can be assumed of the type of people manipulating the greater population?
1. Who is Dan Killian? 2. Rich... 3. Wealthy... 4. probably also rich.
Richards has no _____, and every action becomes part of the televised hunt. Today, a big issue that has become more and more of a problem as our data is collected, is a lack of _____.
What is privacy?
The network creates ____, then sells entertainment that exploits the same destitution. (Hint: synonym for a group of poor people)
What is poverty :(
Another term for propaganda.
Reality TV in the book was solely aimed at exploiting people's pain, desperation, and humiliation for entertainment. What genres of media exist today that can be argued to have similar intentions? (Hint: Netflix docuseries like Dahmer and many podcasts with this topic exist)
What is true crime
Who benefited from the network as a whole? Today, who can be said to benefit from inherited wealth and privilege in society? (Hint: %)
Who are the rich/people running the network? Who are the 1%
Sometimes, people’s suffering or mistakes become entertainment content, similar to how The Running Man audience watches Richards die for sport. What tool do people similarly use today to "survey" others closely?
The Games Network and the government are indistinguishable — they serve each other’s purposes. Through the use of _______ and ________ they distract the public from things like pollution, poverty, and corruption. (Hint: E________t and P______a)
What is entertainment and propaganda?
The audience has been conditioned through years of consuming exploitative shows like The Running Man, so that they have become ________to just how dehumanizing the shows are.
What is desensitized?
When Richards goes on the run, the Network lies about his actions to turn the public against him — making him the villain instead of the victim. What is it called today when platforms are used to spread misleading information that's not entirely true?
What is misinformation
The media portrays poor contestants as criminals, lazy, or dangerous — turning the audience against them. What purpose does this serve? (Hint: what are people, specifically the poor ones, paying attention to instead of the injustice of the network? What is a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else?)
What is a distraction?
Citizens are encouraged to call the Network if they spot Richards; surveillance becomes more crowdsourced/participatory of the public. Today, we also have people who take it upon themselves to police or leak information about others. What is this called? (Hint: often ends in someone's home address, phone #, and job on the internet for everyone to see)
What is doxxing?
In the book, human life is treated as a product. contestants are marketed, hunted, and killed for ratings. Suffering is monetized, and death is turned into a spectacle. Today, on social media, people often turn themselves into brands, and their lives become _____. (Hint: ______ Creators)
The Network in the book uses media to control public opinion on the poor. What main emotion do they play on to keep people afraid and in line?
What is fear?