Responsible Use of Pop Culture and Communication in the Face of Ebola Virus

Tense music and flashy title cards on the evening news instill a sense of impending doom as we learn that the number of persons infected by Ebola is estimated to reach the millions in a matter of weeks [1]. Disheveled scientists in white coats spit microbiological jargon like it is poetry, hastening down laboratory hallways with desperate and bemused political leaders in tow. Their conversation continues offscreen, over a montage of men clad in hazmat suits scrambling to treat patients while their families wait, fearing the worst. A Hail Mary of a scientific breakthrough suddenly surfaces—a vaccine that still needs testing, prototype nanobots, or new rapid testing methods to battle the widespread infection. The audience awaits a miracle. This exposition echoes both archetypes of Hollywood and the media’s response to epidemics around the world. Though hidden deep in the flash and pop of panic-inducing graphics, there is valuable information that can be used for educational purposes. The ease of access to popular culture, media, and technology offers the opportunity to benefit from Ebola’s pervasive presence through dissemination of correct and useful information both locally and across the globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current outbreak of Ebola is one of the largest in recorded history, having spread across Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone [2]. A small number of imported cases were also reported in Spain, Italy, the United States, other western African nations, and as of December 2014, the United Kingdom; most of these imported cases were health care workers who had been exposed to the pathogen while providing aid to the stricken parts of western Africa [2,3]. The CDC reports, as of May 26, 2015, that Ebola has infected at least 27,000 people and killed over 11,000 individuals worldwide [2]. Social media continues to develop as a mainstream reference point for sharing and discussing current events. Its role as a platform for discourse has been noticeably growing in the wake of the Ebola epidemic [4]. Prior studies emphasize the use of multiple modes of communication in order to maintain the propagation of correct information to broad populations [5,6]. Despite the low general knowledge of Ebola in the US, there are avenues of information dissemination that can be more quickly utilized to impact a wider audience. In order to provide accurate, consistent information, our leading health-focused institutions should bolster their use of technology and apply popular culture to reach and inform a greater portion of the public.