ABSTRACT
The author describes how her 2014 book (Get Reel: Produce Your Own Life) illustrates how the media affects the culture, for better and for worse. The impact of media on relationships, spending, happiness, health, family, self-esteem, and—most importantly—ways of thinking and perceptions about the self—determines what one believes it takes to be happy. An international study may lead us to a global understanding of the possibilities for film/video-based therapy. What we appreciate as viewers is similar across cultures. Based on the research, the implications for cross-cultural video-based therapy are promising; what appeals to one of us appeals to all of us.
