When Global Participation is Default
August, 2009
The internet is largely a global space. Even considering irregularities in hardware and software, coupled with regional variations in access to certain content, one must assume that anything online can be experienced across the globe. This can create unexpected consequences when content meant for a local audience attracts the attention of those beyond that region. Two cases in point? An international controversy over a rape themed Japanese video game and a parody-filled reaction to an Israeli cell phone commercial about soccer and the separation wall.
Japanese video game RapeLay is about a man who, after he is convicted of groping a girl on a subway train, seeks revenge through rape. Never meant for sale outside of Japan, the game caught the attention of western feminist groups after a copy was made available through a third-party seller on Amazon’s United Kingdom site in February.
The game was not available legally outside of Japan. Amazon quickly pulled the listing from its UK site after users complained. Women’s rights group Equality Now launched a letter writing campaign in May demanding that Illusion Software, which developed and distributes RapeLay, cease to sell the game.
I first heard about the controversy through a Facebook friend who wanted to recruit me for the cause. Social media made it easy for Equality Now to mobilize sympathetic audiences to send letters to Japanese businesses and politicians. While the game is clearly misogynistic, why target RapeLay above all the smutty digital material available? Given the yet unresolved ethical debate in the United States about the impact of explicit content in video games, the sexually violent Japanese game served to reignite the issue. Several politicians demanded it be banned in the United States, overlooking the fact that it was never available in the US to begin with.
Many Japanese distributors were blindsided with a sudden influx of letters from people in the US objecting to their products. In June, Japan’s Ethics Organization of Computer Software responded to the pressure by banning games depicting rape. As an additional protective measure, Illusion Software and several other distributors have blocked international access to their websites. It’s hard to say how much of a victory this is for gender equality. The United States has managed to export its ethical take on video games, and Japanese game makers have implemented some digital measures to protect themselves from it. Eventually, Japan’s Ethics Organization of Computer Software banned all sexual content in video games except the missionary position.
The second example of local content being accessed and interpreted globally comes from Israeli cell phone provider Cellcom. Their television commercial, which aired in early July, inadvertently highlighted the continued strife surrounding the separation wall between Israel and Palestine. It shows Israeli troops encountering a soccer ball from the opposing side of the separation wall.
The troops return the ball, only to have unseen Palestinians immediately kick it back. They then engage in a soccer game as cheerful music plays in the background. The ad ends with the punch line "After all, what are we all after? Just a little fun.” Their attempt to provide an aspirational message of cooperation struck audiences as demeaning and out of touch.
Complaints from a Facebook group called “I too got nauseous watching the new Cellcom ad” amplified Israelis’ objections to the ad and created a global audience for the resulting viral video spoofs. Like many of the initial blog post reactions, the group, which attracted some 2,400 members, is in Hebrew. The reactions caught the attention of international news organizations like the BBC, and the commercial was reposted with articles in English on news sites for audiences outside the Middle East. While the Facebook group calls for the ad to be removed from broadcast, the publicity meant it was seen by an even wider audience. Cellcom apparently responded to upset viewers with an email stating their aim was to convey a positive message about cooperation and harmony.
The international attention prompted viral video spoofs of the commercial. One of the most widely circulated shows Palestinians kicking a soccer ball over a barbed wire portion of the fence. The Israeli soldiers throw back tear gas.
In both of these cases, audiences were mobilized around political ideas to object to a piece of media. With RapeLay, American and then Japanese politicians pandered flimsy ethical anxiety about video games to bluster their political clout, and Western anti-pornography feminists picked on an easy target in the context of this ethical debate. The game companies are now subjected to new regulations about sexual content in games, but given Japan’s media culture, the content will likely continue to be available under new guises. Thanks to all the media attention, the English language version of the game is now widely available through torrents. Good luck controlling that distribution.
In the case of the Cellcom ad, a traditional marketing message was not checked against the political reality it was being projected on. By voicing their concerns via the internet, local audiences upset by the ad resonated with a global audience. Cellcom’s email response seems old school when compared to the viral videos still making tracks across the internet, only furthering the impression made by the commercials that Cellcom is a politically and socially tone deaf communications company.
It is extremely difficult to control messaging on the internet. That’s why creatives and marketers are becoming such good conversationalists. In a digital media environment that is global and participatory by default, engaging an audience in a dialogue is the best strategy for maintaining leverage over an issue. That said, it’s impossible to anticipate where and with whom your message will strike the wrong chord. If you were in the position of Illusion Software or Cellcom, how would you respond to the unanticipated global response?
The internet is largely a global space. Even considering irregularities in hardware and software, coupled with regional variations in access to certain content, one must assume that anything online can be experienced across the globe. This can create unexpected consequences when content meant for a local audience attracts the attention of those beyond that region. Two cases in point? An international controversy over a rape themed Japanese video game and a parody-filled reaction to an Israeli cell phone commercial about soccer and the separation wall.
Japanese video game RapeLay is about a man who, after he is convicted of groping a girl on a subway train, seeks revenge through rape. Never meant for sale outside of Japan, the game caught the attention of western feminist groups after a copy was made available through a third-party seller on Amazon’s United Kingdom site in February.
The game was not available legally outside of Japan. Amazon quickly pulled the listing from its UK site after users complained. Women’s rights group Equality Now launched a letter writing campaign in May demanding that Illusion Software, which developed and distributes RapeLay, cease to sell the game.
I first heard about the controversy through a Facebook friend who wanted to recruit me for the cause. Social media made it easy for Equality Now to mobilize sympathetic audiences to send letters to Japanese businesses and politicians. While the game is clearly misogynistic, why target RapeLay above all the smutty digital material available? Given the yet unresolved ethical debate in the United States about the impact of explicit content in video games, the sexually violent Japanese game served to reignite the issue. Several politicians demanded it be banned in the United States, overlooking the fact that it was never available in the US to begin with.
Many Japanese distributors were blindsided with a sudden influx of letters from people in the US objecting to their products. In June, Japan’s Ethics Organization of Computer Software responded to the pressure by banning games depicting rape. As an additional protective measure, Illusion Software and several other distributors have blocked international access to their websites. It’s hard to say how much of a victory this is for gender equality. The United States has managed to export its ethical take on video games, and Japanese game makers have implemented some digital measures to protect themselves from it. Eventually, Japan’s Ethics Organization of Computer Software banned all sexual content in video games except the missionary position.
The second example of local content being accessed and interpreted globally comes from Israeli cell phone provider Cellcom. Their television commercial, which aired in early July, inadvertently highlighted the continued strife surrounding the separation wall between Israel and Palestine. It shows Israeli troops encountering a soccer ball from the opposing side of the separation wall.
The troops return the ball, only to have unseen Palestinians immediately kick it back. They then engage in a soccer game as cheerful music plays in the background. The ad ends with the punch line "After all, what are we all after? Just a little fun.” Their attempt to provide an aspirational message of cooperation struck audiences as demeaning and out of touch.
Complaints from a Facebook group called “I too got nauseous watching the new Cellcom ad” amplified Israelis’ objections to the ad and created a global audience for the resulting viral video spoofs. Like many of the initial blog post reactions, the group, which attracted some 2,400 members, is in Hebrew. The reactions caught the attention of international news organizations like the BBC, and the commercial was reposted with articles in English on news sites for audiences outside the Middle East. While the Facebook group calls for the ad to be removed from broadcast, the publicity meant it was seen by an even wider audience. Cellcom apparently responded to upset viewers with an email stating their aim was to convey a positive message about cooperation and harmony.
The international attention prompted viral video spoofs of the commercial. One of the most widely circulated shows Palestinians kicking a soccer ball over a barbed wire portion of the fence. The Israeli soldiers throw back tear gas.
In both of these cases, audiences were mobilized around political ideas to object to a piece of media. With RapeLay, American and then Japanese politicians pandered flimsy ethical anxiety about video games to bluster their political clout, and Western anti-pornography feminists picked on an easy target in the context of this ethical debate. The game companies are now subjected to new regulations about sexual content in games, but given Japan’s media culture, the content will likely continue to be available under new guises. Thanks to all the media attention, the English language version of the game is now widely available through torrents. Good luck controlling that distribution.
In the case of the Cellcom ad, a traditional marketing message was not checked against the political reality it was being projected on. By voicing their concerns via the internet, local audiences upset by the ad resonated with a global audience. Cellcom’s email response seems old school when compared to the viral videos still making tracks across the internet, only furthering the impression made by the commercials that Cellcom is a politically and socially tone deaf communications company.
It is extremely difficult to control messaging on the internet. That’s why creatives and marketers are becoming such good conversationalists. In a digital media environment that is global and participatory by default, engaging an audience in a dialogue is the best strategy for maintaining leverage over an issue. That said, it’s impossible to anticipate where and with whom your message will strike the wrong chord. If you were in the position of Illusion Software or Cellcom, how would you respond to the unanticipated global response?