Passion Project
I have an instagram account, Filmynomics and more recently a blog, Filmynomics in which I use analogies between reel behavior and real behavior to explain economic jargon in a simple and relatable manner.
Narratives are inherently easier to understand and remember than abstract concepts that lack a storyline.(Fischer, 1987).
I am a huge fan and supporter of "Edutainment". I believe embedding education in popular entertainment and communication platforms has a greater potential of engaging and informing non-experts. Being a cinephile myself, I feel that films and TV series are a fascinating tool to explain economics to a broader audience who may find the traditional educational methods somewhat intimidating.
Below are a few examples of my Instagram posts:
To explain the idea of choice overload, I referred to an episode of a popular American drama series, Grey's Anatomy.
In this episode, a young refugee from Iraq gets overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices for a sandwich available in US ! As a kid raised in captivity, he has never known ‘choices’ that can be available to him.
The choice overload has a “freezing effect” on him and he is unable to make a decision as to what would he like to eat. He finally just gives up in despair.
The analogy that I drew between this young actor's dilemma and in real life behavior is that "too many choices" can lead to a cognitive impairment in which people have a difficult time in making decisions.
To explain the concept of glass ceiling, I referred to a Netflix original movie, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.
In this film, a young woman who goes on to become the first female Indian air force pilot in the Kargil war faces casual sexism throughout her training days.
Disturbed by the presence of a female in an all-male training campus, her male colleagues comment that she was aspiring for a career which was not meant for a woman.
The analogy that I drew between the sexist remarks in the film and in real life behavior is the gender discrimination and the glass ceiling faced by women where it becomes difficult for them to rise beyond a certain hierarchy.