Three titles, three media storms
The first quarter of 2025 saw the premiere of three major pop culture works: a film, a television series and a video game. Each of them was surrounded by controversy, which, according to Dr Malinowski, effectively hindered discussion about their actual message.
When a fairy tale becomes political
The first film discussed by Dr Malinowski is "Snow White," which, according to the speaker, was produced completely unnecessarily. The most controversial aspect was the fact that Rachel Zegler, a dark-skinned actress, played the title character, while in the original fairy tale, Snow White had "skin as white as snow."
Additionally, Zegler was active on social media, often speaking out on political issues, including the Middle East – which contributed to her becoming the target of online attacks, primarily from adult men. Dr Malinowski also notes the portrayal of the dwarves, who he believes were poorly computer-generated. For these (or other) reasons, the film was not a major success.
Dark-skinned samurai in Japan
Another example discussed by the speaker is Assassin's Creed: Shadows. Here, too, the main source of controversy was the protagonist's appearance – the dark-skinned samurai Yasuke. Many players considered it incongruous with Japanese history and culture.
However, as Dr Malinowski points out, Yasuke was a real historical figure who actually lived in feudal Japan. The most opposition to this character again came from white men in their thirties, who claimed it was an "indignity against Japanese culture." Interestingly, however, the game was very well received in Japan itself, where the samurai's ancestors raised no objections and the title is selling very well.
A series that distorted the facts?
The third work under discussion is the Netflix series "Adolescence." It tells the story of a teenager who murders a classmate. The media began spreading rumours that the plot was based on a true story, with the perpetrator being a Black boy, while the series' main character is a white boy. This controversy was unfounded. The director drew inspiration from numerous real-life events that occurred over a short period of time and while some of the perpetrators were Black, they were not the dominant group committing such crimes.
Pop culture populism and emotions instead of content
According to Dr Malinowski, all of these works share one common mechanism: using controversy as a pretext to evoke emotions and make money. Populism, he believes, has firmly entered the world of pop culture. The way we consume contemporary films, games and TV series has also changed. Just 10 years ago, reactions to differing opinions were more subdued. Today, many people are determined to "prove" others wrong – disagreeing with a different vision of reality, even if they haven't read the work themselves.
Confirmation bias in practice
The author notes that haters often have already formed an opinion about a given film or game before its release – and consciously refuse to familiarise themselves with it. Their opinions are based on what others have told them, not on their own experience. This stems from confirmation bias – the need to reinforce what they already "know." Or perhaps they're simply afraid that if they watch a given work, they might... change their mind?
Dr Bartosz Malinowski is a management theoretician and practitioner with ten years of experience in teaching, research and consulting. He is the author of two books and dozens of scientific publications. He has cooperated with companies, cultural institutions and international organisations, including ERGO Hestia, Just Join IT, the New Theatre in Lodz and NATO StratCom. He teaches strategy, management and creativity at the University of Lodz. He is the creator of the "Bez/Schematu" vlog and the co-founder of the Boxless creative studio.
Edit: Michał Gruda and Małgorzata Jasińska (Centre for External Relations and Social Responsibility of the University, University of Lodz)