How important are documentaries?

Documentaries are vital to shaping our influence on the world, but how actually important are they?

'They serve as powerful tools that bring important topics to the table in a captivating way that also sparks conversation, and sometimes even social movements' - One.org

From David Attenborough's Blue Planet, Blue Planet II, Planet Earth etc to Brian Cox's Forces of Nature to Bill Nye 'the science guy' there are plenty of documentaries about a range of subjects that inspire many people.

Not only do documentaries provide an opportunity to understand the world from a better level but also to connect with others and make global change.

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Based upon a research paper, it conducted that environmental documentaries influence young people's actions and viewpoints. Compared to social media, tabloids, campaigns etc documentaries are the most influential in making active change.

Personally, Blue Planet II is one of the most influential and engaging documentaries out there and has some of the most enriching video footage and unseen parts of the Earth's waters. Documentaries are one of the best ways to gain information whilst learning and discovering new things.

Without documentaries, we may miss out on unique unseen footage and unknown knowledge that has been recently discovered.

'The Ivory Game' - Netflix

Without documentaries, where would we be and what wouldn't we know?

References:

Why documentaries have the power to change the world. (2016). [Blog]. Retrieved 2 May 2022, from https://www.one.org/international/blog/why-documentaries-have-the-power-to-change-the-world/.

BBC Earth. (2017). Blue Planet II : The Prequel [Video]. Retrieved 2 May 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_38JDGnr0vA.

Barbas, T., Paraskevopoulos, S., & Stamou, A. (2009). The effect of nature documentaries on students’ environmental sensitivity: a case study. Learning, Media And Technology, 34(1), 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439880902759943