Is Shark Week Bad for Sharks?

Shark Week is undeniably a pop-culture titan. Shown on the Discovery Channel, Shark Week has been broadcast in over 70 countries for more than three decades, with millions of people tuning in to watch and viewer numbers only continuing to grow year after year. So Shark Week has certainly cultivated people's fascination with sharks ... but how accurate are their shows? Is Shark Week actually a useful educational tool to communicate shark science to the public? Or does it present a negative view of sharks, which generates hype and fear? In short, is Shark Week bad for sharks?

Discovery's Shark Week is a pop culture titan, with millions tuning in every year (Image Credit: Discovery)

'Infotainment' Not Education?

Shark Week has now been broadcasting for over 20 years. At its conception Shark Week was a true documentary event; devoted to correcting misconceptions about sharks; to raise awareness and garner support for conservation efforts (Evans, 2015; Whitenack et al, 2021).

The language used in Shark Week programming has been criticised by scientists and conservationists, as it encourages fear by presenting sharks are mindless killing machines (Whitenack et al, 2021)

However, as its popularity grew, Shark Week has morphed into something very different; "infotainment". Whilst Shark Week does include some educational programming, much of the schedule is now devoted to dramatic retellings from shark-attack survivors or tense horror-movie-style reenactments of fatal attacks. Many of the shows are extremely violent; emphasising the gore of attacks and the fearsome nature of sharks. Most dangerously, "Docufiction" shows such as "Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives" and "Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine", amongst others, have been presented as documentary programming, when they are in fact based completely in fiction (Evans, 2015; Whitenack et al, 2021).

Research has shown that many people believe that Shark Week only provides accurate information about sharks. Therefore, as the programming has shifted, it has become increasingly misleading; contributing to widespread public misunderstanding about sharks and shark science (Evans, 2015; Whitenack et al, 2021).

"Shark Week has received regular criticism for poor factual accuracy, fearmongering, bias, and inaccurate representations of science and scientists"

Whitenack et al, 2021

Down With the 'Mockumentaries'

By 2010, Shark Week was receiving serious criticism from the scientific community, with some researchers even claiming they had been 'duped' into appearing in "mockumentaries" and that they were unaware of the nature of the show they were participating in, and their answers had been edited to be completely out of context. Shark Week is now often discussed in scathing terms by scientists; criticised for its junk science and exploitative, sensationalist nature (Whitenack et al, 2021).

Shark Week has been accused of proliferating 'junk science' (Image Credit: Michael Bogner / Shutterstock)

In response to consistent criticism, since 2010 Discovery has included public service announcements sandwiched between their scheduled Shark Week programming. These clips explain the plight of sharks, and call on the public to support shark charities and conservation efforts. They also often include statements about how low the risks of shark attacks actually are in reality. Additionally, in 2015 the president of Discovery, Rich Ross, stated that mockumentaries would be removed from Shark Week programming entirely (Whitenack et al, 2021).

A Skewed Perception

So, after all the feedback has the tone of programming during Shark Week improved at all? Is Shark Week now an educational celebration of sharks, which may be used inform the public and to advance shark conservation?

"[Shark Week] relied heavily on presenting audiences with images of sharks as violent killers, even after the channel partnered with ocean conservation groups in 2010"

Myrick & Evans, 2014

A 2020 analysis of the titles of all shows from the previous 32 years of Shark Week discovered that violent or negative language that encourages the fear of sharks was prevalent throughout the programming (Whitenack et al, 2021)

In 2020 scientists analysed the content of Shark Week programming from the previous 32 years. They discovered that conservation messaging only appeared in 53% of shows, but the use of sensationalist language that encourages fear of sharks (known as "galeophobia") was prevalent throughout, and sharks were very commonly portrayed in a negative light. They concluded that Shark Week has - and still is - contributing to the public belief that sharks are 'monsters' (Whitenack et al, 2021).

They also learned that Shark Week coverage was very biased in regards to which species were featured in the shows. Large, flashy species like the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) for instance, have been shown regularly throughout the years, but smaller, lesser known - and less dangerous - species, like nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma species), have been featured much less regularly. This can skew people's perception of how diverse sharks are and how much of a threat they really pose (Whitenack et al, 2021).

Shark Week programming focuses disproportionately on the larger, flashier and more dangerous species of sharks, like great whites and tiger sharks. The hundreds of species that are less regularly featured include some of the most threatened, such as the Critically Endangered angel sharks (Whitenack et al, 2021)

Other scientists assessed what impact the tone of Shark Week programming can have on the public. They found that viewers experienced more fear and felt significantly more at risk from sharks when watching Shark Week clips. This effect was true for both live footage and reenactments. Whatsmore, the viewers' fear increased depending on the level of violence contained in the clip, especially if this violence was directed from a shark to a human (as opposed to towards a prey item, like a seal). Whilst, the inclusion of informative, shark-positive service announcements did alter the viewer's perception of conservation - making people feel more inclined to support shark protective measures - they had no effect on the fear felt by the viewer (Myrick & Evans, 2014).

Shark Week regularly features violent imagery of some of the biggest and most potentially dangerous species of sharks, like great whites (Image Credit: Bruce / WikimediaCommons)

These findings suggest that Shark Week is encouraging the fear of sharks and that the inclusion of public service announcements amidst the programming is not enough to alter the public's perception if they continue to broadcast infotainment shows with a sensationalist style (Myrick & Evans, 2014; Whitenack et al, 2021).

"Watching the violent images often featured on Shark Week may lead audiences to become overly fearful of being victimized by sharks"

Myrick & Evans, 2014

Over the years, Shark Week has consistently favoured high octane entertainment shows, rather than serious, hard-hitting documentaries (Image Credit: Sergey Uryadnikov / Shutterstock)

A Potential Force for Good?

Modern scientists are becoming increasingly aware that public engagement is one of the most important aspects of their work, especially surrounding conservation initiatives. When people are more informed about an animal, they become increasingly supportive conservation, so if scientists can garner public outcry, this massively increases the likelihood management projects will receive funding and legal backing. Conversely, if the public hate an animal, they are unlikely to support its preservation. Therefore, one of the greatest road blocks that shark scientists face is overcoming the pervasive fear of sharks and their presentation as mindless monster-movie villains throughout the media (Myrick & Evans, 2014; Evans, 2015; Whitenack et al, 2021).

Shark Week only rarely showcases smaller, lesser known species of sharks, that pose no threat to humans (Image: Pyjama sharks, Henryp982 / Shutterstock)

Television documentaries are a very powerful way for scientists to communicate conservation issues with the general public. For example, David Attenborough's call to reduce plastic pollution in "Blue Planet II"  massively reduced the global consumption of single-use plastics almost overnight! (Whitenack et al, 2021).

During Shark Week, social media explodes with shark-related content and it is increasingly clear that shark-positive posts are becoming ever more common. So Shark Week does have the power to trigger important conversations and raise public awareness Whitenack et al, 2021).

Discovery already holds an eager and enthusiastic audience in the palm of their hands. Numbering in the millions, these viewers are ready and willing to soak up shark shows, so Shark Week could play a massive role in disseminating positive shark messaging. Even minute changes in the language and tone of the programming could have a huge impact on the public's perception of sharks and increase concern for their population declines. We can only hope that the network will start to see the value in this (Whitenack et al, 2021).

References

Evans S (2015). Shark Week and the rise of infotainment in science documentaries. Communication Research Projects, 32:3. Access online.

Myrick JG & Evans SD (2014). Do PSAs take a bite out of Shark Week? The effects of juxtaposing environmental messages with violent images of shark attacks. Science Communication, 36: 544. Access online.

Whitenack LB, Mickley BL, Saltzman J, Kajiura SM, Macdonald CC & Shiffman DS (2021). Sharks, Lies, and Videotape: a content analysis of 32 years of Shark Week documentaries. bioRxiv, 2021-08. Access online.

By Sophie A Maycock for SharkSpeak