Edutainment and ICTs: towards a Fourth Generation of educational entertainment interventions

Abstract

Since the 1970s, Entertainment Education (hereafter EE) works in the production of contents to enhance audience’s behaviour change. A balance between been educative and entertaining was needed to have people’s attention and interest, to promote social change. Thomas Tufte (2005) identified three generations of EE interventions which evolved from the concept of 'lack of information' promoted by Shannon and Weaver linear communication theory, to the 'community involvement in participatory interventions', and the 'empowerment process' led by Paulo Freire's liberalising thinking, accepting that people are not a passive receiver, but an actor who can identify the structural inequalities. Nevertheless, none of these generations takes into account the opportunities that new technologies and digital media provide expanding audience’s experience. This dissertation analyse the influence of the new technologies and transmedia strategies as a seed of a Fourth Generation of EE interventions based on Thomas Tufte's generations of EE Interventions. The methodology include literature review about edutainment and transmedia theories, complemented by data analysis regarding access and use of the new technologies. The Conceptual Framework combine the analysis of transmedia storytelling, and new technologies with the new agenda of development settled by the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015). The expected outcome of this framework is the characterisation of the Fourth Generation of EE interventions, according to Tufte’s previous generations.