Media artifacts are essential in passing information to the society. They range from songs and dances, books, movies, games, drawings, and paintings, among others. Importantly, the creator comes up with an imaginative way of expressing and addressing a particular issue in the society. Their effectiveness is determined by how well the artifact can capture their message in the original content as well as the ability of their target audience to decode and relate the message. In most cases, they are successful in passing information because there is a wide range of subscribers to media art, and thus the content can reach a large number of people over a considerably short time. For example, a song may have millions of views on YouTube within days of release. TV shows are examples of media artifacts and have been used to influence society other ways aside from their fun and entertainment aspect. Some have contributed to confront gender discrimination, racism, domestic violence. This essay will analyze the Good Doctor , a contemporary TV show.
The Good Doctor is a media artifact that has been used to impact society. It falls under the genre of medical drama and is based in America. It was inspired by a Korean show with a similar name. Moreover, it is owned by Daniel Dae, an actor who bought the rights to develop it from his production company. It has won various awards including The Hollywood Reporter Impact Award, Top Network TV series, and International TV Audience – Best Drama TV Series (abc, 2020). The show was debuted in May 2017 through 2020 by CBS Studios and Sony Pictures Company, who are the primary producers. The target audience is the general public as it does not have explicit scenes that are not suitable for young viewers. The series has its main character, Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), who is autistic and a surgical resident of St. Bonaventure Hospital which is fictionally in San Jose (abc, 2020). It has thirteen main characters and fifty-six episodes within three seasons. Across the show, Doctor Shaun, who was brought up by Doctor Glassman, save lives with his surgical gifts amidst mixed views on him by his fellow surgeons. The young doctor who struggles with autism also has poor communication skills. He also has relationship issues with his colleagues in the surgical sector. He moves in with another main character, Lea, who is his only female friend. Towards the end of season three, Murphy falls in love with Carly, who works in the pathology lab within the same hospital.
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The show is a part of low culture. It has an explicit coverage of relationships between various characters across it. Furthermore, it portrays romance between Shaun and Lea and also in the case of Shaun, and Carly, who becomes his girlfriend towards the end of season three. The show participates in trends that keep changing over time being a TV series. It, therefore, falls under medical drama. The central norms in medical drama and are expressed in this show are bioethics issues and professionalism (Czarny, Faden, & Sugarman, 2010). It has its events mainly based in a hospital set-up with plenty of well-coordinated staff and a lot of operational activities showcasing doctor-patient relationships. There is a deviation from the medical drama norms, namely scenes where the characters’ personal life being cast. Towards the end of season three, Doctor Murphy’s relationship with his father is brought to the stage. The Good Doctor illustrate how hospitals works. For instance, it demonstrates some aspects such as lies by patients, conflicting personal conflicts among doctors and patients, and defiance between seniors and junior staff in the hospital. This drama identifies to a greater extent with the medical standards.
The show illustrates professionalism, which it tries to influence societal doctors to cultivate. It has exemplary examples of doctors who, even under heavy pressure, still adhere to proficiency. Doctor Lim and Doctor Melendez are portrayed in the first episode of season three torn between their relationship and work when Doctor Lim is promoted to be her lover’s boss. This pushes them to seek advice on the best action to take with interest in sustaining their professionalism at work. People love the show. This is evident from its rating of eight-point two out of ten (IMDb, 2017). Peer support among professionals is essential. The show casts Doctor Glassman offering support to Doctor Shaun when he gets an inter-departmental transfer after his surgery failed (abc, 2020). The series illustrates that professionals need support systems when things go wrong. If medical personnel are not constantly evaluated they may give into stress and pressure (Bridgeman, Bridgeman & Barone, 2018) . There is a need for talking, spending time together, among other activities that help to get over the stressors. Stinson & Heischmidt (2012) states that patients have mixed perceptions of how health professionals deal with distress from medical shows. Other than consolation during hard times, social support is also quite evident in the show.
I chose this artifact because of its ability to create relevance in the medical environment. The series creates relatable scenes with real-life situations, hence this makes it lovable. Additionally, the efficient use of medical jargon, conduction of surgeries, and the general activities in the show enhances its relevance. The blue and white thematic color used in hospitals also makes it enjoyable. Furthermore, I also chose this artifact due to its practical ability to demonstrate how to provide first aid to individuals suffering from various illnesses. It also communicates excellently about diversity in culture, conflict, and conflict resolution, along with vertical management and its felt impact in informing on ethical issues and professionalism in the medical sector. The Good Doctor exhibits inter-influences between the medical sector and the society. It influences the societal perception of health professionals (Stinson & Heischmidt, 2012). The pubic has a less positive view of physicians and this is well expounded in the show when Mitchell Stewart in season three episode four accuses someone of poisoning his liver within the hospital. Notably, the show has impressive flow and transitioning of scenes, as it creates suspense and a storyline of that is easy to follow even among young viewers. It effectively articulates how events unfold, the systematic unraveling of the medical activities and the happy endings to portray real-life occurrences that are not merely for entertainment but for encouraging the viewers.
Media artifacts are efficient in communicating and passing information. There is increased consumption of information, and thus media artifacts should establish the best way to ensure their data is accurate and appropriate. TV shows are compelling means for informing the society on matters such as sex and relationships, professionalism and ethics, trust and loyalty, teamwork, and individualism, among others. How the Good Doctor packaged their offer was very important since poor content will lead to a negative perception of it by society and also lower ratings. Every media artifact should aim at effective communication with a clear but simple message, easy to understand, and spiced to be exciting. The object should be able to bridge the gap between real-life situations and the creative content to bring about the impact on society. The artwork should contribute positively to the community, and this entirely depends on how well the content is relevant to situations in real life.
References
abc. (2020). Watch the good doctor TV show - ABC.com. ABC. https://abc.com/shows/the-good-doctor
Bridgeman, P. J., Bridgeman, M. B., & Barone, J. (2018). Burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals. The Bulletin of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 75(3), 147-152.
Czarny, M. J., Faden, R. R., & Sugarman, J. (2010). Bioethics and professionalism in popular television medical dramas. Journal of medical ethics , 36 (4), 203-206.
IMDb. (2017). The good doctor (TV series 2017– ). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6470478/
Stinson, M. E., & Heischmidt, K. (2012). Patients’ perceptions of physicians: a pilot study of the influence of prime-time fictional medical shows. Health marketing quarterly , 29 (1), 66-81.
