Blackout - nothing works anymore

How we can prepare for a power outage with movies and TV series

Dead phones, chaos in hospitals, looming meltdowns: for years, experts all over the world have been warning of the growing danger of a widespread power blackout - and the devastating consequences for society as a whole. Just as before the Corona pandemic, however, politicians and the general public are hardly aware of the risks; the blackout would catch us completely unprepared. Disaster movies and scifi series, on the other hand, have long shown what threatens when modern society loses its lifeblood. Denis Newiak uses these fictional stories to search for answers to the pressing question of how we can prepare ourselves - individually and as a society - for the drastic consequences of this crisis. Can the apocalypse of modernity still be stopped?

What we can learn from science fiction films The devastating consequences of the Corona pandemic, the recent flood disasters, and the widespread wildfires raging in Australia and North America in particular have led in recent years to a heightened awareness of the particular fragility and growing vulnerability of late-modern society. Can popular films and current television series help us find creative and innovative responses to the diverse and growing potential for disaster and crisis in late-modern society? What can individuals and policymakers learn from cinematic art forms for coping with pandemics, flash floods and wildfires, widespread power outages, and cyberterrorism? Denis Newiak demonstrates the potential of cinematic science fiction works for coping with real-world potential crises and disasters.

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Contact

Prof. Dr. phil. Christer Petersen
Angewandte Medienwissenschaften
T +49 (0) 355 69-2184
petersen(at)b-tu.de