You’re sitting at home, scrolling through a list of movies that have been recommended to you by your previous viewing history and how you rated other titles.
Jaws. In the Deep. The Shallows. The Reef. The Meg. Deep Blue Sea.
All of these titles fall under the “Horror,” “Thriller,” “Adventure,” or “Survival” category. Is it any wonder why so many are downright terrified of sharks?
“Most of what people know about sharks is obtained through movies, or the news, where sharks are typically presented as something to be deeply feared,” says Dr. Briana Le Busque, a conservation psychology researcher of the University of South Australia.
There are over 500 different species of sharks, with only a handful being implicated in bites. And while they have been roaming our oceans for millions of years,approximately 37% of the world’s shark and ray species are now classified as at risk of extinction. Sharks are often a focus of exaggerated news media coverage, with shark-human interactions being the topic most often discussed by outlets across the world. But does it stop there? As a new study shows, no. Led by Le Busque, a team analyzed 109 shark films to investigate how films portray shark-human interactions. “Since Jaws, we’ve seen a proliferation of monster shark movies – Open Water, The Meg, 47 Metres Down, Sharknado – all of which overtly present sharks as terrifying creatures with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. This is just not true,” said Le Busque.
Through analysis of the shark film storylines and posters on the online database IMDb, the scientists found that almost all (96%) overtly portrayed shark-human interactions as being potentially threatening to humans, a few (3%) covertly portrayed shark-human interactions as being potentially threatening to humans, and only one film did not include potentially threatening interactions. “There’s no doubt that the legacy of Jaws persists, but we must be mindful of how films portray sharks to capture movie-goers. This is an important step to debunk shark myths and build shark conservation,” Dr. Le Busque explains.
Steven Spielberg on set of the film 'Jaws', 1975. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
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Movies aren’t the only place sharks are getting the short end of the stick. When global media covers shark conservation topics, they are frequently covered in a biased, misleading, or incorrect way. And while one would think that Discovery Channel’s long-running “Shark Week” would help sway the public to root for the sharks, a study found that instead it is potentially hindering the efforts of shark scientists and harming these predators. “The public’s perception of sharks, shark science, and shark scientists is heavily influenced by Shark Week. Unfortunately, we found that Shark Week programming focuses on negative portrayals of sharks and does not often accurately portray shark research nor the diversity of expertise in the field. While critics have been saying this for some time, we now have the numbers to back it up,” says lead study author Dr. Lisa Whitenack, an associate professor of biology and geology, in a media release.
And while shark scientists have asked for journalists and the public to abandon the use of the inflammatory phrase “shark attack,” the pleas have gone largely unheard (although The Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year reported that they were moving away from the phrase in favor of terms like ‘bites,’ ‘incidents’ and ‘encounters’). “There’s a real disconnect between the human imagination of shark attacks and the reality of it,” said Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, the director of the Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab. “A lot of what’s called a shark attack in society is actually provoked by humans.” Each year, people harass sharks in some shape or form (such as grabbing them or kissing them) and end up with teeth wrapped around some part of their body. In 2020, International Shark Attack File (ISAF) investigated 129 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide, confirming 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 39 provoked bites. Unsurprisingly, surfers and those participating in board sports accounted for most incidents (61% of the total cases) due to spending large amount of time in an area commonly frequented by sharks: the surf zone. Here, the may unintentionally attract sharks with their erratic splashing and even how they look on a board.
But the risk of a shark biting you is extremely low – here are some resources to learn how to reduce your risk – although it doesn’t seem that way with how many shark attack articles exist. “Exacerbating a fear of sharks that’s disproportionate to their actual threat, damages conservation efforts, often influencing people to support potentially harmful mitigation strategies,” Le Busque concludes.
#News | https://sciencespies.com/news/sharks-being-the-villains-in-movies-isnt-helping-their-image-problem/
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