MEGALOMANIA
By Mary Lyle, Director of Education
The Megalodon has intrigued us for thousands of years, but the fascination with this ancient creature has increased in the past few years. It was featured in films like Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002) and The Meg (2018). Megalodon has also appeared in video games, comic books, and television shows. What accounts for the ancient shark’s popularity?
In 1988 The Discovery Channel created a series of programs entitled “Shark Week.” The idea was to stimulate public interest in shark conservation efforts. The documentary format featured on-camera experts who would explain the footage, dispelling misconceptions about sharks. Later on, however, the programs focused more on entertainment and less on science. In 2013 the network aired Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, which turned out to be a fraud.
The Discovery Channel did include some disclaimers, but the emphasis was on sensation rather than the fact. There was a huge backlash and The Discovery Channel had to admit its part in perpetuating the fraud. The damage, however, was done. According to some sources, a large percentage of viewers of the program believed that they were watching a documentary with scientific content.
It reminds me of Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, which caused a panic.
Because many listeners did not hear the disclaimer at the beginning of the program, they did not realize that they were listening to a radio dramatization and not an actual news broadcast. As Christopher Klein writes, “Fear and anxiety had become a way of life in the 1930s, and it took little to rattle jittery Americans.” The listeners, who were accustomed to getting breaking news on the radio, were easily duped into believing that New Jersey had been attacked by Martians.
In much the same way, viewers, who were used to watching documentary programs on The Discovery Channel did not realize that much of the content, including the on-air “pseudo-experts” in Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, was not real. There is a danger in mixing conjecture and dramatization with scientific content. Our exhibit contains a section that focuses on “Megalomania,” the cultural phenomenon. The exhibit features examples from popular culture —movies, magazines, books, jewelry, emblems, and motorcycle paraphernalia. Another section concentrates on “Megalodon Myths”— the urban myths that circulate, especially on the internet.
Megalodon: Largest Shark That Ever Lived was produced by the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, with support from the National Science Foundation, and has a lot of factual material about this prehistoric creature. While the Museum is still closed to the public, we have been posting a lot of interesting information on our website and our YouTube channel, and on our Facebook page.
Klein, C. (2013, October 30). Inside "The War of the WORLDS" radio broadcast. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.history.com/news/inside-the-war-of-the-worlds-broadcast
