Viewers have more films and shows than ever, yet personalised feeds can make the choice feel oddly narrow. UC Berkeley professor Abigail De Kosnik studies representation and how audiences find popular culture, offering a practical case for looking beyond recommendations. Her team’s Media Education Research Lab also gives viewers a shared vocabulary for spotting what stories include, and what they leave out.

More choice can still mean a narrower view

The streaming menu seems endless, but your recommendations can make it feel as if the same handful of stories keeps looping. Abigail De Kosnik, a UC Berkeley professor of theatre, dance and performance studies, describes today’s media landscape as fragmented: audiences increasingly see different, personalised selections rather than sharing a small number of television channels. [2], [4]

That abundance has opened space for more varied stories, but it hasn’t made every feed representative. De Kosnik’s point is a useful one: choice matters, yet so does who gets to be a main character, whose experiences shape the plot, and who remains at the edge of the frame. [2], [5]

Representation means more than getting everything right

De Kosnik argues that good representation doesn’t mean every character must be admirable. It means showing people in their fullness, including their flaws, awkward decisions and capacity to be antagonists. That makes a more useful test than simply counting how many different identities appear on screen. [2], [4]

Her Media Education Research Lab, known as MERL, began in 2020, when public conversations about race, gender and representation were especially prominent. The team reviews films and television series, considering both the characters on screen and audience responses to the work. [2], [3], [6]

MERL gives viewers a vocabulary for what they see

MERL assesses the leading characters in each work, looking at details such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age and nationality. Its reviewers also use tags to describe problems including tokenism, colorism and the sexualisation of women of colour. [2], [3]

The lab’s scoring system turns those observations into reviews and a bird rating, from a flying bird at the top to a dead bird at the bottom. It isn’t a magic verdict on whether a show is worth watching; it’s a way to make conversations about representation more specific. [2], [3]

One example from the Berkeley report is Hacks, which puts an older woman at the centre of its story. MERL’s assessment also noted that, among the show’s eight leading characters, only one person of colour made the cut. That contrast shows why a cast can look varied at a glance while still giving some characters less of the story. [2], [3]

Get beyond the algorithm with better watchlists

When a recommendation feed keeps serving familiar fare, look beyond the biggest awards lists. De Kosnik suggests checking nominations from organisations including the NAACP, Independent Spirit and GLAAD awards, which can help surface work beyond the most prominent studio releases. [2]

Independent cinemas and film festivals are another route into stories that may not have a large marketing budget. For television, industry publications and their social accounts can help viewers hear about upcoming titles, though finding older series in streaming archives remains a challenge. [2]

A simple habit helps: choose one title from outside your usual genre or recommendation list, then follow the people and awards connected to it. It’s a small way to give your viewing routine some fresh air. [2], [3]

A more open media future depends on who can make it

De Kosnik sees potential in audiences becoming creators as well as viewers. She hopes that young people making videos on phones will go on to work as directors, editors, writers, cinematographers and performers, bringing more kinds of stories into circulation. [2], [4]

That hope sits alongside real uncertainty. Media consolidation may affect what gets made and shown, while short-form video is changing how some younger audiences watch. Still, a wider range of makers could help open the door to protagonists and perspectives that traditional commissioning has overlooked. [2], [5], [7]

Look beyond the feed, and you may find a richer story waiting.

Source Reference Map

Story idea inspired by: [1]

Sources by paragraph: