A friend who works in television told me recently: “Crypto is huge.”
Meaning cryptozoology. Meaning that there’s a growing demand for TV programs about mythical creatures like Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster, or mermaids, and that these programs are enthusiastically added to prime time lineups at channels like Animal Planet or TLC.The latest example is the Discovery Channel’s blockbuster mockumentary on Megalodon. “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives” got huge ratings for Discovery and instantly incited outrage, because the monster does not, in fact, live. It’s been extinct for millions of years. This is a genre of programming that seems increasingly popular: Blatant fiction dressed up as fact, interspersed with wild speculation, framed by a few disclaimers here and there for the purists. You can’t quite call it a hoax, but neither is it a triumph of science communication.
Crypto is hot. Let's face it, a lot of folks are bored. To read more, click here.