Cognitive Engineering

Nick recently made the surprising discovery that Mrs. Brown’s Boys continues to attract millions of viewers each week on prime-time television. So, we asked ourselves, why are there films, music and television programmes that appear to be universally loathed, but are inexplicably popular? Are there any identifiable traits or patterns that can lead us closer to explaining this phenomenon? In this week’s podcast, we discuss things that seem universally hated but are popular. Is it the result of a marketing ploy by film, television and public relation executives, or is it simply a mismatch between the cultural status of a particular product and its perceived level of quality? We discuss the Nash equilibrium, try-hards, shy Tories, Kanye West and Mrs. Browns Boys. Finally, we share some of the guilty pleasures in our cultural consumption. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Mrs Brown’s Ultimate Funniest Moments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rC2rfCj3sk - Mrs Brown's Boys Wins Situation Comedy BAFTA