Media Law and Literacy

Despite these troubling times that have been affecting the people of the world since the introduction of COVID-19, there are still some fairly noteworthy examples of people doing loving and kind things for each other. I think hearing stories about these types of things bring some happiness to an otherwise terrible situation, so I try to look for them in the news whenever possible. Recently I heard of a few different stories of ways people were still trying to have their weddings despite 'rona season. I think that while it's definitely a trivial thing to focus on during a trying time, that these displays of love are what can also help heal the mental and psychological damage that this virus will do. Most recently, I saw an article featuring multiple examples of wedding experiences happening despite the virus. These included folks hosting weddings over Zoom, drive-in receptions, and Corona themed photoshoots. One couple chose to get married in their original venue in front of a...

Today in the United States, we are exposed to countless messages of propaganda, and it's extremely important that we understand not only what they are, but why and how we are receiving these messages. Propaganda has essentially been around as long as mass communication itself has been possible. At its core, propaganda is essentially advertisement of a cause, however it differs from advertising in that is "intentionally not objective" and designed to sway opinion towards a certain direction. Typically propaganda is regarded as a fairly powerful technique, so it should be considered with great regard both when learning about it's definition and viewing it in everyday life. The more we as a society can come to understand about these messages, how they are used, and what we should do when we encounter them, the more we can empower ourselves to be smart consumers of media as well as active participants in American democracy.  Firstly, it's important to understand t...

Without question, the issue of privacy is becoming one of increasing concern in today's America. There are countless ways that people can use information to harm another person, and these attacks can come from large entities such as the government as well as from individual people. What's worse, there's little to no protection for victims of such abuse in terms of internet laws that prevent the exploitation of information on and through the internet. Two of the TedTalks we were asked to review stood out to me in particular, and I think that both excellently highlight the issues with the extreme tactics available and what little measures are in place to protect us from them.  Firstly, the talk about police surveillance excellently highlights the innocent nature of most of the people being spied upon by the government. The police is supposed to be designed to protect and serve the people, so why on earth would they store the data of innocent people "just in case...

As we go further and further into the digital age, I think that it's really important to consider what you do online and how it impacts your life. One can reasonable assume that if you are going to put something online, that the information is going to be used and/or monetized at some point. The more time I spend online, the more intense the targeted advertising becomes, and I can't imagine at this point how someone who wasn't trained in Communication/Advertising could possibly make sense of it all at this point. In terms of my own online presence, I'd say that it's fairly average but soon to increase, whether this will be a good or bad thing yet I suppose only time can tell. I'm currently working on a personal website, I have accounts with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Youtube, and probably more that I've forgotten about from years ago. I think that especially for young people, the it's really important to conside...

Of all the 8 Values proposed that make up our system of free expression, none is more important than our right to practice dissent. We as Americans are participants in a contract with the Government, and we have a duty to be active participants in that agreement if we hope to receive the rights we are promised. When Americans forget that they are who make up the government they forget that it only processes the power which people give them. Thusly, anything which is wrong with the government is the responsibility of the American people to fix. The best way for this to be executed is by the American people focusing on their ability to utilize their first amendment rights and voice their concerns at every possible opportunity. We experience Government on both a small and large scale, so it is important to examine both small and large scale entities and speak up about issues we witness as non-government affiliated Americans. When we do this, we can better accomplish the change we...

According to recent statistics, Tik Tok is the only social media platform in the Top 15 that has been developed within the last 8 years. Technically, the app is still a start-up. However, when one starts to examine the way in which the mass adoption of the app has occurred, some very tactical patterns start to emerge. When applying the theory of Diffusion of Innovations, there are some clear ways in which they overlap that contributes to the massive success of the app: 1. Changes in Stages: When the app first launched, the general set up of the app was perfectly suited to the needs of "influencers", i.e. the first group of adopters. It allowed them to gain popularity quickly within a small group and generate personalities that would attract the next group "early adopters" to the app to interact with content that was rare and exclusive to the app but provided by already-popular figures. When there was concern that these "early adopters" were becomi...

After visiting the two websites, The American Conservative and Antiwar.com, I was somewhat torn between my reactions. Personally, I believe in antiwar sentiments and have been raised in a community that generally shared those beliefs, so when I explored both of these websites, their content did not stand out to me as opinions I had never heard before. I was somewhat surprised to see a website so directly stating themselves as conservative also containing rhetoric against the war, but the top headline when I opened their home page was "Trump Victory Against the #MeToo Movement", so I imagine it draws a mixed crowd. I enjoyed Antiwar.com and especially their Mission Statement, which stated the importance of questioning your surroundings.  They quote Randolph Borne who said, "it is during war that one best understands the nature of that institution [the State]. " At its core, that nature includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralizati...