Books: Not Just for Grandpa

The following is a MadiaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in September 2014.

One of the annoying things about stereotypes is that they are often provably untrue, but the stereotype endures anyway. One stereotype is that the Millennial Generation (currently ages 16 to 29) don't read books, or at least not to the degree that previous generations did.

Well, it's not true according to a recent Pew Research study. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Do these results surprise you? Why or why not?

•Why do books endure in the face of dazzling interactive media?

•Are books as enjoyable and informative on a Kindle or an iPad as they are on paper?

•Has the Internet done anything to cause book reading to increase or decrease? If so, what?

•What advice would you give to GCC as it transitions to digital textbooks?

Lights, Camera, Sandwiches!

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in February 2015.

One of the tenets of media literacy that MC101s learn is that "all media messages are constructions." They are not reality. They are a selected reality or a stylized version of reality or a pictorial version of reality. Creating realistic-looking food for television and movie scenes is an example of the latter. Here's an example: If ice cream is shown in a TV or movie screen, it is probably mashed potatoes or something other than ice cream. Why? Ice cream melts too quickly under the lights.

NPR did a nice little feature recently about food on the set.

Questions...

•Name all the support businesses that make money off the movie and TV industries.

•Does a healthy movie/TV industry do anything for our local restaurants, dry cleaners, car dealers, etc.?

•Are Hollywood-related jobs good jobs or bad jobs? Why?

•How do people get these jobs?

Just Burn It!

Nike has made the intentionally-provocative decision to star former NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a series of ads. Kaepernick is the player who chose to kneel during the national anthem as a silent protest against police mistreatment of people of color. Some conservatives have reacted to the ad campaign by burning their Nike equipment, sometimes putting video of the burnings on YouTube. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Who is Nike's target customer? Why is Nike more likely than Budweiser to use Colin Kaepernick in an advertising campaign?

•What does this do for Nike's brand-name recognition?

•Is Kapernick's kneeling covered by the First Amendment? If so, what part of the First Amendment?

•Are videos of angry people burning Nike products also covered by the First Amendment? Do these videos help Nike or hurt Nike?

•What do you think of Nike's use of Kaepernick from a business standpoint? How is it a good idea? How is it a bad idea?