Trump and Biden Online

In six months, the presidential election will be over. Until then, expect and unusually harsh campaign. President Trump and presumptive Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden have very different styles: one is brash and polarizing, the other is genial consensus-builder. It turns out their online campaigns are very different as well. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What is the difference in approaches between the Biden and Tump online campaigns?

•How is the role of mainstream news media different in the two campaigns?

•What is the difference in approach in regard to reaching voters across the political spectrum?

Privacy in Public in Europe?

The following is a MediaNote Classic. This MediaNote was originally presented to MC101 classes in Summer 2018.

In general, Europeans protect their personal privacy a bit more than Americans do. The latest example of this is a European Union law that gives people the right to not have their image posted online if they don't want it posted. This means, for example, that if your sister takes a picture of you in front of the former Berlin Wall and posts it on Facebook, a local person identifiable in the background of the photo can demand that it be removed. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What do you think of this law?

•Should photos have free speech protection? Why or why not?

•Could this law have an impact on photojournalism?

•In the US, people who get photographed in public cannot claim a right to privacy. Journalists are free to photograph things that are newsworthy. People whose likeness is used for profit--your face is on a can of soup, for example--can sue if they have not agreed to have their likeness used. What do you think of this?

•In the example above, how can you deal with the EU citizen who doesn't want to be in your tourist photo?

The Psychology of Selling Cars

The following is a MediaNote Classic. The current version of this MediaNote was first shown to MC101 classes in Spring 2018.

Sut Jhally, a nationally-known expert on the psychological effects of advertising, has said that best ads do not try to sell the product on its merits. Instead, it creates a dream life around the product.

Several years ago, Your Humble Blogger saw the following ad during a Dodger telecast. How much of the ad discusses the merits of the vehicle, and how much of it is a constructed dream life?

More recently, another car ad caught Your Humble Blogger's eye.

Questions...

•What does the ad say about the quality, performance, reliability, cost or resale value of the product?

•Describe the dream life created around the product?

•What role do the visuals play in creating this dream life?

•What role does the music play in creating this dream life?

•Who is the target customer of the product?

Advertising and the Coronavirus

Advertising often reflects real-world events. In 2017, Budweiser injected itself into the national debate over immigration by running a Super Bowl ad about how Adolphus Busch, an immigrant from Germany, came to America. Now advertisers are beginning to feature coronavirus in their ads. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What are some examples of ads that were deemed inappropriate when the coronavirus crisis hit?

•What are some examples of "second wave" ads that include the coronavirus crisis?

•How has advertising spending changed since the crisis began?

Dead Actors, Live Audiences

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to Mass Comm 101 classes in Spring 2018.

If I want to see Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in a movie, I find a copy of their 1949 film, Adam's Rib. Soon I may be able to see them in a whole now movie created many years after their deaths. Movie technology has advanced to the degree that not only do we have trouble telling animation from live action. We now have difficulty telling live actors from dead ones. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Is this technology good for the movie business or bad for the movie business? Why?

•What jobs will this technology eliminate? What jobs will it create?

•You are a major Hollywood star. How do you use this technology to fund your retirement? How do you use it to provide income for your heirs?

•Will the audience want to see new movies (or TV shows or video games) with John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe in them? In 50 years will audiences want to see new movies with a young Jennifer Lawrence or Johnny Depp?

Did Gillette Cut Itself?

The following is a MediaNote Classic. This MediaNote was originally shown to students in January 2019.

Gillette razor blades have been associated with men and masculinity for as long as this blogger can remember. So--in light of the #Metoo Movement--it makes sense that the Boston-based company has given some thought to how men are portrayed in their ads. The result was this video. NPR reports on the backlash among some men.

Questions...

•What do you think of the message in this video?

•Are you surprised that the video has more dislikes than likes on YouTube? Do you think that means that most men are offended by it?

•Do you think this ad and controversy helps or harms the Gillette brand in the years ahead?

•What type of man should Gillette portray in their ads?

The Times Are a Changin'

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in June 2018.

This is a tough time to own a major daily newspaper. The Los Angeles Times--largely due to poor management under its previous owner--has suffered more than most. With a new owner and a new 21st Century newsroom, the Times is ready to reinvent itself. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What should a newspaper do, whether on paper or online? (what is its function)

•What things about a major metro paper (like the Times) should not be changed?

•What things SHOULD be changed?

•What insights might an immigrant to Southern California have that a native might not have?

•How can the Times be more relevant to young adults like you?

Campaigning at Your Mailbox

Election Day is approaching. In local elections or other elections where voting turnout is expected to be low, direct mail has long been the preferred method of advertising. And if you are not a registered voter, you never see these mailings. Examples will be shown on a PowerPoint in class.

Questions...

•How are these mailers an example of targeted communications?

•Why are these ads effective?

•What are the advantages and disadvantages of slate mailers?

•How might an "atoms to bits" transition take place with this type of political advertising?

F for Fake

Near the end of his legendary filmmaking career, Orson Welles made a movie titled "F for Fake." It was about several instances of fraud that were so convincing that it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. It was a very confusing movie. Today, deep fake technology may make figuring out what is real harder than even Welles might have imagined. And what impact could that have on our upcoming elections? NPR reports...

Questions...

•Have you ever seen a deep fake video? What was it?

•Describe a Deep Fake that could cause Mr. Trump or Sen. Warren or some other top political figure to lose votes?

•What Deep Fake could make the divisions between men and women, gays and straights, whites and people of color worse?

•What can average people like us do to make sure (or be as sure as possible) that something is true?

Here's the Pitch...

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in January 2017.

Your Aunt Mabel is holding a Tupperware Party. Friends, neighbors and relatives will assemble in the living room, relax over a bit of food and drink, and hopefully buy some Tupperware. It's a sales job, but it is also from someone you know. So you go and you buy.

The online version of this is the "Influencer." Influencers may post about a way of life or a product, but they're trying to sell you something. And tech-savvy young adults are more likely than most to be Influencers. NPR reports.

Questions...

•How do Influencers fit in with Paul Lazerfeld's 1940 People's Choice Study?

•According to the Indirect Effects Model, will the effects of an Influencer's message be predictable and uniform across the population seeing or hearing the message?

•Under the Transmission Model (SMCR), name the Sender, Message, Channel, and Receiver for the student Influencer in the story?

•In your estimation, are Influencers a passing fad, or are they here to stay? Why?

Whose Thought Is It Anyway?

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in February 2016.

Some years ago one of the presidential candidates took a much-publicized trip to a flag factory. He had no particular reason to be there, but he knew that the TV and newspaper cameras would inevitably capture images of the candidate striding through an inspirational and photogenic sea of American flags. Besides, it was the Fourth of July. The candidate rose in the polls.

Advertisers know that the real way to persuade people is to grab them by their emotions. And emotions are most easily aroused through pictures. Sometimes those pictures are obvious, like flags in a flag factory, and sometimes they aren't. This video is about the persuasive power of images that aren't so obvious.

Questions...

•How were the advertising executives manipulated by subliminal images?

•Do you think this type of manipulation is ethical?

•Do you think this video is true? Is it exaggerated? Is it a pack of lies? How credible is the source?

•Create a subliminal ad for Mass Comm 101 on the Glendale College campus.

When Speech Isn't Really Speech

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in May 2016.

Freedom of Speech is a huge idea expressed very briefly in the First Amendment. So it is up to courts to decide what Freedom of Speech means, especially as it relates to technologies The Founders couldn't have imagined. Computer code, for example. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Name some things that aren't really speech, but they are sort of similar to speech?

•When does government force you to say or pass along messages you'd rather not say or pass along.

•What would be the impact if government could force software developers to put in code they don't want to put in?

•Political money has considerable free speech protection. What problems does that cause for the political system?

My Refrigerator Is Squealing on Me!

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in March 2018.

Your Humble Blogger recently purchased a GPS device for his bicycle. With it, he can not only record data and maps of his rides, he can also download data and maps of other people's rides. However, he began getting emails stating that he has turned in the 26th fastest climb on this hill or the 105th quickest trip along this route. This was a little unsettling since Your Humble Blogger never entered these competitions... but his bike computer did.

This NPR story looks at the privacy implications of smart devices. In light of this, would anyone want a smart bathroom?

Questions...

•Do you want to live in a smart house? Why or why not?

•What could a smart TV do for you? What could it do to you?

•How about a smart refrigerator?

•What smart devices would a life insurance company or a medical insurance company like to get data from?

•What would you like to automate in your house? What things in your house would you like to operate remotely?

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?

Eurofornia

Californians are perhaps a little more willing to accept European-style government regulations than, say, Texans. Furthermore, California is too big a market for companies to ignore, even if it isn't always the easiest place to do business. So it probably makes sense that California is at the forefront of Internet privacy laws. NPR reports.

Questions...

•If things go as planned, in 2020 we will know what companies know about us. Will this be an important right or a trivial one? Why?

•Why might this new law have an impact on your next refrigerator or home security system?

•Should we as Californians care that this law might add difficulty and expense for some Internet companies? Why might this be more of a concern in Northern California?

•Why do you think the big tech companies didn't just give big money to defeat the ballot measure?

•If you were CEO of a tech company that deals in consumer information, how would you want the new law to be crafted?

How to Unsell a Product

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in May 2016.

Cigarettes are bad for you. That has been apparent since the Surgeon General's report in 1964 on smoking and lung cancer.

And yet, more than a half century later a sizable percentage of young people continue to take up smoking. It is as though they are in a hurry to get to the sick and helpless years of their lives.

Your federal government has responded with a series of youth-oriented anti-smoking ads. Will they do any good? NPR reports.

Questions...

•These are PSAs, or Public Service Announcements. What other PSAs can you think of?

•Why is there music in ads?

•Fees collected from tobacco companies are put into anti-smoking campaigns. Are these ads a good way to spend that money?

•If you can sell shoes or cars in an ad, can you also sell anti-smoking in an ad? Or is this somehow different?

Beware of Online Surveys

It's fun to take an online survey telling you what city you belong in or what Disney Princess you are most like. But before you answer the questions, think about this: Why would someone write the survey? Why would someone write the program to analyze the surveys? And what happens to the answers to your survey once you've found out that you're a dead-ringer for Princess Jasmine and you would be happiest in Boston.

The controversy surrounding Cambridge Analytica, Facebook and the Trump Campaign has given us a peek at how personal information is obtained, analyzed and sold. NBC reports.

Questions...

•What is your attitude about taking online surveys? Do you worry about them? Why or why not?

•Has the Cambridge Analytica controversy changed your willingness to take online surveys? Why or why not?

•What information should companies be allowed to collect about you? What should they not be able to collect?

Lovecraft: From Literature to Literaslur

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in October 2014.
This medianote was presented to TTh classes only.

We all have unfortunate personal failings. But not all of us are revered literary figures who have prestigious awards named after us. Horror/fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft was a much-loved author of weird, twisted tales. It turns out that in his real life he had weird, twisted attitudes about entire groups of people. Should a prestigious literary award stop bearing Lovecraft's name and likeness because of his racism? NPR reports.

Questions...

•In general, what should we do about revered historical figures who are later found to have deep personal flaws?

•Explain D.W. Griffith and Leni Riefensthal. Should we celebrate them as artists or deplore their flaws?

•Should we hold an author to the same moral standards as a politician? How about a movie star?

•What will likely happen if the World Fantasy Award Association changes its award? What will likely happen if they don't change their award?

•Should NPR be allowed to put examples of Lovecraft's racism in their story? Why or why not?

Forget Big Brother, What About Alexa?

Smart deices are nice to have. You ask Siri or Alexa or Echo something and you get a quick and usually helpful voice response. But can your smart devices keep a secret? Or do they blab out your most personal details to marketers and others? NPR reports.

Questions...

•Do you ever worry that your smart device is listening? Is there anything that you would not say in front of your smart device?

•Has your smart device ever acted in an unexpected way? Tell me your stories.

•Is it OK with you if your queries are turned into data for marketers? Ot should that be regulated?

•Is it OK if your queries are turned over to police so they can deploy their forces more efficiently? (A neighborhood where a lot more people are talking about walking, for example, could be used as evidence for more traffic cops)

Going...Going...Gone!

This Medianote was not presented to the MW 10:45 class.

ESPN, which according to your textbook was the most profitable part of the Disney media empire as recently as 2011, has just laid off a lot of employees. Obviously, its a whole new ballgame for the cable sports channel. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Is television a dying medium? Why or why not?

•Would you prefer to buy cable stations "a la carte," or do you prefer paying for a large bundle of stations?

•Does professional (and college) sports still draw younger viewers, or is the audience mostly middle-aged and older folks?

•What could ESPN do to make its program stream younger and more inclusive?