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?

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?

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?

Free News or Fake News?

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in July 2017.

Al-Jazzera is an interesting news organization. Global in its ambitions, it is funded by the small, oil-rich nation of Qatar. As you might imagine, its English-language broadcasting service is controversial in the U.S.. However, it is the Arabic-language broadcasts that have led to demands by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others that it be shut down. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Why is the news media controversial--both here and in other places around the world?

•Is it possible to have journalism that has no point of view? If that is impossible, what ethics should journalists live by?

•Should we in the U.S. want Al-Jazeera to close, continue, or do something else? Why?

YouTube or TheTube?

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in March 2017.

YouTube viewership continues to grow rapidly, while traditional television viewing has peaked, bringing us very close to the point where YouTube IS television as much as NBC is television. How is that changing what we watch and how what we watch impacts our view of the world? NPR reports.

Questions...

•If TV is more like YouTube in 10 years, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

•Is YouTube more a short head or a long tail media outlet? Why?

•Should YouTube be more of a gatekeeper? How might gatekeeping change YouTube?

•Is YouTube's recommendation engine partly to blame for growing extreme beliefs and rhetoric in American society? Why or why not?

Un-Graying the News

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in March 2017.

Imagine someone watching the evening news on television. Do you imagine someone your age, or someone your grandparents' age? Let's face it: TV news audiences are getting older. One media entrepreneur thinks he has a solution. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Who has seen Vice News Tonight on HBO? What do you think of it?

•What doesn't usually get covered on network TV news that should be covered?

•What does get covered on network news that you don't care about?

Alternate Fact News

The Democratization of Information is a cool concept. It is rooted in the idea that we now have the power of a tiny online publisher in our smartphones or through our social media accounts and blogs (including this one!). But Democratization of Information also has an unfortunate side. It can spread rumors and--to use a current phrase--alternate facts. A current rumor concerns the murder of a Democratic National Committee staffer. NPR reports.

Questions...

•How is the Democratization of Information good for us? How is it bad for us?

•Who is a credible source if we want to report on the murder of the DNC staffer and the investigation that followed? How should the story be reported if investigators don't know who committed the murder?

•Is it good reporting to report the rumor? Is it good reporting to report who is spreading the rumor?

•Is there any way we can get back to agreeing on basic facts?

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?

The Cost of Privacy

We are familiar with the idea that you are not as private on the Internet as you might think. Web sites you visit track you. So do your social media platforms. But what about your internet service provider (ISP)? You pay for their service. Do they also have the right to profit from you a second time, through selling your browsing history? NPR reports.

Questions...

•Does overturning this privacy rule bother you or does it not bother you? Why?

•What are the sorts of things a person might look for online that are not illegal, but you would still not want to be public?

•Would you pay your ISP more to not be tracked? How much more?

•The phone company can't listen in on your phone calls. Should it be the same with ISPs, or is it different for some reason?

Your Digital Fingerprints

The Internet seems so anonymous. Who can tell that it was you browsing that adult entertainment website or that you are actually HottChevy126? But with increasing accuracy, advertisers know. And they know even if you and your neighbor use the same type of computer on the same network. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What makes your computer yours? How could you pick out your computer from a pile of similar-looking computers?

•What topics do you browse online?

•How is targeted advertising good for you? How is it bad for you?

•How can digital fingerprinting be used to exploit your weaknesses or problems?

•Do you think this is an invasion of privacy? Why or why not?

Free Speech Vs. Threats

The following is a Medianote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in October 2016.

The Arizona Republic is the daily newspaper based in Phoenix, Arizona. Generally, The Republic is very conservative on its editorial page, which makes it a good match for the region of the country that it serves. However, the paper gained a bit of national attention recently when it endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. Some locals reacted badly. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Is free speech practical? Why is it worth the trouble?

•Vigorous opinions are protected speech. Threats are not. Where do you draw the line between the two?

•Has extreme speech on the Internet made our political speech more extreme, or is something else going on?

•Has the deluge of information from the Internet, cable TV and other places made us more tolerant of other opinions, or less? Why?

Get Real!

In the olden days, it was pretty clear what was news and what was "news" ... in other words, the fake stuff was pretty obvious. But now it's tough to figure out what is factual, what is fake, what is an ad and what is written by actual journalists. This bewildering world of information, pseudo-information and downright lies is most confusing for young people who often have little exposure to actual high-quality journalism. NPR reports on a Stanford professor's study.

Questions...

•How do you determine whether news is accurate or not?

•Should computers at schools and libraries have browsers that read only stories from reputable sources? Why or why not?

•Should spreading fake news be illegal? Why or why not?

•Is fake news a threat to democratic societies? If so, how?

•How should we teach Glendale College students how to evaluate news and academic sources? Suggest some research questions for a Winter 2017 research paper on the topic of fake news.

Good Reporting or Manipulation?

Journalists know that great stories can come from anonymous sources or leaked documents. But information obtained by hackers--sometimes on behalf of foreign governments--adds a digital twist to this old controversy. NPR reports.

Questions...

•In general, how do you feel about anonymous sources in news stories?

•Is it ethical or constructive for American news organizations to report from information leaked by a hostile government?

•What types of embarrassing personal behavior of our leaders is it fair to report? What is irrelevant?

•Is it good or bad that our media has wildly differing standards of appropriateness, professionalism and newsworthiness?

Who Controls Social Media Posts?

Smart phones and social media are a powerful combo. They have been used to document political revolts, mass murders and police shootings, among other things. So it is no wonder that Apple came under intense pressure recently to unlock an iPhone that was used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino tragedy last year. And social media companies have been under intense pressure to suppress videos of police shootings and other sensitive topics. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What are the five freedoms in the First Amendment?

•Is a social media company more like a newspaper or is it more like a telephone company?

•What are the reasons why police should be able to order a social media account turned off? What are the reasons why police should not have the power to order a social media account turned off?

•Why is it impractical from a business standpoint for a social media company to protect absolute freedom of speech on a global scale?

Smartphones Vs. Guns

As this MediaNote is being written, Democratic legislators are staging a round-the-clock sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives. Their purpose is to force the Republican leadership of the House to bring gun control legislation to the floor for a vote. House Speaker Paul Ryan (a Republican) has responded to the sit-in by calling it "a publicity stunt" and ordering the House microphones and C-Span cameras turned off. Democrats responded with continuous live cellphone video streamed to Periscope and Facebook Video. C-Span (a nonpartisan, nonprofit channel that provides unfiltered coverage of the federal government) has responded by playing the live streamed internet feed. The Washington Post and other traditional media have taken up the story. The Republican leadership has responded by suspending the legislative session until July 5.

Questions...

•How would the sit-in have played out differently without participatory media on the Internet? How is the cellphone video an example of "disintermediation"?

•"Agenda Setting" is when the media gets us to think about a topic by giving that topic a lot of coverage? How is this an example of agenda setting? Can new media (internet video, Tweets, etc.) be as effective at agenda setting as old media (TV, newspapers, etc.)?

•How can individuals use the media at their fingertips to support (or oppose) what is going on in the House?

•How can Democrats keep the sit-in going without it fading into the background? Was it a smart tactic for the Republican leadership to adjourn until July 5?

•How can Republicans, the NRA and others use media to get their viewpoint out?

Click the Vote

The following is presented to MW students only in Spring 2016.

President Obama was elected President in 2008 in part due to a "Rock the Vote" television campaign that persuaded a large number of young people to vote. In 2016, social media-based campaigns may have a significant impact on the political landscape. NPR reports.

Questions...

•When have you found yourself a target for online ads? What sort of things were advertised at you?

•Why is social media-based political advertising better than TV advertising?

•Is social media-based advertising better for mainstream candidates or for extreme candidates?

•Does this type of campaigning and fundraising empower the 1% or does it undercut their influence? Why?

Tiny TV Stations, Huge Profits

Why should a TV station have a broadcast license? Most people have cable or satellite, and those who don't may stream video content over the web. But some tiny TV stations in big cities are finding that they can make big profits from their FCC-issued broadcast license. The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•Is this the beginning of the end for television? Why or why not?

•The broadcast spectrum is regulated for the public good. Which use should get priority: TV broadcasters or telecommunications? Why?

•You are manager of a TV station whose new owners are selling your place on the broadcast spectrum. What do you do? What are your options?

Ready for Trump Tweets?

This is a Medianote Classic. It was originally presented in September 2015. In Spring 2016, it will be presented to TTh classes only.

Political campaigning is a race for name recognition and connection with various groups of voters. And then motivating those groups of voters to turn out at the polls. It should be no surprise that social media has become a large and growing part of political campaigns. NPR reports.

Questions...

•In Chapter 1, we learn that all media messages are constructions. How are these media messages constructions?

•Is social media particularly effective when there are a lot of candidates to choose from? How?

•How is a campaign tweeting live (or nearly live) from a debate an example of disintermediation?

•How might a campaign adjust its tweets for particular groups of voters?

•How might social media be used in a campaign for GCC student body president?

Hollywood: Diversity Not Included

Hollywood--especially the movie industry--apparently isn't very diverse, according to a USC study. This NPR story discusses some of the possible reasons why the movies don't really look like present-day America.

Questions...

•Apparently, the movie isn't as diverse as America. Does that matter? Why or why not?

•Does diversity matter more on camera or behind the camera? Why?

•Why does it matter if the director is a woman and the screenplay writer is a person of color?

•Hollywood is a business of personal contacts? Is that part of the problem?

•Philharmonic orchestras have blind auditions. Would that help in this case?

•What do you recommend that Hollywood do?