Enter World: exploring mediated cultures

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

An article I wrote on the Obscurae Gallery project is up at JPGmag. Below is the introduction, but head on over there to see more photos and read it all.

Braddock, Pennsylvania, has a haunting beauty that draws in photographers. From those who live in nearby Pittsburgh to travelers from around the world, something about this town grabs their attention and reveals itself in their visions.

Within these photographs there is a bridge between how the small town appears to daily commuters and what lies beneath. Beneath the abandoned buildings we find brilliant colors seeping into rough, rusted metal. Green vines, weeds, and moss overtake broken remnants of what was left behind.

This divide between the view of Braddock from a distance and the beautiful details captured by photographers sparked inspiration for me and two friends: We decided to bring the enthusiasm full circle by displaying the photographs of 28 artists featuring obscure, intriguing details of Braddock in a fundraising photo lottery to support community and artistic projects in the town that has inspired so much creative vision.

Read more...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

A participant in my media agendas presentation (yes, there were a couple) made an excellent point that I need to explore further. She said she has been reading alternative media for their positive coverage of things such as the government as opposed to coverage only of mistakes. Past research has shown that mainstream media has a bias toward negativity, but it’s more than that. My research was limited in that I stuck to established categories that show links between topics in the media and in public opinion polls. Although they were broken down into many subcategories, the categories themselves are very general.

Is there a difference in the topic of what government has done right versus what it has done wrong? I would say yes. Especially if it’s not the same policy being evaluated from opposite sides of the political spectrum, which would make it more a matter of framing. 

Monday, February 11, 2008

My article titled Understanding Media Psychology was published in the January issue of the APS Observer. 

I’ll be presenting some of my research at the New Communications Forum, presented by the Society for New Communications Research, in Sonoma this April: Comparing Independent and Corporate Media Agendas. They asked me to participate in the track titled The Changing Face of Journalism & The New Business of the News Media. Below is my session summary:

Increasingly available participatory media technologies have led to easier production and consumption of independent news. Independent media outlets have been addressed as social movements, potential sources addressing oppression, and presenters of opposing views to corporate media. However, the producers of independent media are the public, and agenda setting research has shown that an increased need for orientation leads information seekers to integrate the media agenda. This session will explore the media agenda of independent media compared to that of corporate media. Based on original research using online news sources, we will discuss the tie between the corporate media agenda, the public agenda, and the independent media agenda. In addition, we will explore the nature and potential of independent media in relation to social change.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Still procrastinating with fervor on addressing my dissertation. However, in an as yet inexpressible way I do know that I have come across a way to combine the topic I already wrote a concept paper for with all of the new information I have gathered. So in a way I am calm about it, just waiting for the concept to become clear so I can put it into words.

In the meantime, I submitted an article to the APS newsletter’s Student Notebook column. Now that my Div 46 associate editorship has wrapped up I want to keep getting things out there. It was accepted, and should be printed in January.

I also applied as a grant reviewer for a student competition and received the applications for review today.

And, I’m headed back to Juneau for a month. 

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Tonight I presented research comparing independent media agendas and corporate media agendas to a group at Fielding’s Summer Session.

Based on research comparing the media agendas in online independent and corporate news sources, I discussed social and ethical implications of media agendas. I was specifically interested in discovering whether the independent media source provided an alternative agenda to that of corporate media. Following the first phase of agenda setting research, the research was based on public issues to categorize headlines and compared three sources from Portland, OR.

Abstract:
The following paper presents an analysis of research conducted in early 2007 comparing the media agendas in online independent and corporate news sources. Following the first phase of agenda setting research, the author uses public issues to categorize headlines from the sources. Comparison of the issues covered by each source revealed statistically significant differences between the two corporate media agendas but no statistically significant difference between the independent source and either corporate source’s media agenda. The nature of and potential for independent media are discussed in relation to these findings.

Friday, April 06, 2007

JWF_PSY769_MediaSynergy_WEB.pdf

Preface

The goal of this paper is to establish Michael Moore as a force in the media who is able to use media synergy in a way typically seen in use by major media conglomerates. After establishing this, we can begin to analyze effects of crossing media formats and styles on audience interest and processing. To begin this analysis of media synergy, we need to establish how Moore is involved with media creation and promotion. Section I: Michael Moore and Media reviews Moore’s early and varied media experiences. His experiences, as well as responses to some situations, are important to understanding points made later in the paper. As we explore the implications of Moore’s media involvement it becomes clear that past experiences build toward his identity formation, integration of entertainment and information, and understanding of media promotion. Section I establishes Moore’s background in relation to media and media synergy.

Sections II and III detail the making and promotion of Moore’s two top-grossing documentary films, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. These sections explore the culmination of Moore’s media awareness and experience as well as his growth between the two films. It is also in these sections that we begin to explore how Moore interwove entertainment styles with the documentary format and how this might affect audience interpretation of his films.

Section IV: Promotion, Controversy and Media constructs a comparison of Moore’s on- and off-screen tactics to draw coverage to himself and his documentary films, leading into Section V: Media Synergy and Michael Moore. Having established Moore’s media background and successes, we are now able to begin exploring the connections between Moore and media synergy. This section expands upon the meaning of media synergy, how Moore aims for synergy in promotion and creation of his products, and addresses trends in media consumption.

Section VI: A Progressing Relationship Between Entertainment and Information takes the links of media synergy beyond the creation and promotion of media content and into an investigation of changing ideals in the media sphere. Using Moore’s documentary films as an example of the crossover between entertainment and information, we look more closely at various methods used to draw viewer attention. Finally, the paper concludes with Section VII: Implications for Media Psychology and Future Research.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

I’ve been working on converting the media literacy project I completed last year to this new site format. It’s now up at thefremlin / medialit.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

issue_005_web.pdf

We finished rubber cementing the stickers on the covers of issue 6.6.6 just in time (last night) to distribute on 6.6.6. Here’s the web-readable version. You can download an imposed print-ready PDF at the TANGENT site.

Topics in this issue include:

• how to file for office
• Upton Sinclair & Sinclair Lewis
• media rants
• an essay on love
• One night in the singularity (fiction)
• Amazing women: George Sand
• lizard remnants
• animal cruelty