With computer-mediated communication, reading and writing have become a tango. Text is ephemeral, disposable, spontaneous – much like real-time natural language. In fact, texting occurs at near-conversation rates. How does this alter our experience of the written word? When text communication approaches this rate of exchange, something new kicks in: emotions and fleeting thoughts get mingled with the generation of words. Read more »
With the selection of Howard Stern as a new panel member on America’s Got Talent, it made me realize that behind all his controversy, he’s doing something right. As a radio personality, talk show host, and prominent media figure, Howard Stern knows a few things about the world of communication. It makes sense considering he graduated magna cum laude with a communications degree from Boston University. Read more »
A survey from mobile phone news website Recombu shows that sexting is popular but sometimes complicated. People often mistakenly send sexts to the wrong people, or in some cases, the wrong partner. Sexting, sending sexually themed pictures or messages by cell phone, is popular with both men and women according to the survey of 2,000 [...] Read more »
A new study gives potentially important information about social media use and why addiction to websites like Facebook is on the rise worldwide. According to Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen of the University of Bergen in Norway, social media addiction is a distinct type of Internet addiction that has grown significantly over the past several years. Andreassen's research provides a first-ever look at the demographics of the average addicted Facebook user. Read more »
In Greek mythology, Venus is known as the goddess of beauty. She has been portrayed over the years in endless paintings by world renowned masters like Botticelli and Bouguereau. But how would Venus fair in today's photoshopped society? Would she still be considered beautiful? Would Botticelli have decided to paint the same woman? Read more »
Need to enlarge your bust or get rid of that muffin top? Not according to Dove's latest ad campaign, which seeks to replace ads for diets and cellulite creams on Facebook with messages that promote a positive self-image. Read more »
Two British mothers have joined forces to protest what they see as increasing gender stereotyping among manufacturers and retailers who target children. Emma and Abi Moore, twin sisters who have two children each, began their anti-stereotyping campaign, Pinkstinks, four years ago. Read more »
A new graphic compiled by Hilary Mason and Anna Smith of Bit.ly and Forbes Magazine's Jon Bruner shows the popularity of different online news sites across the United States. The team looked for unusually popular linked articles and compiled click-through information to create a color-coded map of the United States that shows the online news reporting preference of each state. Read more »
In the course of any argument or discussion, good communicators need to know how to avoid logical fallacies. Logical fallacies weaken an argument by treating a false assumption as fact, but because many speakers and writers don’t take the time to consider the basis of their arguments, logical fallacies are fairly common in politics, business [...] Read more »
You may be surprised to find that many famous people in the entertainment, sports and political fields have more in common than a photogenic smile and a career spent in the public eye. Many of the people who manage to turn their time in the spotlight into successful careers have degrees in communication. Read more »