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 »
Mass Communication Research
Communicating with large audiences takes a distinct set of skills and a working knowledge of how advertising campaigns, media cycles and the other factors can change the way that people relay, receive and understand messages. Mass communication is an incredibly relevant and important subsection of communication studies. The study of mass media is particularly important with the growing availability of Internet-ready computers and cell phones. Mass communication encompasses all forms of communication that rely on large-scale media, and as these communication techniques evolve, it is important to stay informed about new mass communication trends and concepts. In this section of our blog, we will look at the latest mass communication research, including studies, experiments, scientific surveys, theories and critical analyses.
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It’s Time to Rethink Pink, Says Anti-Gender Stereotyping Campaign
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 »
Popular U.S. News Sites by State: Who’s Reading What and Where
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 »
29 Famous People You Never Knew Had Communication Degrees
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 »
Can Twitter Accurately Show Public Moods?
A study from the University of Bristol's Intelligent Systems Laboratory indicates that posts from Twitter users can serve as an accurate indicator of overall public opinion. Researchers monitored keywords in random tweets from July of 2009 to January of 2012, tracking 140-character messages from nearly 10 million users to monitor public moods in the UK. Read more »
Viral TNT Ad Is Hilarious and Insightful [Video]
Ever wonder how television drama actually compares to real life? Now you can find out. TNT, whose slogan reads, "Your Daily Dose of Drama," gives us a taste of what it takes to make highly entertaining television through their new ad/viral video. Read more »
New Tool Shows Youth Overexposure To Alcohol-Related Advertising
A new online tool draws attention to how young people are exposed to radio ads for wine, beer and hard liquor. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth developed the tool at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health by tracking and analyzing the consistency of alcohol-related ads in 75 radio markets in 2009. Read more »
Violent Video Games Effects: As Bad As We Say They Are? [Study]
A new study from a Gothenburg-based research group sheds some light on how violent games affect online gamers and suggests that the link between real-life and in-game violence is more nuanced and less straightforward than previously believed. Read more »
The Key to Happiness is Tragedy? [Study]
Human existence being what it is, it would seem logical that people would seek out happy stories to help them escape from life's harsh realities. Yet people who experience the everyday tragedies, disappointments and losses that all human beings experience actively seek out movies, television shows and books that depict tragedy. It now appears that the reason people take pleasure in watching tragedies is that tragedies actually make them feel happier. Read more »
What Makes Great Infographics Great
Today’s culture is obsessed with data. We love approval ratings of presidents, how the public feels about prescription drugs, and the ratings of our favorite TV shows. So it’s no wonder that infographics have been all the rage online. But just like anything, there’s good and there’s bad infographics. Bad infographics don’t go viral. Great ones do. Here are some tips for creating and designing brilliant, wonderful, great infographics. Read more »