The #1 Resource for the Communication Field
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.
If you believe every claim on every advertisement that you see, you’re in the minority. A new survey shows that consumers distrust advertisements, with only 3 percent describing ad claims as “very accurate.” 57 percent of respondents said that ads are somewhat exaggerated and 19 percent described advertising claims as very exaggerated. The survey also [...] Read more »
The role of gender in childhood development has been a widely debated topic for decades. Many argue that from the moment children are born we shower them in stereotypes. Blue blankets for boys, pink for girls. Nerf guns for boys, dollhouses for girls. Proponents against these stereotypes say the choices we make in which toys [...] Read more »
If efforts to save their dwindling companies in the declining industry of journalism, many newspapers that have moved their product online are also looking to charge subscriptions for content (a method called a “paywall”). In fact, 300 online newspapers in the U.S. have already put these paywalls in place. But the effectiveness of this method [...] Read more »
Sales of printed newspapers have been on the decline over the last decade. In attempts to save their companies and earn more revenue, most newspapers have put their content online for free. The model here being to earn money from advertising. But it does not appear this model is saving the industry completely either. Now, [...] Read more »
In today’s digital world, social media can quickly turn a company upside down if they’re not careful. And last month that’s what one man nearly did via Facebook. On October 2nd, a British man named Richard Neill captivated Facebook with a comment he posted on the page of Bodyform Maxi Pads. He wrote in response [...] Read more »
The 2012 presidential election was especially tough, but a new video compares 60 years of presidential advertisements to show that the latest attack ads and stump speeches are part of a greater American political legacy. The video, created by Australian video editor Hugh Atkin, builds dozens of campaign advertisements from Presidents, candidates, VPs and first [...] Read more »
Staying on good terms with your significant other can take a tremendous amount of work, and according to a new study, getting too invested in TV show characters might make your relationship much more unstable. Research from Albion College suggests that if you follow the romantic exploits of TV sweethearts like The Office’s Jim and [...] Read more »
The stereotypical male is a common figure in television and Internet-based advertisements. Men grunt, watch sports, party and seem to have a testosterone-fueled take on life, especially in ads that focus on primarily male-oriented products like beer and aftershave. The overriding sentiment in modern marketing is that men want products that affirm a sort of [...] Read more »
In his latest documentary, About Face: The Supermodels, Then and Now, photographer and filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders takes a look at the often bizarre world of the fashion model from the perspective of the aging models who once ruled the runways. Viewers are invited to take a peek inside the world of fashion modeling through interviews [...] Read more »
Those of us who have devoted our lives to studying and researching the humanities (such as Communication) understand the importance of our work and the potential it has to teach people about their world and how they can become better citizens of it. However, many still perceive the humanities as a waste of time and [...] Read more »