Author Archives: Laura Lee Young

READING SUMMARY This article discusses the issue of racial bias within English football commentating. A study found that players with lighter skin were more likely to be praised for their intelligence and work ethic, while athletes with darker skin are more likely to be applauded for their strength and athleticism. The report reveals important informationContinue reading “Racial bias in English football commentary”

This article starts by discussing how some video games such as “Special Forces” and “America’s Army” are labeled as educational entertainment. However, in reality these games can be extremely persuasive and are actually made to target military recruits. Propaganda is defined as a deliberate attempt to shape ideas and persuade people to conduct a certainContinue reading “Video Games as a Vehicle for Political Propaganda”

This article discusses cyberboles which are myths in the media and how these myths operate in the cyberspace. First, the author explains how new technology companies use phrases like “the end of television” and “the end of advertising,” in order to promote another product or technology. Based on unfounded claims, these myths of endism areContinue reading “Myths and Cyberbole”

This article explores human behavior and how media has a lot to do with how roles in society have changed over time. Meyrowitz begins by explaining how people modify their behavior to fit a certain situation, sometimes subconsciously. He then presents two theorems that explain how human interaction has changed throughout history and how electronicContinue reading “Behavior in its Place”

In this chapter, Smith identifies the ways in which stereotypes are created and perpetuated in the media through “othering” and through images. Even words such as “you” and “them” create exclusion, language that is effective in advertising and makes consumers feel as if they are apart of something. On the other hand, the people identifiedContinue reading “Role Models and Stereotypes”

This reading explains the art of telling stories on radio, through an animated comic strip. It features examples of good storytellers in the media and goes through each individual process of creating the best story. The comic starts with Cathrine Burns who reveals her strategy for telling stories with anecdotes, then Joe Richmond who usesContinue reading “Keep or Kill: Story Structure”

In this article, the author presents many examples of how advertisements contain hidden meanings. One of these examples is the way peach products are marketed to consumers. The author points out that in ads for peach perfume, peach wine, and lipstick, the ads all include hidden meanings of sexuality and scandal. The language and visualsContinue reading “Persuasive signs: The semiotics of advertising”

This article is about how food photography and video has close parallels with pornography. The way sensual language is used, close ups, the effortlessness, and inability to replicate are present in both forms of food media and in porn. Barbara Nitke, a porn photographer analyzes these parallels and points out how popular food network showsContinue reading “Debbie Does Salad”

Semiotics is the way signs are related in society, represented by the idea that X, (standing for a color, magnitude, word, etc.) is equal to Y, representing the meanings behind each sign. The underlying questions presented in semiotics when analyzing signs are: “How does it present this meaning?” and “Why is it indicative of thisContinue reading “What is Semiotics?”

This article goes into detail describing the differences between quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative view of research looks at the scientific aspect of communication and focuses on being systematic, accurate, and precise. This type of research uses numerical data and correlation between variables, offering a more statistical representation of data. On the opposite end, qualitativeContinue reading “Quant vs Qual”