Reaction Paper #6 due 3-4

Note: you can either do this one or one of the two from last week (video game or advertisements).

Ok, here is the video. Growing Up Online.

It's a bit long, but good. If you'd rather read, here are the relevant interviews.

Please discuss the issues raised in the video -- parental control over the Internet, digital tools in education, cyber-bullying, suicide, social networks and eating disorders. You don't have to touch on all of them -- but whichever strike a chord with you. Reference the video or interviews.
In the case of some of the problems -- what can be done? What should parents be doing? Is the Internet actually increasing teen suicide and eating disorders, or just creating an alternative outlet for people who would seek it even if the Internet didn't exist?
Bonus: Look up the rates of eating disorders and teen suicides and compare pre-Internet years and post-Internet years (of course there could be a lot more factors than just the Internet).

Alternate Reaction Paper #5

You can use this if the video game download doesn't work.... or you can use it for Reaction Paper #6 after the video game paper if it sounds fun. We'll make it due Monday 2-28.

Visit this site that lists (according to them) the 100 Greatest Commercials.

Find 5 of them on YouTube and do a mini-review (a couple paragraphs) for each. What works with the commercial? Does it stand the test of time? Had you seen it before? How would you critique it?

Research Paper Info

Hey folks,

Here is some information about your research paper due Monday, April 25.

It's worth 50 points.

Shoot for about 1200 words (5-7 pages).

Pick a topic in the mass media that you are interested in.

It could be relating to a TV show, band, album, website, radio show, movie, video game, etc. It could also be a media law or a subject like photojournalism ethics (more examples down below).

Give me a history of your subject. Tell me why it matters. Put it in some historical context -- what came before it, what it compares to now, and what might came after it (or might come after it in in the future). Tell me something I don't know.

For example, you might pick to write about the show 24.

You might start off with a short history of the show and how it came to be. Tell me how many people watched it each week. Why is it so popular? What do critics say about it?
Then you could focus on what the show is known for: its portrayal of torture. How is it portrayed? As something good or bad? Has the way 24 shown torture influenced America's perception of torture? Not just what you think, but use evidence from any studies you can find.
You might finish by talking about how the show ended and its legacy.

There you have it. Leave out personal opinion. and let research do the talking. Stay away from first person.

No: "I think the movie is great!" or "Everyone I know is on Facebook."

Yes: "Movie critic Roger Ebert gave the movie four stars, saying....." or "According to Time magazine, 73% of Americans are on Facebook."

Remember, no Wikipedia! You can use it as a starting point and use the sources listed, but not Wikipedia itself.

Finally, remember to cite all the sources you use. You can cite your sources in your papers at the end, but also throughout, like this:

The New York Times states that "24" has 21 million viewers.

or

"24" has 21 million viewers (NY Times, 2005).

Use an APA or MLA style works cited page at the end. If it's not properly formatted, automatic 5 points off, if it's missing altogether, 10 points off (or I might ask you to write one and give it to me if I can't figure out what your sources are). Use this:

Citation machine!

Or this:

MLA Style Guide

Don't be afraid to venture to the library.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help brainstorm ideas for your subject.
Here are some ideas:
Social media used by sports teams
Facebook's role in the Middle East revolutions
Has "24" affected our views on torture?
How has the mass media changed after 9/11?
Subliminal advertising
Video game addiction
Video game cultures
Rap (or heavy metal or whatever) and its place in our culture
The many methods of advertising in MTV (music videos, commercials, product placement)
YouTube.. will it ever be profitable?
How the Internet has affected the music industry
Pirating music/software online
Colbert Report vs O'Reilly Factor
Can bands bypass record companies and be successful?
Influence of particular film director (or music producer)
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The FCC's influence on radio or broadcast
Philo Farnsworth .. inventor of the TV
How has the media covered the Iraq war?
How the media has changed the way it has covered war (you could compare Vietnam and Iraq)
Propaganda (especially the Nazi's Triumph of the Will)
Advertising and the Internet
History of the Internet
KDKA - the first radio station
Orson Welles
Is there a liberal bias in the media?
Compare MSNBC or CNN to Fox News
How media in another country compares to the U.S.
Apple vs. Microsoft
Analyze a particular advertising campaign
Ethics - photojournalism, news, advertising, etc.
Censorship of the Internet in China
History and affect of YouTube
Blogging... can you make money doing it?
"The Mickey Mouse" copyright extension act of 1998
Cyber-bullying

Facebook's role in Tunisia's revolt. Interesting read.

So, with all these tablets coming out, why can't companies like Samsung or Motorola beat the iPad's price?

This article talks about how Apple can keep their prices "competitive" (even though when people think of Apple, they think... expensive!)

Reaction Paper #5 due 2-25

This one involves playing a video game. Here is the page:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/

Go to the "downloads" and you can get it for Mac or Windows.

Note: if you're on Windows and it's not working, you might have to adjust your security settings.

AFTER you play the game (it takes 5 minutes or so), write a response and reaction of what you think the game means (or what it means to you). (Think about the title, too)

Ok, now wait until you've written your interpretation. Now move on..

Read this statement by the maker:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

...how does this compare to what you thought the game was about? Was there an emotional response for you? If so, how can something so simple draw an emotional reaction? Do video games have as much potential for an emotional story as movies? If movies are considered art, what about video games?

Music Sales

We looked at something similar to this in class on Wednesday. Does it surprise you the drop-off is so steep?

Study Guide Test 2

STUDY GUIDE

Disclosure: All material in chapters 3, 4, 5 (Internet, Print, Radio/Sound Recording) (and lecture) is fair game.

How to use this guide: for terms listed below (e.g., "Wikis"), it would be good to know the general definition and maybe an example or two. For other topics to study, I may have a longer question ("Benefits and problems of newspaper chains?")

Material from the test may include, but is not limited to the following…

• Names associated with the invention of Radio, Photography, Penny Press, and the World Wide Web (a few that might be good to know... Benjamin Day, Vint Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee....)

• What is a bit?

• p. 95... revenue models for digital media (advertising, subscription, e-commerce)

• Analog media examples

• Table 3-1 on p.71

• Capabilities of Digital TV (from Chapter 3)

• Wikis

• Digital Divide

• History of the Internet

• Books in the digital age

• HTTP

• Technological determinism

• WWW inventor, year

• First web browser

• Open source

• Gutenberg's printing press

• John Peter Zenger

• What kind of comics prompted the Comics Code Authority? (Crime? Horror? Romance? Sci-Fi?)

• Payola

• Current challenges of magazines

• What is muckraking?

• Advantages of digital information over analog?

• Benefits and problems of newspaper chains? p.121

•Three major trends of the book industry

•Radio before, during, and after WWI

• Radio Act of 1927

• Matthew Brady

• Vint Cerf

• What is the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act)?

Essay question topics (you will get a couple options and pick one)
• The Penny Press
• Digital Music, piracy and the effects
• The Telecommunication Act of 1996

Reaction Paper #4 due 2-18

1. Pick a show that you'd expect would have product placement (aka not a nature show!). Sometimes reality shows like the Amazing Race or Extreme Makeover Home Edition are good. Or Glee.
2. Take out a piece of paper and make two columns. One for regular commercials and one for product placement.
3. Keep careful track of each product mention or visual within the show. Sometimes the mentions are pretty subtle. Keep your eye out for any brands. Keep track of each commercial during the break.
4. List some of the product placement examples you witnessed in your paper and how they worked the product in.
5. Analyze the findings. How much product placement was there? Did the products overlap with any of the regular commercials? Was the product placement seamless or awkward? Did the target audience for the products seem to make sense for the typical audience who might be watching the show?
6. What are your thoughts on product placement? Are you ok with it? Why would some people not be ok with it? Does it bug you that shows have to integrate the products into their shows? Would it be better if it were kept out of shows? Do you think it works?

Citizen Kane Extra Credit

First step: watch the movie Citizen Kane (the DMACC library has a copy)....

Then, write up why the movie is considered one of the best films ever made according to the experts (and if you agree). (you can easily do a Google search for Citizen Kane reviews)

Be sure to back your points up with examples from the movie. Don't just say, "it is considered the best because of the cinematography." Give me examples from the film that show why the cinematography was so great.

You might want to watch it with the commentary by Roger Ebert (but be sure to cite it if you reference it).

Remember to cite your sources ( "According Cinematography Today magazine, etc etc," ). You can cite a website but it must be credible. Books, magazine, film history texts, printed sources will be best. No Wikipedia!!

You can earn up to 20 points. 800-900 words. Due May 1st.

Don't make me steal

What do you think of this list of "demands" about movie piracy?

What would you say if you were the movie studios?

Five points extra credit for a thought-out answer in the comments.

Reaction Paper #3 due 2-11

Here is the article.

Amazon, Google, and Apple are all having an impact on the publishing industry.

I'd like you to pick one thing Amazon, Google, and Apple are doing (from the article) and briefly comment on each.

Length.. 700 words.

Opps -- Bing "stealing" Google's search results?