COM250 Top 10 Countdown

COM250 is completely different from any communication class I have taken in the past. Because of that, I was able to expand my knowledge in the form of media literacy. Considering I spend an average of four hours a day on my phone and an average of six hours a day on my laptop, I’m consuming an abundance of media, whether it’s educational or for entertainment it takes up a large portion of my day, making media literacy very important. Here’s a countdown of my ten favorite/most important takeaways from COM 250:

Top 10 Countdown:

10: The love-hate relationship

The love-hate relationship in regards to media refers to the internal conflict that occurs due to the pros and cons of media and technology. This relationship made my top ten list because this class made me more aware of just how strong this love-hate relationship is in my own life. I love listening to music, watching tv, and being able to get my work done at home, but I also have to navigate information overload and tons of advertisements all for the profit of someone else. While this is a conflicting relationship, it also shows the complexity and importance of media literacy.

9: Advertising, Propaganda & Public Relations

I included this topic on my listicle because up until this class I saw them all as basically interchangeable words. Through this class I learned that advertisements are paid placements with the goal to sell a product or service. Propaganda has a goal to influence attitudes, change beliefs, and inspire action. And public relations are unpaid placements with the goal of influencing someone’s opinion to reach a business goal. My biggest takeaway from this subject was the idea that not all propaganda is negative, it is not just historical and contains xenophobia, it can be positive about how to stop climate change, or increase awareness of important issues such as racism or police brutality.

8: Advertising techniques

Advertising techniques made my top ten for two reasons: one because of the abundance of techniques there are, and two because of just how effective they are. Some techniques commonly known are jingles, use of authority figures, likability, and emotional appeal. These techniques are used in hopes of making the ad more interesting and memorable, such as the five dollar foot long song that will get stuck in my head every time I hear it.

7: How Stories Shape Our Mind

Stories shape our minds by influencing and persuading the viewer. This persuasion can influence the viewer’s attitudes and beliefs, which in return can change the viewer’s behavior. Something that surprised me about this topic was the study about how people that read Harry Potter have an increased belief that they can move something with their mind. This is so interesting to me as just reading a little bit about someone that has that superpower, increases the idea that the reader can also perform this superpower, so what else could this apply to?

6: Media Monopolies

Media monopolies made my top ten list due to just how big the monopolies are. A commonly known media monopoly would be Amazon, but what surprised me the most was learning about the internet service providers (ISP’s) such as Comcast. Due to company merging that occurred in the past major network companies had to combine creating the few known ISP monopolies we see today such as Comcast, Charter, and AT&T. It also surprised me to learn just how dependent we are on these ISP monopolies. For example, I use Comcast to watch live TV, but Comcast is also the company that supplies my wifi to allow me to access the internet and stream other TV services. Without Comcast, I wouldn’t be able to access all my subscription models such as Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu. If Comcast were to somehow go out of business one day that would cause a significant problem for lots of people.

5: Content moderation

Social media programs such as Facebook and Tinder have people working behind the scenes to filter what users can see on their feed. This makes my top five mostly because of those people working behind the screen to moderate our content. These content moderators review thousands of inappropriate and disturbing images and videos a day. I find this hypocritical and unfair to the workers as they view the very images that are “not appropriate for the public”. In my opinion, it feels that we are sacrificing these workers’ mental health for the media company to be “safe”.

4: How do Media Companies Make Money

Media companies make money through us, we are the product. Every time I watch a Snapchat story and an advertisement pops up in between, Snapchat just made some money. Every time I click or purchase something from a link on Instagram, Instagram, the influencer that posted the product, and the company that makes the product, made money. Our eyes and time are what make media companies successful and profitable.

3: How Search Engines Work

Search engines work through algorithms. Every website I have clicked on, advertisements I spent a few more seconds on than the last will be remembered. Google takes into account my location, previous searches, purchases, websites clicked on, and much more. Everything I do online is tracked, matter-of-fact google probably knows I am taking a communications class right now which influences my search results. Search engines, such as Google use these algorithms to give the best matched results.

2: Representation and Reality

Representation and reality is number two on my list because of how much media can skew and affect representation and interpretation of reality. An example I have previously used, but fits well would be the store brand Aerie. They no longer edit their models’ sizes or skin imperfections to have a more accurate representation of what a woman’s body looks like. On the other hand, media messages sometimes challenge the status quo experience of social reality by creating unrealistic expectations which can be harmful, especially to younger adolescents. Because of this topic alone, I believe it would be beneficial to educate students earlier on about media literacy when they are most vulnerable to the effects of media.

1: The Importance of Media Literacy

Through examining my media tastes and preferences, to creating media of my own, I have increased my media literacy, increased my awareness of the tips and tricks of the media, and learned how to navigate the increasingly complex world of media. The ten hours I spend consuming media a day are now more meaningful than at the beginning of the semester, all because of COM250 and the topics mentioned above.