Listicle: Top Ten Communication 250 Ideas

10. What is Media Literacy?

Media literacy is the foundation of understanding the course of Communication 250.Media Literacy is a set of knowledge and skills that is always changing. This is required for full understanding and participation within a society, which is media-saturated. Within Media literacy there are five critical steps within the learning process; Accessing, analyzing, Creating, Reflecting, and action. Within the first step Accessing means the location of where the viewer or reader gets the content. The second step is analyzing, which is where one should look at the purpose of the content. In addition, this is where the target audience and the credibility of the content is looked at. In this step there should be questions asked about whether the content has any effects and the quality of it. The third is creating, which simply means making media. The fourth is reflecting where the content creator or viewer should see the impacts of media. The final step is to take action. This simply means to share the knowledge of Media Literacy.

I found that this concept was very interesting and important. Before Communication 250, I had never heard of Media Literacy. I just consumed media on the daily basis and never even thought about it. Understanding Media Literacy forces people to look at their media more critically. It also allows people to remember that everyone’s knowledge of media will have to continue to evolve. This concept is necessary to understand in order to move forward within this course.

9. Why is Media Literacy Important?

To understand Media Literacy, one must understand how Media Literacy is important. Overall, the most important impact of media literacy is it allows people to explore the human experience at an individual level.It helps viewers to understand the impacts of the media on humans. Regarding media itself, media literacy helps people prepare and understand the future of media and its changes.It helps people have a better understanding of media and give people tools to guide them through it.

I think the concept of the importance of media literacy is important because it allows people to understand the reach of it. It. Allows people to see how media literacy affects everyone and displays all the way it helps.

8. What is propaganda?

Propaganda is something that can be seen everywhere in media. It can be found within political advertisements, commercials, political campaigns, legal arguments, and even the news. Since propaganda is something that is very normal in a media driven society, it is important to understand what it is. Propaganda is the use of symbols in systematic efforts. These symbols are used in different ways. One way it can be used to influence attitudes. Another way it can be used is to try to change people’s beliefs. It also can be used to try to have people get into action. The purpose of propaganda is to reach a large number of people and tap into their emotions. It is used to insight emotions from fear all the way to hope.

I think that this concept is very important. It. It is important because it is so prevelant within our society. If one is not able to recognize propaganda, then they may not know when or how they are being influenced.

7. Can Advertising be Harmful to children?

In Communication 250 students were asked the question whether or not advertising is harmful to children. From the content we were given, I have to conclude that advertising is in fact harmful. It was seen that children who are introduced to ads become more materialistic. They also may become less happier because they connect happiness with having things. Finally food ads on children also have a negative effect. The advertisements for unhealthy food make children eat more unhealthy food, which has a direct correlation to childhood obesity.

The question of whether or not advertising can be harmful to children is a very important question to ask to college students. The majority of college aged students do not have children of their own. However,a good number of them will eventually have them. It is better to question this before having them, so when the day comes one will already have it figured out. In addition it seems to effect on children.

6. What are parasocial relationships?

Believe it or not ,but many people have parasocial relationships. A parasocial relationship is the feeling of intimacy that someone get from a media personality, performer,or character. People feel a connection with the character. There are benefits to these types of relationships. It may have the ability to improve relationships in real life. These relationships allow people to feel less alone and improve self-esteem.

I thought this concept was very interesting. I personally know that I have parasocial relationships. I have always felt very connected to characters from TV shows and books. I never understood why I felt this way until this course. I feel as if it is important for people to understand this concept since so many people feel this way. It is a normal thing it is not unusual! Not only is it normal, but beneficial.

5. What is Collective Consciousness?

Collective Consciousness is cultivated by cultural messages. Collective Consciousness is a state of mind, which creates a feeling of group belonging. Within this state of mind people’s individual behavior is influenced by this sense of group belonging. The idea was developed by Emile Durkhein. This can be seen within coming-of-age stories,which display the growth of the main character. These stories are able to connect every-day people allowing them to feel less alone.

Understanding Collective Consciousness is important. To know what collective consciousness means allows people to be aware of social norms. Since this can be seen within coming-to-age stories, knowing collective consciousness will allow people to recognize it.

4. Why are humans Products?

Humans are products. This means that audiences are a commodity. This is an important concept to understand. This idea means that no website or platforms cost is free. Even if there is no financial cost, the cost is not being a product. Social media platforms track what they look at and use this information to benefit their company. If it is free, you are the product.

3. What is a Fandom?

Fandoms are an interesting phenomenon. It is a social community of individuals who enjoy a specific type of media. Many people maybe apart of a fandom,but not even know it. People who are apart of the fandom are connect to shows.

I think this is an interesting and important topic . The weight of fandoms have changed the way tv shows or movies are made. Producers now have the weight of people’s mental health at stake. I think people should remember a fandom is just something to enjoy instead of a toxic environment.

2. What is Agenda Setting?

Agenda setting is where the media decides the agenda for the stories they deem as important. This is used often in political ads, business news, and public relation. It is trying to show people what is important. One can associate agenda setting with gatekeeping. They both decide what is important and what is newsworthy. Agenda setting does not tell a viewer what to think, but instead what to think about. Agenda setting is a theory that was developed by McCombs and Shaw in 1972. They studied the United States Presidential election of 1968.

Agenda setting is important because this is a part of all media. It is especially important to understand because it happens in the news. One example of agenda setting in modern day is the COVID-19 vaccine. This pandemic affects everyone, which means agenda setting effect everyone as well.

1.What is framing?

Framing is the process of how journalists select certain parts of reality and make this narrative more accessible to the reader. They also express this media that would connect with a viewer or readers existing knowledge or beliefs. During this process they address what the problem is about, who is responsible for the problem and the solution. To clarify what frames are they are principles of selection and emphasis. They highlight information that helps push their narrative and sense of reality while dismissing or hiding other information that does not quite fit. Framing is different then Agenda setting since it has a larger range of cognitive processes, which means there are moral evaluations, appeals to principles, and casual reasoning. The target audience has a lot to do with how the media frames news. For example if the news platform’s target audience are conservative, then they will embody their values and ideology. Through their media they will try to articulate the conservative perspective.

It is important to understand Framing since it is seen in everyday life .Framing can be clearly seen within modern news. When looking at a topic, looking at certain key terms can allow one to see the framing. Some examples would be “undocumented worker” versus “illegal immigrant”, pro-abortion versus pro-choice, or accuser v.s victim. All these words have power and context behind them. Having a journalist use these words allows the journalist to gain power and make their reality into focus to the reader. Understanding framing in the media willallow people to see how selective reality is in the news. Today many Americans rely on heuristics also known as mental shortcuts to speed up information they are given. Because of this they are very vulnerable to framing.