news about news: the antiquation of print media

it’s time to face the news about news, folks! print news may soon be a thing of the past, perhaps making the dystopic story told in EPIC 2014 (a viral video that depicts a “sci-fi” or story of Googlezon taking over through personalized web engines) look less and less like like sci-fi and more likeContinue reading “news about news: the antiquation of print media”

Two Election Panels this Week…boler, gitlin, everett, and others…

Wed, Oct 15 4-6 pm Munk Center Media Coverage and the U.S. Election Campaigns: Race, Gender, and Identity Politics in the 2008 Presidential Race October 15, 4-6 PM | Campbell Conference Room, Munk Center for International Studies, University of Toronto, 1 Devonshire Place Featuring Dr. Todd Gitlin (Columbia University), Dr. Anna Everett (University of California,Continue reading “Two Election Panels this Week…boler, gitlin, everett, and others…”

Toronto News Media Map

I really enjoy maps that draw the shared ownership of different media companies. BlogTO recently created a map of the Toronto media: News media in Toronto is following trends similar to those around the world – large corporations buy up smaller companies, and they also diversify by purchasing other forms of media and entertainment propertiesContinue reading “Toronto News Media Map”

Video Contest: U.S. State Dept. partners w/YouTube — “Democracy Video Challenge”

September 15, 2008, New York Times A Video Contest to Illustrate Democracy By NOAM COHEN Frank Sinatra once asked the musical question: What is America to me? On Monday, International Democracy Day, the State Department will announce that it will be asking the world to create three-minute videos that answer a broader question: “Democracy isContinue reading “Video Contest: U.S. State Dept. partners w/YouTube — “Democracy Video Challenge””

Study of Blinking: conservatives more afraid than progressives

How hard you blink signals how you think: Startle reflexes’ thought to shape person’s politics, Toronto Star, September 19, 2008, Joseph Hall http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/50209 “In an interview last week, hard right U.S. running mate Sarah Palin talked a lot about blinking. “You can’t blink” and “we must not blink,” the Alaskan Republican told ABC News inContinue reading “Study of Blinking: conservatives more afraid than progressives”

boler/research on TDS cited in CTV

i was thrilled to be asked by CTV journalist Andrea Janus to comment on yet another academic study on the effects of The Daily Show…and, the story accurately captures my concerns about how these social science studies reductively misrepresent the cultural significance of “fake news” and satire… Is ‘fake news’ informative? Study tests fun vsContinue reading “boler/research on TDS cited in CTV”

team member chantelle oliver on cbc! google’s future…

research team member Chantelle Oliver interviewed on CBC about Google! http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/09/08/chantelle-vs-mansbridge/ way to go chantelle…one of the only ones interviewed to address actual social practices of and myths about how users engage google! Chantelle also works as a blogger for Walrus Magazine, her blog titled “Web 2.0 Museum” http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/category/web20/#blogs_top

highlight on current research: Rethinking Media, Democracy, and Citizenship

Exciting new findings are rolling in as we conclude three years of SSHRC-funded research on “Digital Dissent”: What motivates people to blog, post movies, engage in online political activities? To what extent does frustration with corporate-owned media motivate those who engage in such practices as the MoveOn.org Bushin30Seconds contest, writing political blogs, blogging about TheContinue reading “highlight on current research: Rethinking Media, Democracy, and Citizenship”

Watching Big Brother

Citizens have been using lo-fi digital technology to call into question police accounts and to government practices: Sous-veillance” will see video sharing sites such as YouTube used by citizens to shine a spotlight on things such as deadly hygiene lapses in hospital wards and uncollected rubbish, according to the European Information Society Group (Eurim). RecentlyContinue reading “Watching Big Brother”