Thoughts, Musings, and Ramblings on the Internet, Communication, and Media… and an attempt to sound somewhat smart about it all
Nobody understands how the internet works. And that's a pretty serious problem. Back in 2006, Senator Ted Stevens (R-AL) famously gave us a description of what the internet is, and how it works. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you … Continue reading Nobody Understands How the Internet Works
This week’s readings center around the notion of the spectator, and the process by which the spectator identifies with the characters that appear on the film screen. Much like Baudry’s work (and to the chagrin of Carroll), both Metz and Mulvey utilize psychoanalytic film theory to examine the unique relationship between spectator and film. Metz … Continue reading Laura Mulvey and Christian Metz
All film is political. All media is ideological. The texts that we read, watch, and otherwise consume all affect us in specific ways. These are general platitudes that seem to permeate all aspects of media theory. And this is no exception for scholars who were working in the mid-twentieth century, trying to make sense of … Continue reading Baudry’s Aparatus and Adorno’s Culture Industry
We're facing a serious problem with fake news. And no, I don't mean the issues of demonizing the free press, inaccurately reporting events, and an overall diminishing of the quality of journalism. Of course, these problems are real problems that are in need of addressing. And yes, most people generally refer to these kinds of … Continue reading The Problem with Fake News
In the wake of the 2016 Presidential election, there has been a lot of discussion on the issue of "fake news," and the notion of "media literacy." I agree that these are absolutely important issues to be addressing, but I think that if we're going to really tackle them head-on, we can't discount the value … Continue reading Fake News and the 2016 Election
