One Writer's View of Modern Media Movements

James Salter raises an interesting viewpoint in regards to how written language has changed in our day in age.  Salter testified that his interest and passion for writing began as he grew to love reading and engaging in the written word through classic authors.  He claimed in this blog that all writers form their passion for written word through reading others. This is a broad statement that may be true for most but may not necessarily be the catch all answer.  Salter argues that the written language is suffering because of the lack of interest in print literature. 

This is a concern that I have heard many times, raised by individuals in the older generations. However, I believe that written word and the passion for writing is not dying, but simply adjusting.  As media platforms and resources change, so does the way in which written word is communicated.  In today’s world, writers can post, inform or provide feedback to others in an immediate and convenient way through online writing.  Online writing has become the most widely used way of communicating through the written language. This is not dumbing down the written word language but simply tweaking it. 

Salter is passionately argumentative in his blog as he poses the question, “What we call literature, which is really only writing that never stops being read, is part of this. When it relinquishes its place, what is there to substitute for it?” (1999).  He is frightened for his comfortable world of “literature.” What Salter has failed to realize is that there are many news ways of communicating that offer an ease and accessibility that was previously not available.  The important thing is for effective communicators to hold the bar up for successful and informative information so that our generation does not fail to uphold the level of literacy. After deeply researching and studying communication in the realm of our modern media age, I believe that this can and will be done as we better learn how to engage and interact with online audiences. The level of literacy has not died, it has only adjusted.  It is up to our generation to learn how best to adjust with these changes and increase media literacy for generations to come. 

Salter, J. (1999, September 13). Once Upon a Time, Literature. Now What?. In NY Times . Retrieved June 9, 2014, fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/library/books/091399salter-writing.html

Multimedia Tools

            Every individual learns and observes information best in a different way. Some are visual learners, some are literary learners, and some (I speak from first-hand knowledge) learn best when they are hand’s on.  Therefore, there is not one best way of portraying a message to a mass audience – no matter what that message is.  The modern media messenger, with a plethora of resources at his fingertips, should utilize the variety of mediums through which his message can be shared. 

            Research is constantly being conducted to discover how people learn most effectively.  Studies have found that differing styles of learning will not only help the gaining of knowledge for a specific individual but it will aid in the ability to remember and put to practice new ideas.  Pacific Resources for Education and Learning organization claims that using multimedia tools to teach ESL students has proven highly successful. “Storytelling through drama and computer-based multimedia authoring present English for second language learners (ESLLs) with engaging opportunities to develop concurrently basic skills in language arts and higher order thinking skills.”  By combining dramatic interpretations, interactive computer games, and written story lines, this organization has found their best results for teaching a variety of learners. 

            Fox25 News has a very effective website that provides links and photos for viewers to access new bits of information.  Interactive weather maps, daily trending audience voting polls and video links are only a few of the ways of engagement.  There are also social media icons that provide users with access to communication via E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and Mobile text messaging for more convenient ways to stay up to date on the news. 

            It’s important as a media communicator to engage the target audience in multiple means of communication. Many bloggers and online news sites has found the most user “hits” off of YouTube-linked videos, PowerPoints or Podcasts, none of which are the usual form of written news reporting. However, for the traditional news observer, they will look only for the written word.  Therefore, it is highly important for a media messenger to send the message across different platforms, engaging with the target audience in the most effective and memorable way possible. 

            Home. (n.d.). - Boston News, Weather, Sports. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.myfoxboston.com

            Multimedia Tools. (n.d.). Educational Technology Resources -. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from https://aartechresources.wikispaces.com/Multimedia+Tools

            Telling Stories: ESL Strategies Main Page. (n.d.). Telling Stories: ESL Strategies Main Page. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.prel.org/eslstrategies/

Best Practices for Blogging

Lara White has created a blog entitled, PhotoMint: The Business of Photography.  This photography business of her’s has become very successful in large part due to her online blog.  What makes this blog an intriguing and highly viewed site is her attention to create an outlet for viewers to learn and engage in her blogs.  For instance, one of her blog posts, entitled, “3 Steps to Rocking Your Portrait Sales,” is succinct, detailed and attractive to the eye.  She includes proficient detailed information and advice in a short, to-the-point style of writing in her step-by-step teaching style.  Photos highlight each step of the process, proving to her audience that she is talented and experienced at the word in which she conveys to her readers.  She establishes viability in her posts through the rest of her website as well.

What makes this blog a successful one is the fact that White has given her viewers an avenue to learn from her work and experience her work for themselves. She promotes her company and photography through this online blog and website, featuring her best work while showing her audience that she cares about their interests and desires as well. Her blogs include links to other resources for photography, including equipment and networking opportunities.  White has targeted an audience that would be interested in her blog and products and has found best practice to make sure that this is a well-functioning and effective blog. 

            White, L. (2013, March 31). 3 Steps to Rocking Your Portrait Sales. PhotoMint RSS. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://www.photomint.com/photography-marketing/3-steps-to-rocking-your-portrait-sales/

Press Release

For Immediate Release:

Contact:

Rebecca Kearney

Southern New Hampshire University

r.kearney1@snhu.edu

603-637-9015

                                               Controversy over Joe Paterno’s Death

Manchester, NH, 05-12-2014 False news reports bombarded the media on January 21^st, 2012, highlighting the death of former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno.  These reports spread like wildfire throughout the media; however, Paterno did not die until the following day, January 22^nd, at 9:25am. The premature reporting is not the first incidence that has happened concerning media figures; news reporters seem to be too eager to expose the truth before validating the veracity of the situation.

Paterno had been let go from his football coaching position after the 2011 season with Penn State.  His health was failing due to his diagnosed lung cancer, however, it was reported that this form of cancer was treatable.   When news correspondents featured a headline reporting that Paterno had died on Saturday, the rest of the media world jumped on board.  This was considered by some to be “death by media.” The question then stands, did the media hype cause the death of the highly revered former head coach?

This is an important situation that cannot be ignored because the news distributors in our age have great power to not only report but cause events to happen.  If one man’s false death caused an upheaval such as this, there is room for so much more devastation to occur due to false reporting. It’s crucial that news reporters evaluate accuracy when distributing news and that media audiences determine the veracity of the source they are influenced by.

Southern New Hampshire University is a regionally accredited, non-profit  University, which offers every individual an affordable and high-quality education for their future career goals.  For over 80 years, SNHU has given individuals the chance to better their lives in a credible and professional way.  With an education through SNHU, individuals will be able to both distribute and evaluate valid information to the public through a variety of media outlets.  For more information, contact Rebecca Kearney at 888-378-0861 Ext. 8074.

-END-

Facebook Post:

Media distributors falsely portrayed Penn State’s former head football coach, Joe Paterno, to have died Saturday night. Many question now whether the death of the renowned coach, which occurred the following day, was caused by the media hype. Paterno is not the only celebrity to experience this speculated “death by media.” Media distribution’s methods have to change.

Social Media Outlets

I’ve never consistently had my own Twitter account and I’m not too familiar with it but I’m intrigued by the outlet. Many businesses and organizations use this media tool to target audiences and spread news and promotions to their users.  I’ve already found many interesting links, articles and users to “Follow” through this site!  Here is a link to my account:https://twitter.com/rkearney15

Facebook is a networking site that is used for a variety of purposes: family and friend connections, media viewership and advertising for businesses.  I am adding to my profile to better my own career in the writing field. I’m learning how to best incorporate my professional writing skills and tools to my personal profile so that I can be equated with the work that I do through media writing. https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandsBest15

Blogs are highly successful tools for networking with clients, businesses and target audiences. I have never used a Tumblr blog account before but I am now incorporating this into my repertoire of media outlets.  I am amazed that so many individuals and companies are using this platform, I am not too familiar with it but I’m excited to learn more!

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard

Unrestricted Web Publishing

The World Wide Web has proven to provide immediate information available to individuals across the globe. This allows for news to spread and become widely known at a moment’s notice. But with the ability for any individual to broadcast stories and “news” in an unrestricted fashion, how does one determine what is the valid truth?

In an online article I found called, Web Publishing and Educational Scholarship:
 Where Issues of Form and Content Meet, which was published in 1997 by the Cambridge Journal of Education, “The pool of distribution can be targeted or unrestricted; for articles posted on Web pages, presumably, the predominant sentiment is ‘come one, come all’” (Burbules, 1997).  In this article, Nicholas Burbules, member of the Department of Educational Policies at the University of Illinois, depicts the issues of consequences that may come about due to the ability for anyone to publish their opinion on the Internet.  Self-publication has become easy, affordable and convenient yet often bypasses the important step of confirming facts, revision and verifying truth. 

Another factor that has been recognized as a concern in this age of unrestricted self-publishing is the lack of effort put forth for error checking. Not only may the facts, details or sources be tampered with, but also one’s spelling, grammar and sentence structure may be incorrect and works may go un-cited.  This hardly poses a positive outcome for readers or up and coming scholars. 

The Science Publishing Group has recognized the practice for scholars to gain information at a faster pace using what they have named, “Open Access.” This unrestricted format of accessing journals, peer-reviewed work and articles, they say, will accelerate one’s learning.  According to this publishing group, “By reducing the barriers that restrict access to knowledge, Open Access maximizes the opportunity for publications to be read and for authors to be recognized for their contribution in their chosen field and beyond” (Science Publishing Group, 2012).  Will reducing the barriers of accessing knowledge allow for an influx of decreased accuracy? These are questions that need to be raised.  While it is convenient to accelerate one’s access to knowledge, we must make sure that the knowledge is in fact, truthful. 

References

Burbules, N. C. (1997). Web Publishing and Educational Scholarship: where issues of form and content meet. Cambridge Journal of Education. doi:10.1080/0305764970270210

Science Publishing Group (2012). Open Access: Science Publishing Group. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from             http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/info/openaccess.aspx#what

Social Media and Truth

The world of social media is a complex one.  Outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others allow individuals to promote and distribute information about themselves or others at any moment in time to a global audience. With such an amazing amount of communication power, it is important that each social media user exercises self-control in their interactions.  However, many times users take the liberty to abuse their freedom of speech. 

With the drop of a name or a misplaced quote, the reputation of the media poster, or the individual who was posted about, could be ruined.  In this age, social media is not only used as a way to interact with friends and family but it is reviewed by employers, government officials and other figures of authority who have the power to dictate the future of an individual’s success. While this immediate and convenient form of evaluating one’s person seems like it may be too harsh or inaccurate, this is what our age is growing accustomed to. Social media is often the first avenue used for researching clients, employees and acquaintances. 

Put in this light, one can see the necessity of exercising their freedom within the social media world in an ethical and respectful manner. How one conveys a message will determine how they will be viewed or how the subject of their message may be viewed.  This personal responsibility lies with each social media user.  While one cannot control the environment around him, he can influence how others perceive him by maintaining a respectful and accurate social media profile. 

Communication Ethics

Whether or not we are consciously aware of the affect that social media has on our lives, it is extremely influential in how each person lives their life. In Blur, an analysis of modern media usage, the authors said, “As it reorganized social order, each change in popular communications was accompanied by a renewal of the tension between two strands of knowledge or ways of trying to understand existence: the tension between knowledge based on observation and experience and knowledge grounded on faith and belief – the tension between fact and faith” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, pg. 13, 2010).  I know that I personally am connected to multiple social media outlets almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Each time my iPhone blinks a little blue box informing me that something, anything, has been updated on Facebook, my head is turned.  On my 25-minute commute to work, I hear the latest pop tunes on the local radio station, interrupted frequently with advertisements for products and events that I was previously uninterested in. When something even remotely important has occurred in our local or global news, my home webpage will highlight the details.  After being connected to the Internet and my E-mail all day at work, I return to my house where my family is watching the newest YouTube videos gone viral.  Needless to say, the media has a great impact and voice in my life.  I don’t think I am an exception when stereotyping the average American adult.

Being brought up to date on events and news at any and every point of my day allows me to be more effective and accurate and work.  With the resources at my fingertips, I am able to inform my clients of appropriate information while using the most advantageous avenues of communication. While I appreciate the immediacy and convenience of being constantly connected to the world of social media, it also can be a distraction to the main purpose of my job and keep my mind only on half of the task that is at hand. The constant knowledge that something else might be more important keeps me on edge and waiting for the notice.

Social media and constant media connection may also be detrimental to my relationships at times. For instance, the iPhone has replaced a lot of my personal, face-to-face interactions with friends, family and loved ones. The impersonal avenue of text messaging has become a habit and go-to form of communication for way too many, way too often. This is my opinion but I know that text messaging has also allowed me to stay in touch at any moment with my loved ones which can be very convenient as well. 

To sum up my opinion, media can be a double-edged sword. However, reliance on media is the direction that our society is moving towards.  Every day there is a new format by which individuals and groups can form social communities through the World Wide Web.  The questions then stands, do these communities enhance our social life, or only create a false sense of belonging? While progress is made in many areas through technology, many relationships may experience a slow and dangerous slide into a more impersonal and less intentional form. 

Kovach, B., & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How to Know What's Real in the Age of Information. New York,, NY: Bloomsbury USA.