Fluent Essays

This is a work I have borrowed from another professor. I hesitated to assign this as we are in the midst of a global pandemic and media its personally MY favorite escape (though it can also be a key to doom scrolling news). I think now more than ever it is an interesting challenge that can take us back to a pre-social media world. I may be slightly older than some of yall and throughout the pandemic I keep thinking- what would I be doing if I only had AOL instant messenger and was quarantining- or even more daunting- no internet at all! So in the end I think we should all try this together! I will too! ITS ONLY FOR ONE DAY! Of course, if you need to use media for your job or other courses, please write about that as that is totally appropriate and relevant to the work.  There is no way Ill ever know whether you actually did this or not. This is based upon your word and integrity. I would urge you to actually do this. It may be the only time you will ever be asked to do this. You are being rewarded to do it. Give it a try to truly see how much media is enmeshed in your life. You must stop watching television/videos, stop listening to the radio/subscription music and stop gaming for ONE DAY (24 hours straight—you cannot divide up the days and do them separately.) This means: No online audio services like Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, AmazonMusic, etc. No DVDs played on your television or computer. But also, no watching movies or television series online (Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc.)  NO AUDIO or TELEVISION/VIDEO CONTENT OF ANY KIND on any screen or smart device EXCEPT, OF COURSE, FOR ASSIGNED CONTENT FOR WORK. You can still use your computer for email and work, but not for entertainment video/audio/gaming.   You need to find someone to give it up consuming media with you. Ask them the 4 questions and integrate their answers where appropriate.  ONCE THE ONE DAY MEDIA FAST IS FINISHED: Simply changing your routine viewing behavior will not have a lasting impact unless you take some time to reflect upon the meaning of it.  This brings us to the second part of the assignment.  Number your answer entries 1-4. this should be 2 pages minimum.  1.  Was it easy or difficult for you to break away from radio/television/gaming/media?  Why or why not?  What did you learn about your consumption habits? Describe the media or radio-listening/television-viewing (addicted) culture in the U.S. How did it feel to be purposely “disconnected” from these the media-focused culture? Why is it that we refrain from over indulging but we rarely consider media consumption an over indulgence? 2.  What did you do with the empty non-listening-watching-playing? Did you seek out interactions with other people or simply consume different digital content on your computer? Be sure and describe how not consuming media affected your other life habits (eating, socializing with family and friends, news gathering, etc.) 3. Describe your interaction with other people during this assignment.  How did people treat you because you were actively removing yourself from the mainstream? What was it like to interact (or not interact) with people based upon viewing/consuming (as opposed to other reasons: race, gender, class, etc.) What did you learn about our mediated culture? Briefly describe the media-using culture and what it is like to attempt to avoid that culture or become a member of a non-consuming culture. 4. Have your consumption habits been altered by the experience? That is, did you (will you) go back to the old ways (“normal”) or will you become more reflective and selective (a loaded question, to be sure)? COURSE LECTURES REVISIT THIS PAGE OFTEN: CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITH NOTICE. THIS IS A MEDIA CLASS SO WE WILL BE COVERING MEDIA CONTENT/CURRENT-EVENTS IN REAL TIME. MODULE 1 DIGITAL MEDIA AND CONVERGENCE TOPIC 1— INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE MEDIA AND MASS COMMUNICATION Communication, in its simplest form, can be defined as shared meaning. Using an old-fashioned communication model, where a SOURCE sends a MESSAGE to a RECEIVER, we can define several different kinds of communication. SOURCE ----------> MESSAGE-------- > RECEIVER SOURCE > MESSAGE RECEIVER INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION YOU SPECIFIC INTERNAL DIALOGUE YOU INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ONE OR A FEW PEOPLE FACE-TO- FACE, with or without technology ONE OR A FEW PEOPLE MASS COMMUNICATION Usually a GROUP/CORP But can also be an individual (influencer) LCD AS MANY AS POSSIBLE (MASSES) MASS COMMUNICATION: A CRITICAL APPROACH I love media studies! I feel this area of study can and will help you in myriad other endeavors and academic pursuits as media intersects with every other discipline. Media technology is an ubiquitous presence in our lives, its everywhere all the time! To name just a few media sources: radio, television, film, newspapers, magazines, smartphones, computers, the Internet, computer and video games, gps, satellites, phones and other smart devices, etc. We must interrogate these systems on a deeper level to develop a critical lens. Attaining a deeper understanding of how these industries and tools work will allow us to engage, produce and consume more thoughtfully and intentionally. Now more than ever, due to the pandemic, we see how these tools-and an understanding of these tools- is necessary to keep in contact with friends and family, stay informed, work etc. Study after study claim that Americans consume a lot of media. According to STATISTA.com, (Daily media consumption in the U.S. 2020, by format, published by Amy Watson, Jun 17, 2020) In terms of average time spent each day, TV is the second most used form of media in the United States, with adults spending 229 minutes (almost four hours) watching television on a daily basis according to a study undertaken in April 2020. Digital formats took up the majority of U.S. adults daily media consumption time, while for newspapers and magazines the average time spent was just nine and eight minutes respectively. HTTPS://WWW.STATISTA.COM/STATISTICS/276683/MEDIA-USE-IN- THE-US/ If it is true (and it is) that we spend more time- consuming media than doing ANYTHING ELSE in our lives (eating, sleeping, working, getting exercise, making love, spending time with our families, getting educated, exercising, etc.), then why is it we are not better educated about our media interactions/consumption? Why arent we taught about media in school? We begin consuming media as babies, so by the time we start kindergarten or first grade, weve already been listening and watching our entire lives. So why arent we taught in first grade how media work and how we can protect ourselves as much as possible from their negative influence? Why arent we taught to discriminate between quality media or accurate information from destructive messages and lies? Or why arent we taught how to use our influence as audience members to challenge the media to better serve us or provide us with higher quality product or more balanced and fair coverage? http://www.statista.com/STATISTICS/276683/MEDIA-USE-IN-THE-US/ http://www.statista.com/STATISTICS/276683/MEDIA-USE-IN-THE-US/ How could this much interaction with media NOT have consequences and effects? Of course, it does. And the stakes are very high. Media provide us with news and information. Media influence who we elect as our political leaders. Media spotlights some while ignoring others. Media perpetuate and destroy stereotypes, power structures and cultural systems. Media represent us to the rest of the world. Media provide us with ways to define ourselves. The better media literate we are, the more power we have in working WITH media to make the world a better place. Interrogating systems that we give the lions-share of our time to is an exercise in reclamation. So lets get started. WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY? (Lots of different definitions, here are a few you need to know): Media Literacy: to develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. - Dr. John Caputo Media literacy is a set of perspectives that we actively use to expose ourselves to the mass media to interpret the meaning of the messages we encounter. - W. James Potter The purpose of media literacy education is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens in today’s world. - National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) So in order to be media literate MEDIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION (MEF), the non-profit media literacy organizations, illustrates how the process of effective media analysis is based on the following concepts: 1. All media messages are “constructed” no matter how simple they seem. 2. Each medium has different characteristics, strengths, and a unique “language” of construction. 3. Media messages always contain embedded values and points of view. 4. All media messages contain embedded values and points-of-view. There is no such thing as neutral (according to whose definition?) 5. People use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages. 6. Media and media messages can influence beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and the democratic process. Most of us hardly give our media interactions a second thought. We are so immersed in our mediated world that the metaphorical question that is often used to describe our contemporary relationship with media is does a fish know it is wet? Media are mostly invisible to us—until they dont work or we lose access to them (when your computer crashes, when you lose your smart phone, when a natural disaster knocks out electricity and connectivity) or if you are simply out of range (hard to believe there are still areas on the planet that arent covered.) When our connection to media is severed, you often hear people describe their experience as feeling lost, or when referring to their broken computers/phones My life is in there. This is why media literacy—the understanding of how media function and affect society is important. Here are a list of 10 reasons why media literacy is important (according to the Media Education Foundation MEF). So how do we begin analyzing how we interact with media, how media function and how we can become more media literate? The easiest way to understand how a process works, is to deconstruct it into its functioning parts. Referring to our communication model, we will begin by looking at the source: SOURCE ----------> MESSAGE-------- > RECEIVER There is often confusion (much of the time it is instigated by media corporations) that the Constitution protects the media so they can say/do whatever they want. Not true. The Constitution DOES protect the Press in the First Amendment which reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The reason our countrys founders wanted to protect the Press was because of the ideal of the Press acting as a Fourth Estate of the government. The U.S. has three branches of the government (executive—the President, legislative—the Congress, and judicial—The Supreme Court) that act together as checks and balances (the idea that no one entity can control everything (no more King). The PRESS were/are supposed to act as a 4th Branch of the government: providing the population with information so they can participate in our democracy from a place of knowledge and understanding. The Press are supposed to be THE WATCHDOG of the government. Media are supposed to be on our side instead of on the side of corporations or politicians or systems of power and money. MEDIA OWNERSHIP One of the most important issues regarding media (requiring regulation of media) revolves around media ownership. Our country has a deep history of not liking monopolies, so we have passed rules (that have been relaxed over the years) regarding how many media outlets companies may own. When media ownership is merged into the hands of a smaller and smaller number of companies, it is called CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP. And, when companies that own media arent media companies per se, it is called MEDIA CONGLOMERATION. When a single media corporation (or just a few) gain all of the control. It becomes a big problem: For democracy, for the public, for the world. Even the media, themselves, present content that is reflective of the dangers of concentration of ownership and media conglomeration. Here is an old and new example of the U.S government’s interaction with media monopolies: ● If you have taken media history courses, you may know about the landmark case United states v. Paramount Pictures inc. This was a case that ended the Hollywood studio system and changed how movies were made, exhibited and distributed. The studios owned the theaters and the movies and the rights of distribution. This is an example of VERTICAL INTEGRATION as studios owned and controlled the entire supply chain for films and their distribution. ● On December 9, 2020 the FTC sued Facebook for illegal monopolization of the social networking. This is an issue of HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION, as the company owns Facebook and had purchased Instagram which operates at the same level in the industry. Review the images below to get a sense of how few companies now own media compared to the numbers of the past AND how many media owners are giant conglomerates that own A LOT of other things. Review several media company holdings at FREEPRESS.NET. There are a lot of these ownership charts (GOOGLE: media ownership). It should be noted that all of the owners are white men (exception: Sony, a Japanese company, has a President who is Japanese and a man). PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK to see an infographic containing the ownership of “The Big 6” AND THE SECOND LINK to show consolidation over time Big 6 Ownership Media consolidation A lot of students sigh and feel helpless against such a powerful, rich, entrenched system (media in the USA). In fact, part of the cultural story we tell ourselves is that the media are too powerful to change. That story is wrong and only serves those who gain or maintain power from that story. But remember: Media they cant engage you, define you and reflect you if you do not cooperate. We just need to see the media NOT as a separate mediating entity that is simply the go-between us and corporations/institutions that are simply delivering content to us. Rather, the media themselves ARE the corporations and institutions who are selling products to us (like laundry soap, make-up and politicians) and culture to us (what it is to be happy, successful, a “real man”, an “attractive woman”, who and what is or isn’t desirable etc.) This brings us back to the fact that these “titans of industry” are almost all from the same demographic. This is important to note as these older, white, cis, straight, men’s values and biases affect the media we consume and produce. This goes beyond mass media. In the tech industry, an industry also dominated by white men, we see power structures and bias replicated in their output. There is extensive research being conducted on the bias that is literally encoded into our software by these men. Many times, we think of technology as objective or apart https://techstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media1.jpg https://techstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/6-corporations-control-american-media.jpg from human error. It is shown that the bias of those in the tech industry is inextricable from the software they produce (If you are interested in this topic- pick up the book Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble). Check out PBSs MEDIA GIANTS ownership listing. And here are other versions of media ownership illustrated: MODULE 1 DIGITAL MEDIA AND CONVERGENCE TOPIC 2— ONLINE, INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence Digital Gaming and the Media Playground There seems to be a fascination with the future and technology. WATCH THE FUTURE IS NOW (1955 prediction of the future) Industry wants us to like technology and see it as positive or as an opportunity. But the reality of technology isnt so utopian. What happens when it doesnt work (ask anyone who has lost or broken their phone, lost wifi connection, destroyed a computer hard drive without backing it up). And what happens if only some of the population have access (digital divide?) What happens when big data is used as another way to marginalize and discriminate against groups that are already subordinated and vulnerable? WATCH AT&Ts VISION OF THE FUTURE. Notice what they got right in their predictions (smart devices, gaming, video calling) but also what they got wrong (AT&T, the PHONE company didnt know we would have cell phones?) WATCH the first 10 minutes of FRONTLINES: Digital nation WATCH Adam Ruins Everything (Adam Ruins Facebook) Social media platforms are now being scrutinized for allowing false information to perpetuate ideas that lead to actions. The Russians have been blamed for creating separatism and influencing American campaigns via Facebook. A study of 200 million posts determined that over half of posts advocating re-opening from the Corona virus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr5MTRZsLj0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFWCoeZjx8A https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-digital-nation/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3rS7I6Xyz8 were posted by bots. (Literally: Robots were dominating the conversations.) President Trump called out Twitter for providing a correction to one of his Tweets. What happens, then, when information is used against us? In addition to social media, consider BIG DATA. It is (and will be) presented to us as an allowable infringement of our privacy (to stop crime or whatever), but how can it be used against us and normalized by authorities? WATCH: THE GOOD FIGHT ANIMATION: RUSSIAN TROLL CHANGE Consider artificial intelligence. Will it help us and make life better? Or will it take our jobs and make life worse? Check out this infographic about AI Watch the Innovation of Loneliness WATCH: THIS AD (try to guess what it is about before the end, notice the irony of the message to the product) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaR5SUq_8K4 https://infographicjournal.com/ai-the-dark-side-versus-the-force-for-good/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Bkr_udado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdxW2XF0v8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdxW2XF0v8 So we all know that the Internet never forgets (once it is out there, you cant fully erase it or retract it). And that everything we do online is being tracked and recorded, etc. Just recently the comedian Johnathan Firstman, who became famous in 2020 for his “impressions” series on Instagram, was called out for racist jokes he made 2012. Social media is also being used more than ever to bring people together to share interests, concerns and to organize political activism. My topic of study in graduate school was about the marginalization and erasure of sex workers by social media networks. Pop into my office hours if you’d like to know more about my research or how you can help! READ: The Pew Research Centers Social media continue to be important political outlets for Black Americans Culture can be influenced by all kinds of online content (beyond social media). Even gaming presents perspectives. WATCH: Women and people of color discuss bullying and harrassment they experience while online gaming on a GOOD MORNING AMERICA REPORT. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/12/11/social-media-continue-to-be-important-political-outlets-for-black-americans/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/12/11/social-media-continue-to-be-important-political-outlets-for-black-americans/ https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/women-gamers-color-detail-experiences-online-harassment-games-73721561 https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/women-gamers-color-detail-experiences-online-harassment-games-73721561 MODULE 2 BUSINESS OF MEDIA AND CULTURAL EFFECTS TOPIC 3— COMMERCIAL CULTURE AND ADVERTISING ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL CULTURE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND FRAMING THE MESSAGE DISCUSSION AND NOTES: Referring to our communication model, we will continue to look at media as the source, but now we will turn our attention to people and culture: SOURCE----------> MESSAGE --------> RECEIVER We. Are. The. Receivers. What makes our U.S. media system unique is that IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE. The airwaves belong to the citizens of the United States of America—NOT the government, NOT private companies, but THE PEOPLE. We decided this a long time ago after WW1 when our radios were taken from us by the government during war time. Other countries media systems emerged as authoritative (China) or paternalistic (ENGLAND), but the United States (because of the power of the people in our democracy) demanded that the media system be public. It all revolved around the notion that THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM was SCARCE or limited and, therefore so valuable that it must be owned by everyone. Communications use a very small portion of the overall spectrum (check out this chart, for more information: U.S. Radio Frequency Allocation. MEDIA COMPANIES WERE TO SUPPOSE TO TAKE CARE OF OR ACT AS PUBLIC TRUSTEES OF THE AIRWAVES (FOR THE PEOPLE.) THEY ARE LICENSED TO USE OUR AIRWAVES AND THEY ARE ALOUD (OBVISOUSLY) TO MAKE A PROFIT. BUT THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE PEOPLE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF MAKING ALL THAT MONEY WITH OUR AIRWAVES: MEDIA OWNERS MUST SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST, CONVENIENCE OR NECESSITY (PICON.) This PICON requirement was mentioned over 100 times in the 1934 Communications Act (it wasnt simply an empty promise). We use to police our spectrum more strongly than we do now. But the airwaves are still owned by the public and, as long as we keep it that way, the public will have power and sway with what happens to it (and to us through media.) Because we own the airwaves, it gives us great leverage when innovations or politics influence what the future of media will be and how the public will be served. So now you know how we ended up with the system/format we have in the U.S. and how important our power is as audience members. Keep returning to these ideas of audience empowerment as you learn other media literacy lessons throughout the rest of the course. Now let us address the concept of culture. CULTURE IS…A set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group of people and usually communicated from one generation to the next. 1. Culture is used in every aspect of our lives 2. The meaning of culture is relative 3. Culture is an abstraction 4. Culture is learned NOT innate 5. Culture is a collective, shared experience 6. Culture manifests in products (explicit) 7. Culture creates meaning systems (implicit) 8. Culture is a mode of transmission 9. Culture is expressed in varying degrees 10. Culture has historical context 11. Culture is stable but not static 12. Culture is learned POPULAR CULTURE Generally refers to trends in music, art, and other expressions that become popular among a group of people: slang, fashion, etc. NATIONAL CULTURE Common geographical origin, history, and language. Political entity recognized by other countries. Does a passport necessarily determine your cultural values? National culture ignores the possibility of variety of cultures within that nationality MEDIA CULTURE Represents culture: distorted and true. Creates new culture. Is a culture of its own. Media are institutions (companies), technology, cultural forums, go-betweens, mediators. How do media producers affect culture? They do it by remaining invisible (we think of media as simply a tool or a service or a destination for information and entertainment. We rarely take a critical look at how they influence our lives, create the concept of normal, convince us to act/buy products, convince us to engage in activities that are actually NOT good for us. Media effects are planned, researched and implemented mostly without our knowledge. The question is one of how we perceive and/or define ourselves: ARE WE MERELY CONSUMERS? OR ARE WE ACTIVE CITIZENS OF OUR CULTURE, OUR DEMOCRACY, and OUR WORLD? CONSUMER CULTURE Are you an audience member or a consumer? The juxtaposition infers that audience members actively participate with and are served by the relationship with media while consumers are simply the component necessary to complete a sales transaction. We have become a culture of CONSUMERS (instead of being engaged audience members, we behave as (and are treated by corporations as) consumers. All sociological students regarding consumption come to the same general conclusion: having more stuff does NOT make us happier. In fact, it makes us LESS happy. Watch THE STORY OF STUFF (20 minutes). Watch the entire program paying especially close attention to the golden arrow section. Keep in mind that engaging with or being a member of a culture is a matter of choice. Culture is LEARNED, it is NOT INNATE. You are not born democrat or republican...all of those things (what it means to be those things ) are LEARNED. And anything that can be learned, can change. In the end, it is our thoughts about things that are more important than the things themselves. Meaning lies within https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM&vl=en human beings not within the objects we are observing. The more aware you are regarding your cultural participation, the more you can make the most of your time in terms of doing what is good for you and others. Marketers are very interested in how much time (quantity) and what kind of interactions (quality) we have with media. They typically combine several variables to define a demographic profile. A demographic profile (often shortened to a demographic or demo) provides enough information about the typical member of an audience to create a mental picture of a hypothetical aggregate (the entire U.S. audience is made up of smaller sub-segments). For example, a marketer might speak of the single, female, middle-class, age 18 to 24, college educated demographic. Market researchers typically have two objectives when determining audience characteristics: first to determine what segments or subgroups exist in the overall population; and secondly to create a clear and complete picture of the characteristics of a typical member of each of segments. Once these profiles are constructed, they can be used to develop a marketing strategy and marketing plan—to effectively reach target audiences with information about their products and/or services. The five types of demographics for marketing are age, gender, income level, race and ethnicity. For example, for age, the U.S. population is typically lumped into these generational categories: [Ref—http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/202334#]: GEN I Also called Gen Z, the internet generation or iGeneration, theyre the children of the youngest boomers. Because this generation is still very young, marketing and demographics theories are still developing. One huge distinction, however, can be made: This generation is the only one to be born entirely in the internet era, and to parents who are generally more accepting and knowledgeable of such technology. This http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/202334 differs from the next generation, Gen Y, which sometimes dealt with tensions stemming from their parents lack of technological savvy or acceptance. GEN Y Also referred to as millennials or echo boomers, they are the children of boomers, ages nine to 27. Because of higher costs of living or, in some cases, the over-protective nature of their boomer parents, many are choosing to live at home. University of Michigan economics and public policy professor Bob Schoeni told Time magazine that the percentage of 26-year-olds living with their parents rose from 11 percent to 20 percent between 1970 and 2004. Theyre 75 million strong and they have disposable income because of their parents support. Growing up with computers means this generation is especially responsive to internet campaigns. They process information quickly and are especially brand loyal. Gen Yers like innovative marketing approaches and advertising that uses humor or is outside the box. WATCH Simon Sineks MILLENIAL QUESTION. GEN X They are perhaps the most overlooked generation, falling in the shadow of the powerful baby-boom generation. But the 44 million Gen Xers born between 1965 and 1975 are entering their peak earning and buying years. Theyre tech-savvy and love to shop. They have a high value for education and knowledge. Unlike Gen Yers, brand prestige alone wont woo this generation--let them know why your product is a good value. They are independent and like to save. BOOMERS Until the boomer generation hit age 50, marketers generally forgot consumers once they passed that age mark. Today, however, theyre awakening to the buying power of this 76 million-strong group. On average boomers spend $400 billion more per year than any other generation. Theyre at many life stages: empty nesters or full nesters, boomer grandparents, single or married, etc. What they have in common is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vudaAYx2IcE exceptional drive and the ability to evaluate advertising and determine its value to them. Between 2005 and 2030, the over-60 group will grow by 80 percent--as they age, be careful not to label them as old. This generation has a Peter Pan complex--play up their youthfulness in marketing. The Greatest Generation Born between 1909 and 1945, todays octogenarian has seen it all when it comes to advertising, resulting in a particularly savvy consumer segment. They are more careful about whom they do business with, and they want to know more about your business before they choose to patronize it. Having been born during, or lived through, the Great Depression, World War II and many economic recessions, theyre keen on value and in general dont shop for fun as other generations tend to do. They have pensions to rely on that other generations wont have as they become senior citizens, so concentrate on communicating the value of your product or services. A practical bunch, they also tend to be extremely loyal customers. But marketers dont stop there. They are also interested in our psychographics. Psychographics is the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. Because this area of research focuses on interests, attitudes, and opinions, psychographic factors are also called IAO variables. Psychographic studies of individuals or communities can be valuable in the fields of marketing, demographics, opinion research, futuring, and social research in general. Psychographics should not be confused with demographics, for example, historical generations (listed above) may be defined both by demographics, such as the years in which a particular generation is born or even the fertility rates of that generations parents, but also by psychographic variables like attitudes, personality formation, and cultural touchstones. For example, the traditional approaches to defining the Baby Boom Generation or Generation X or Millennials have relied on both demographic variables (classifying individuals based on birth years) and psychographic variables (such as beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors). MEDIA ECONOMICS: Show me the money. Follow the money. There are two important things you need to learn regarding media economics. 1. When people think about the purpose of media, they may list things like: to inform, to entertain, to help make our lives more convenient, etc. Media researchers have defined four major functions of media: 1. To inform 2. To persuade 3. To entertain 4. To transmit culture 5. But one of the top purposes of media is to SELL SELL SELL in order to make money. Not much is left to chance, every image is planned down to the finest detail. Media use all information at their disposal. They pay for studies to determine media effects (and how people think/feel so the effects can …