Chapter Fifteen

1.  1. What are your main concerns or criticisms about the state of media studies at your college or university?

I feel that Lenoir-Rhyne University does  great job at advertising The Rhynean and that the radio station also gets a lot of attention, but other than that, communications at LR seems rather dead. As a comm. major it worries me because I feel that more students would get involved/carte about the program if it were advertised more and if there was more activity. I didn’t even know we had a communications club until I saw it on facebook. I think that with more knowledge about things like that, people would be more eager to participate in the program and get involved on campus.

2.  2. One charge that has been leveled against a lot of media research—both the effects and the cultural models—is that it has very little impact on changing out media institutions. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

I think that people have a very set way of doing things and that, in every aspect of life, it’s hard to make people change even when there is concrete proof that change needs to occur. Having said that, I feel that when research happens concerning the effects and cultural models of media, the media institutions try to adapt as best they can to the evolution of those producing and receiving the media. While it doesn’t always happen quickly, I do feel that it happens and that it is progressing more rapidly now than it ever has before in the past. I think younger generations are participating in media, which is refreshing for both consumers and producers. Younger people often produce change faster than those who are stuck in tradition which often comes with their age.

3. 3.Can you think of an issue that media industry and academic researchers could study together? Explain.

Absolutely. When it comes to the drinking age, the media industry and academic researchers could study this (and have studied this) extensively. On an academic level, the effects of alcohol, young drinkers and the legal aspect can be studied and analyzed while on the media industry end, the desire and appeal of alcohol and the awareness and can be researched and analyzed. On a further note, I think it is essential that these two mediums come together to work and research because without the other, the accurate information obtained by research can’t be released to the masses through media effectively.