Media Effects In-Class Exercise

Please bring your laptop to class Sept 20 and Sept 22

Part 1: Due in class on September 20 (Total possible points: 2)

1.    Sign up for a group in class on Sept 15. Please exchange contact information, as part 1 of the exercise will require some coordination

• Those who are absent on Sept 15 will be assigned a team

2. Each group member should bring in at least two examples of media effects on Sept 20. Your examples will be used for the two competitions on Sept 22. See below for the criteria and coordinate accordingly (e.g., you may want to discuss what you mean by “media” and “effect” first so you can delegate 

• Two or more examples = 2 points; one example = 1 point; zero example = 0

Part 2: Due by the end of class on September 22 – Each group should submit one post on the course blog (Completion points = 3; possible extra credits = 2)

1. 

• List names of your team members who are here today 
• Put in parenthesis the number of examples each team member brought in for the in-class exercise: EX: Dr. Lee (1), Dr. Drogos (2), Dr. Knight (2), and  
• Use "media effects" for label.

2. Define and give examples of “media” (i.e., is it a content producer, a platform, a device or what?)

3. Define and give examples of “effects” (i.e., What do you consider an effect? Attitude change or reinforcement? Behavioral change or reinforcement?, etc.)

4.  Competition #1: List all the media effects examples your group came up with (please don’t include duplicates. For example, if two people brought in examples of how pornography contributes to men’s objectification of women, please only list that once). The group with the longest list wins this portion of the competition.

• Winning group gets +1 extra credit

5.  Competition #2: Drawing from your examples in step #4, please try to give all your "media effect" examples creative names (See below for examples) and submit the most creative one for the vote. See below for examples. Also, don’t forget to include a brief description of your submission to facilitate the voting process. The group that gets most votes wins this portion of the competition.

• Winning group gets +1 extra credit
• Traditional media effects theories include framing, priming, agenda-setting, etc. In a nutshell, I’d like you to come up with your own creative “theory” that helps us think about how "media" affect us 
• Past Winner: “The I don’t Want to Live on this Planet Anymore Effect” (Too much bragging on social media, which makes me not want to live on this planet anymore)
• Other examples: “The “argument compression” effect (Can it fit in 140 characters? No? Doesn’t matter); “Memefication” (social/political matters are only important if you can put them over a silly picture); The “autocorrect” effect (spelling accuracy decrease in handwriting) 

Clarifications: There are essentially two competitions: 1. Quantity. 2. Creativity.

• For the "quantity" portion of the competition -- the group that reports the longest list wins. 
• To ensure that all the categories the winning group has make sense and are mutually exclusive (for example, "brainwash" and "propaganda" would be considered the same category because the examples are not likely to differ), the winning group is asked to share with the rest of the class what their categories are, followed by a brief example for each category.
• For the "creativity" portion of the competition -- Each group will nominate one example, and the group that gets the most votes wins. I'll be the tiebreaker if necessary.
• In some ways, it's almost easier to start with the examples you have and see what creative labels you can come up with for them.    

Have fun and let me know if you have any questions!

p.s. Below is a list of all the theoretical concepts we've gone over thus far. This should be helpful as you work on this group exercise

1. Lasswell's model of communication
2. Positivist ontology
3. Social constructivist ontology
4. Inoculation
5. Descriptive norms
6. Injunctive norms
7. Cialdini's 6 ways to influence people
8. Framing
9. Gain frame
10. Loss frame
11. Episodic frame
12. Thematic frame
13. Prospect theory
14. Selective exposure
15. Cognitive dissonance
16. Mood management theory
17. Confirmation bias
18. Selective perception
19. Selective retention
20. Polarization
21. Badder-Meinhof phenomenon
22. Reinforcement theory
23. Fixed mindset
24. Growth mindset 
25. Lasswell's propaganda theory
26. Lippmann's "pictures in our heads"
27. Powerful media effects
28. Magic bullet theory
29. Hypodermic needle theory
30. Experiments with "Why we fight" films
31. Limited media effects
32. "War of the worlds"
33. "The people's choice"
34. Two-step flow theory
35. Uses and gratifications paradigm
36. Moderate-to-powerful effects
37. Search Engine Manipulation Effect    
38. 1st level agenda-setting
39. Accessibility
40. 2nd level agenda-setting
41. Who sets the media's agenda?
42. Agenda-setting theory's problems
43. Counter-arguments against #47
44. Agenda-cutting
45. Priming
46. Embodied cognition
47. Semantic network

Winners:

Competition 1: •Sam, Shumaila, Shane, Natalie *(23)*:“............ SQUIRREL! Effect”

Competition 2: •Ofelia, Sarah, Duncan *(9)*: “Bourbon Doesn’t Make Me Grow Hair On My Chest” -- "Mila Kunis is the face of Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon. The commercial is incredibly sexy and appeals to women. Typically, bourbon and whiskey are associated with men who enjoy this barrel aged distilled spirit. In a sense, this commercial defies stereotypical gender norms. As a female who has a great appreciation for Bourbon, Whiskey, and Scotch, it is refreshing to see that Bourbon is being marketed to not such a gender specific consumer."