Facebook and other social media have been hailed as delivering the promise of new, socially engaged educational experiences for students in undergraduate, self-directed, and other educational sectors. A theoretical and historical analysis of these media in the light of earlier media transformations, however, helps to situate and qualify this…

A study explored whether ethnographic research is appropriate and feasible for Hispanic consumer research. Subjects, 41 Hispanic advertising executives (out of an original group of 80) in advertising agencies listed in the Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and San Antonio, answered a 23-item…

Although wide variations exist among service professions, several common attributes affect the role of advertising in the service industries. For example, because a service is intangible, it cannot be evaluated before purchased or consumed. Depending on the degree of intangibility, the consumer's assessment becomes that much more difficult, and…

Presents a case study of the United Colors of Benetton advertising campaign as a conscious strategy to transform advertising into a broader category of communication. Argues that the campaign reflects the discomfort created by the postmodern dilemma of arbitrary meaning. Analyzes selected advertisements from the campaign. Recommends further study…

Describes conflicting findings about whether print advertisements are generally informative or persuasive; suggests research needs in this area. (GT)

This paper examines how the new communication technology is challenging the "old" media, which includes radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and motion picture. The paper first provides an operational functional description of each of these media. Next the paper suggests another way to look at existing media. The paper then…

Four different principles of visual manipulation constitute a minimal list of what a visually "literate" viewer should know about, but certain problems exist which are inherent in measuring viewers' awareness of each of them. The four principles are: (1) paraproxemics, or camera work which derives its effectiveness from an analogy to the…

Fifteen years ago, W. Davison introduced the third-person effect hypothesis, that individuals believe they are less influenced than others by media messages. Although third-person effect is a perceptual bias, Davison believed that individuals act on such misperceptions. Few studies since have tested the behavioral aspect of the third-person…

To illustrate the relevance of critical communication history and theory to media ethics, this paper examines a crucial episode in the history of public relations: the American electrical industry's cooperative advertising and public relations efforts in the 1920s to sell the "electrical idea" to consumers. The paper first enumerates…

The United States blood plasma industry uses various rhetorics to access donors and markets its products while managing its stigma and potential legal liability. The industry includes both the public "nonprofit" sector and the private, for-profit blood collection and manufacturing businesses owned by pharmaceutical companies that rely on…

Examines the role of television in media education and investigates methodological and organizational principles adduced for the study of media during Mediamix, a weekly television program for 10- to 14-year olds shown on TV Malta. Results of an evaluation of the series, including surveys of viewers and teachers, are reported. (Contains 23…