HCRHS Media Lit

"Author danah boyd, who has been spending lots of quality time with teens over the past few years, attempts to demystify teens' online actions and behaviors and provide some insight into their motivations in this excellent Science Friday interview (press the play button to hear the full interview). Boyd articulates a nuanced understanding of young people's mindsets that may help translate their actions for befuddled adults."

"This bold and beautiful infographic delves into the psychology of colour in brands."

"When it comes to creating a successful logo for your brand, it seems simplicity is key. Udemy, an education marketplace, examined logos from 50 brands on Fortune's 2015 World's Most Admired Companies list to figure out what their beloved insignias have in common. The infographic below, Deconstructing Successful Logos, breaks the designs down by color, typeface, shape and a few other criteria. And here are some key findings: Of the 50 logos analyzed-for brands including Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Facebook and Walt Disney-red and blue were the most popular colors. Also, 43 of the top companies use no more than two colors in their designs."

"We already know what makes a successful logo-remember, simplicity is key. But what about its color scheme?  A Brazilian graphic designer, Paula Rúpolo, recently experimented with 22 major brand logos, swapping the colors of a brand's logo with that of its competitors. The results are mesmerizing and, surprisingly, viscerally unsettling. "

"Join designer, maker, and Big Cartel shop owner Melanie Abrantes for a 30-minute class on developing cohesive product lines. Perfect for independent makers and creative businesses, you'll learn lessons from her real-world experience - as well as business and merchandising essentials - to grow your shop and brand. Key lessons cover: questions to ask when developing new products ... Read More"

"Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, especially because beauty standards differ around the world. Inspired by Ester Honig's powerful 2014 series, UK-based Internet medical service Superdrug Online Doctor commissioned marketing agency Fractl to task graphic designers from 18 different countries across the globe to Photoshop a woman based on their nation's average beauty preferences."

"Among men, the overconsumption of protein powder is enough to constitute an eating disorder, says Richard Achiro of the California School of Professional Psychology. Men are being driven toward a lean, muscular body by low self-esteem and gender role conflict, "which is an underlying sense of insecurity about one's masculinity." "The way in which men's bodies are being objectified by the media is catching up rapidly to what has been done to women's bodies for decades," said Achiro."

"Searching for answers online gives people an inflated sense of their own knowledge, according to a study. It makes people think they know more than they actually do."

"Caitlin Dewey helms this look at Internet culture and how it's changing us."

"For a look at the sometimes-silly, sometimes-concerning false information that circulates the Internet, The Washington Post offers a weekly roundup on The Intersect, a blog dedicated to digital and Internet culture. Its series called "What was fake on the Internet this week?" can be a resource for teaching news literacy using timely examples that are relevant to an Internet-savvy generation. The most recent blog entry addresses topics such as fake tweets, false reports of a smartphone virus and bogus rumors that the National Rifle Association is banning guns at its annual convention. The Intersect blog also offers commentary on Internet and social media trends, viral content and hoaxes. Here are a few additional websites that debunk misinformation in the news:"

"This infographic created by Jason at Frugal Dad shows that almost all media comes from the same six sources. That's consolidated from 50 companies back in 1983.  NOTE: This infographic is from last year and is missing some key transactions. GE does not own NBC (or Comcast or any media) anymore. So that 6th company is now Comcast. And Time Warner doesn't own AOL, so Huffington Post isn't affiliated with them. But the fact that a few companies own everything demonstrates "the illusion of choice," Frugal Dad says. While some big sites, like Digg and Reddit aren't owned by any of the corporations, Time Warner owns news sites read by millions of Americans every year. Here's the graphic: "

"Global mobile traffic now accounts for 15 percent of all internet visits, and 91 percent of mobile internet access is used for social activities. By investing heavily in this space Twitter can essentially guarantee a richer future… and a significant audience uptick. This infographic from Super Monitoring takes a closer look at the state of mobile 2013."

""In the sea of all the 'noise,' traditional journalistic skills, such as verification and accuracy, are more important now than ever. The exercise teaches students to value these skills while harnessing the potential of social media for journalism.""

"A diverse cast of models shows how the standard of beauty for women has changed dramatically over time."

"Twenty years before Monroe stood over a subway grate in a billowing white halter dress, LIFE Magazine described the ideal figure American women hoped to attain. The year was 1938, and the model, 20-year-old June Cox, stood 5 ft. 6 3/4 in. and weighed 124 lbs., though life insurance statistics, the magazine said, suggested she should weigh 135 lbs. The magazine explained that American women's increasing involvement in sports in recent years had made them taller and flatter, and as such, "the boyish form became the vogue." But by the late '30s, romantic-influenced clothing had returned to fashion, and a "soft feminine figure" was replacing the athletic form as the look du jour:"

"Forbes magazine has crossed a line that many in the publishing industry view as sacred. Try to spot the advertisement on the cover of its upcoming March issue."

"To critics, this amounts to false labeling. In the same way "enhanced interrogation techniques" became a code word for torture, "storytelling" and "storytellers" have become code words for corporatized news."

"The question we have to ask ourselves is: Are we really presenting who we are or are we presenting a hyper-idealistic version of ourselves? It has been argued that the social media effect creates a false sense of self and self-esteem through the use of likes, fans, comments, posts, etc. For many social media users, it is an esteem booster, which explains why so many people spend so much time on social media. It provides many individuals with a false sense of self and an inflated sense of who they really are. In considering these points, here are three important factors to consider while social networking:"

"According to Kasser, here are three things that happen when you start caring more about stuff than relationships."