Abstract The media has a large effect on society as a whole and there has been an increase in media exposure over the years. The thin, waif-like look is seen as the ideal, a standard for women to be measured against. The paper shows that women are under lots of pressure to conform to the ideals of society and the majority of women are on diets or have dieted at some point in their life. This leads to low self esteem and poor body image, which is a precipitating factor in eating disorders. This essay discusses whether the media is the catalyst for preoccupation with slimness and a major contributor to eating disorders in young women.
From the Paper "The media is often quoted as a scapegoat for the increase in eating disorders. Linda Grant's opinion is that: "Women don"t set out to become anorexic, they begin by thinking they"re too fat because everywhere they go the media is telling them that they are right" (Barrett, 1997). This assumes that the causes of eating disorders are simply triggered by an individual feeling overweight, which is not the case. Eating disorders have many causes, some evidence suggests that an eating disorder can exist without this pathological fear of being overweight (Lai, 2000). If these effects of the media are obvious then why is it that only 1-3% of women suffer from an eating disorder? "
Abstract This paper explores the effects of advertising. Specifically, it deals with the potentially harmful impact of advertising on children. Remedies are suggested to combat the negative effects of advertising.
Abstract This paper examines how effective public relations is the key to many issues that arise in a corporation, government, or other entity, and how, without a good public relations stance and department, an entity can find itself in situations it is not prepared to handle. Through three different real world examples, Johnson and Johnson, ValuJet Airlines, and the President Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal, it demonstrates how not all situations are easy to handle and not all organizations or individuals are equipped to handle tough situations. It looks at how it is essential to consider all views and to launch a clear and effective public relations campaign as quickly as possible.
From the Paper "As the crisis continued to unfold and the media began to spin the situation out of control, Lewis Jordan felt he was best equipped to handle the press and the investigation that was already underway. He flew directly to the site the day after the incident and fielded questions from the site no matter how tough the questions were. However, he continued to make it clear through his public relations message that his first priority was to the families of the ones who perished in the crash. He also felt his expertise in the airline industry was another reason for him to run the public relations message and to help the company recover from this tragic event. Jordan and ValuJet faced a media onslaught and faced speculation from the media that the cause was everything from old aircraft to the engines in the plane being substandard without any evidence as to the cause of the crash."
Abstract This paper stresses that, more than any other reality television show, "Joe Millionaire" highlights particularly disturbing social views regarding women and relationships because the show presents women as liars who are motivated only by the money. The author points out that reality television has given networks another option to violence, but the audience is gradually becoming desensitized to the ethical ugliness, just as they have become desensitized to violence. The paper concludes that more and more young people associate behavior such as lying and cheating, not with a moral quandary, but with a vicarious thrill.
From the Paper "In "The Bachelor", for example, the first bachelor Alex Michel showed no qualms about having sex with one of the bachelorettes and eventually choosing another girl. The lack of public outcry about this behavior shows that for many people, the thought of sex outside a relationship and the presentation of women as objects to be chosen no longer raise a moral quandary."
Tags: desensitize, women, relationship, violence, sex
Abstract This paper defends the position that violence in the media does indeed contribute to violent behavior in individuals. The paper cites and then negates several arguments that oppose this position and cites research to support the point of view of the paper. It is noted that media violence is not the only factor contributing to violent behavior, and some of these other factors are discussed as well.
From the Paper "Larry J. Siegel defines crime as a "violation of societal rules of behavior as interpreted and expressed by a criminal legal code created by people holding social and political power" (Siegel, 2000). Many socializing factors influence human behavior, and criminal behavior is no exception to the rule. Most influential on criminal behavior perhaps is the prevalence of violence in the media today. Hundreds of studies have been conducted in an attempt to assess the impact media violence has on human behavior. Though many still argue that the media has little or no impact on actual human activity, one cannot deny a strong and inherent link between the two."
Abstract This paper explains that types of nonverbal communications include appearance (occulesics), movement (kinesics), voice (vocalics or paralanguage), touch (haptics), smell (olfactics), space (spatial relationships or proxemics), territoriality, and time (chronemics). It examines each of these options and discusses their effectiveness in interpersonal relationships.
From the Paper "Appearance is assessed by characteristics such as attractiveness, race, height, weight, body shape, hairstyle, dress and artifacts. Numerous studies have shown that beautiful people do have an advantage when competing for jobs, grades, friends, or mates. The face is the most powerful channel of all physical features. It provides many clues such as whether a person likes or dislikes us, how they are feeling, identity, nationality, culture, age and their likes and dislikes. Height also has a significant impact on interaction because it is associated with power. For example, smaller people may have a feeling of jeopardy which may make them wary of or defensive around taller people."
Abstract This paper is a research proposal to investigate how the media portray homosexuality in the news, sitcoms, and advertisements. The paper looks at the imbalance in the positive and negative portrayals of homosexuals and proposes a need for further research in this area.
From the Paper "Homosexuality is a very popular topic on the news. Homosexuals are portrayed as ?unnatural,? ?threatening to society,? and are being harshly scrutinized. Throughout the News, such as ABCNews, the point of argument is whether or not gays should be able to get married or if they should be able to adopt children. Such negativity is not only shown throughout every state but our President of the United States, George Bush, is trying to "redo" the constitution so that homosexuals will be unable to get married or adopt. Public support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages has grown in the last month, leaving the nation split down the middle as President Bush announced his support recently for an amendment(Morris). The implications of this amendment will be negative toward the homosexual community."
Abstract 'Voice over IP' is a term used in IP telephony for a set of facilities that manages the delivery of voice information using the Internet Protocol (IP). The paper explains that this technology involves sending voice information in digital form in discrete packets rather than in the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public, switched telephone network. The paper discusses the major advantages of VoIP and Internet telephony, including the fact that they avoid the tolls charged by ordinary telephone services.
From the Paper "Not surprisingly, given the advantage of VoIP, long-distance telephone service providers have taken measures to impede its progress. For example, in 1996, they petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban phone calls over the Internet even though a regulation-free Internet was the stance of the FCC, That petition was dropped but a similar one resurfaced in the U.S. Congress in 1998. The general argument has been that VoIP should be seen as a telecommunications service rather than as an information service and should therefore be a regulated service."
An analysis of the concepts of love, sex, and career in the HBO television series, "Sex and the City," reflecting various facets of women in American society.
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes two important points that emerge from an analysis of the TV series, "Sex and the City". The first issue covered is that the show demonstrates a transition among its characters, wherein the image of the modern woman is immediately replaced during the last season of the program to illustrate women facing challenges that real women confront in real life. The second point examined in the paper is that each "Sex and the City" character represents a particular facet of femininity and womanhood that the show's audiences can relate to, giving the show its human and realistic element.
From the Paper "More than a study of femininity, "Sex and the City" is also an example of a popular culture material that intends to fuse the experiences of individuals eventually achieving self-realization and accomplishment in life, while at the same time presenting life as it is projected by the mass media through the medium of television. Because the program is representative of the contemporary American society, "Sex and the City" provides insightful information about changing concepts about love, sex, and career in the women sector, as illustrated in the characters of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda."
Abstract The field of public relations is often plagued with confusion about what these professionals really do. For this reason, investigating the definition of public relations is helpful to determine what it is and what it is not. This paper discusses four different definitions of public relations. The first is the official definition from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The second is the definition provided by seasoned PR professional, Stacey Cohen, given in her article about public relations in the Westchester County Business Journal. The third definition is the one provided by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR). The fourth is the authors personal definition of what public relations is.
From the Paper "New facets were added to the idea of what public relations encompassed. These included: conducting research before taking actions and then evaluating and measuring the results of these actions, employing continuous processes rather than just a one-time activity, reaching out to multiple audiences, public relations as an essential function of management, and long-term commitment to PR activities. However, these definitions didn't really describe what public relations was, but more what it did. In 1988, the PRSA adopted a more concise definition that they believe captures the essence of what public relations is: "Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other" ("Official PRSA", n.d.). This definition, they feel, encompasses, by default, the essential functions of public relations, such as: research, planning, communicating, and evaluating, while also broadening the definition to include all organizations, not just businesses, and the multiple "publics" they serve."
Abstract This paper looks at Oprah Winfrey, a mega-star in America at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, who is so well known and familiar to the public that everyone refers to her on a first name basis whether they know her or not. It examines Oprah Winfrey and her rise to super stardom and also comments on her unique kind of stardom which is more than superficially matched with philanthropy and wanting to help others and change the world.
From the Paper "Oprah Winfrey was not born into riches or stardom, but instead suffered through a childhood of rural and ghetto poverty. This type of upbringing may be one of the reasons that she is so committed to social causes and to fighting poverty and helping people out as a mega-star. But it is also something unique to Oprah's character that
makes her remember the lessons learned in a youth of poverty, because going back and trying to help people you know are suffering is not done by all people once they make a lot of money. Many hip hop stars for example say that they are still all about ghetto poverty when they are driving around in hundred thousand dollar cars, rapping about how much money they make and how many possessions they own, and in fact if they went back to the ghetto they are so proud of they would have to bring fifty bodyguards."
Abstract This paper provides an examination of Michael Moore's documentary film, "Bowling For Columbine" as a work of propaganda. It looks at Moore's exposure of the roots of violence, his techniques and how they support his thesis. The paper also looks at Moore's desire to provoke as well as to inform.
From the Paper "When Michael Moore's film Bowling for Columbine was released it was certainly a controversial film. Closely following the tragic incidents at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado Moore's film set out to expose the root of the problems behind such acts of violence. In doing so he learns that the conventional answers of easy availability of guns, violent national history, violent entertainment and even poverty are inadequate to explain this violence when other cultures share those same factors without the equivalent ..."
Tags: bowling for columbine, michael moore, propaganda
From the Paper "The Online Personae has emerged in the Information Age. The identities people know in "real life" are obscure on the Internet. Though people can still communicate with one another, they may not know of the other's true intent or reaction to something said (or for a majority of users, seen). They may not even be aware of age, sex or gender of the user they are communicating with. "
Tags: culture, identity, internet, online, personae
Abstract This paper discusses telecommuting as a work option. Advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting are discussed. The experiences of companies such as Pacific Bell and The Hartford Financial Services Group that have tried telecommuting on a large scale are also discussed. Overall, telecommuting is shown to be a positive ideal, personally and organizationally, as well as for the environment and the community.
From the Paper "Telecommuting is a work option that provides an employee the ability to can work away from a central office base, such as from a home office or "on the move". The content of many jobs is such that they may be done offsite, and those doing these types of work may wish to have the option of working where ever they find it convenient to do so. This may be a good option for a person who is self-employed or a corporate employee whose work places them mostly on the client's site or at various work locations. "
Abstract A paper about the problems with the MPAA, The Motion Picture Association of America and their rating system. The author describes what the MPAA is, their role, and strategies for rating, revealing their inconsistencies and inherent biasness in certain aspects.
From the Paper "We finally reach a point where we have to ask if the MPAA is doing a "good" job. I have found that the MPAA often has the right idea, but seems to continuously fall short when rating movies. By falling short, I mean that there are constant inconsistencies in film ratings dealing with moral aspects (homosexual content, violence, etc.) These problems need to be further addressed and solutions,such as the ones mentioned above, need to be considered. The effectiveness of ratings also needs to be addressed. As is, ratings are not as effective as one might hope they would be. Evidence has proven this by showing lack of consistency, bias, confusion, etc. Rating films is not a "bad" idea, but their current state is not really working. The MPAA needs to focus more on just explaining what is in the films instead of over-rating them to the point of forcing film makers to edit their creativity."
