Ghosting and the Machines: Media Devices, Normalizing Behaviors (Part 1)

March 25, 2019 Mute. Block. Unfriend. Delete. Ghost. It’s fast, effective and final, but these one-click solutions that treat humans like devices are creating behaviors that are almost algorithmic in their ability to place value, assign patterns, and assess an ‘effort to yield’ ratio that determines whether someone rates a diss and dismiss based on level of contact and whether … [Read more...]

Toys R Us Throws Mother Nature Under the Bus In Prankvertising

Nov. 8, 2013 Update! Colbert gives a ‘Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger in his Nov. 6 edition, Forbes adds a resource roundup of the backlash among moms, (though I'd add it's not a gender issue as dads are equally ticked) C&NN's Suz Lipman adds her voice/views, and Ad Land calls out “concern trolls,” thoughts?Nov. 4, 2013 “Don’t bite the hook,” is my mantra for using media … [Read more...]

Victim Blaming, “Asking For It” and Baiting Outrage-On the Radio

Sept. 2, 2016 Update Today's early release of Stanford student/campus rapist Brock Turner (3 months off an already lenient 6 month sentence) prompted this pithy video indictment by Elizabeth Plank on Vox which captures my "Friday feeling" quite well...incredulous and livid. The one in five stat echoing around college campuses everywhere as students start school this … [Read more...]

Media Messages and Binge Drinking Influence On Teens

Dec. 31, 2012 Prequel to New Year's Eve... Long gone are the days when I could host a “New Year's at Noon Bubble Wrap Stomp” and watch little kids gleefully squirt silly string at each other in rowdy ‘make as much noise as you can” festivity for a honking good time... Those with older teens like myself are looking for healthier choices for teen New Year plans and maybe … [Read more...]

Sandy Hook Shooting Silence: Floundering in Social Media Darkness

 Update June 10, 2014 (6-10-14 update: This graphic is a map of the 74 school shootings since Sandy Hook, compiled by Mark Gongloff  of Everytown.org, Original Sandy Hook article at the end)Just since the Washington Post  weapons and mass shootings graphics on the misogynistic mayhem at my UCSB alma mater we've already chalked up the Seattle Pacific University incident AND … [Read more...]