On the Columbia School of Media Studies

It is refreshing to see how this School shares the idea of mass communication as essential to the building up of society, and how through social communications society and cuture are being reinvented and reorganized in a network paradigm.

It is even more refreshing to see how language and non verbal communication find useful expression in the discussion of communication, because these realities are germane to a proper study of mass communication. This cannot be overemphasized.

I think of the desk-size globe on my elementary schoolteacher's desk. This is the object that focuses the reading in my mind. Just think, every where in the world, people are trying to communicate with one another, and to bring about a world that is smaller than we ever knew. 

I also find it interesting that the School espouses the incresing swell of communication in an evolutionary way by the increasing radius of communication. It is a cousin at least of Marshal McLuhan's global concept. I wonder if anyone thought so too.

There you have it - my widow's mite contribution to our ongoing discourse of the Columbia School. Heads up - I'm handling our next class discussion on the Limited Effects Model of Mass Communication. See you all on the 27th!

We ordinarily know steroids as those drugs that make it easier for us to hit the gym or do sports. Seeing the title of this post, then, one might assume I wish to talk about the demerits of taking this stimulant. Not really. Actually, I am looking at steroids as all the wireless communication technology that, according to Friedman, help to shrink the globe. In particular, I am talking of mobile phones. Today, I watched Will Smith's Seven Pounds movie. Naturally, I enjoyed it - I mean, Will is my favorite guy of all time, right? - Okay. Having said as much, I just want to point out that the main character in that movie, Tim, played of course by Will, shattered his life because he was texting while driving. Take a second to think about this for a minute: Tim, a wealthy, soon-to-be-married, young man, with everything going well for him, happened to be driving with his woman one day, and he was texting on his phone. He did not see the oncoming vehicle at first. He tried to dodge the collision when he finally saw it, but it was too late. He was involved in a crash that killed his wife and six others. It was so tragic that he could not live it down. Realize that Tim was not drunk, nor an inexperienced driver. He simply was texting while driving. He was, to borrow Friedman's term, on a steroid. And because of that he slaughtered seven individuals, and ended up killing himself at the end of the movie. Steroids... how dangerous, however you conceive of them. We appreciate the fact that wireless technologies have helped connect us all in a global village; but hey, steroids, remember? We have to be careful how we use them. What say you?

This third post has to deal with the movie industry, and is a report on a set of presentations for Comm Week. It was facilitated by Mike Wood. Mike Wood was the moderator for the set of presentations that held at the Rhatigan Student center, room 203. The panel consisted of Lee Whitman, Lonnie Quattlebaum, and Rod Pocowatchit. They were to talk about film making in the digital age. Mike Wood introduced the speaking panel by saying that we were all leaving film as we knew it traditionally, and entering the digital world. He then called on the speakers to introduce themselves. The speakers went ahead and introduced themselves, saying what they had done in their careers, what they were doing at the moment, and some of the things they hoped to do in their careers in the near future. They also were talking about filling various roles within the film industry. Lee Whitman was awarded the “one to watch” award by the Director of the School of Communication. The award was for an alumnus of the Elliott School of Communication that in just a few years had done outstandingly great in the work place. He graduated from the school in 2006, and already has received an Emmy award for his outstanding work in the field. He actually shot a movie within the month after he graduated from the Elliott School of Communication. I thought this was fascinating. Rod Pocowatchit talked about his film, titled: “The Dead Can’t Dance.” The film was a zombie movie. It was quite a controversial film, especially as a sound bite from the movie had one of the characters say: “There’s something going round these days that only Indians are immune from.” Rod talked about his experiences in making the movie and answered questions about the controversies surrounding the movie, as well as possible social commentaries derivable there from. Lonnie Quattenbaum also talked about his movies and his experiences, mostly technological, in making the movies, answering questions as well about say, cost of cameras and so on. He also talked about logistics, as in renting cameras versus buying them. Lee Whitman lastly talked about his own movie, War Stories, showing clips from it graciously. He also told about the logistics involved in his making the movie, among other things. The session came to an end at about 3.30 in the afternoon.

This is a COMM Week Talk. The talk was given by Sara Quinn, who was introduced by Amy Devault as an outstanding alumnus of the Wichita State University. Sara Quinn expressed joy at being back in WSU. She said she was happy to see the school had changed and still remained the same in certain other ways. She likened this to flexibility, and said flexibility was one of the things that the media had acquired. She said that for the most part of her speech she was going to show concrete examples of the works of journalists, as well as give career advice to aspiring journalists. She launched off by giving us examples of those she described as “passionate” journalists. The first was Jahi Chikwendu, a teacher turned photographer. She had known him for a number of years. She exposed some of his work, especially photos he had taken in Darfur, particularly of a woman and her baby and the trauma they had experienced in the bombing of their village. She also exposed us to the work of Jim Denk, who had become a managing editor at a local newspaper, though he had been an erstwhile colleague of hers. She told as well of the New York Times, and the interactive interfaces for enhanced journalistic storytelling; of Roy Peer Clark, who advocates getting details about news stories, and many others besides. Furthermore, she asked for motives for entering the journalism profession, and what we all as aspiring journalists stood for. She told of how she first became interested in the field because of her father’s being a print designer. She also gave tips on how to do well in the journalism profession. Some of these tips are: make opportunities for yourself; be realistic; listen to ongoings in the profession; network; check your resume for errors; cut the clutter in resume writing; write a cover letter that tells a story about yourself; put together a fine portfolio; check job links and job centers; be open to learning new things; pick up a camera. Other tips were: closely monitor those you admire in the profession and ask them how they achieved what they did; research the company you are interviewing for; dress professionally; be yourself; have an opinion; be adaptable, and above all, love what you do. She took some questions from the audience and then the encounter came to an end. Refreshments were provided in the commons area, and the entire event lasted a little over an hour, at the CAC Theater.

This post is also a report on a COMM week talk. The panel that gave the talk comprised of Sam Williams, Shank Armstrong and Deanna Harms. They spoke of the advancement of advertising in an age that is becoming more technologically savvy. The first of the speakers was Sam Williams. He spoke about how advertising agencies stay relevant by adapting communication and interaction strategies in an advancing world, a world that is increasingly becoming changed by technology. The business of advertising, according to him, has to grow by becoming aware of the changing face of society and the media that it engenders. There will also be a need to push the limits when it comes to the use of advertising for marketing consumer products. He went further to state that advertising managers should be collaborative, strategic, multifaceted, curious, odd, innovative; opportunity seeking; passionate; rounded and balanced. Above all, they should love their jobs, and be critical and wise. After Sam spoke, the next speaker talked about how the Internet is changing the world as we know it. It is changing the media in a very rounded way. The speaker said we must begin to think about the world in a global way, and be more culturally sensitive. He said we should be passionate about diversity or we might be sidetracked. She gave an example of how in the USA alone, there were over 10.8 billion searches performed in the month of August. She talked about the attributes crucial for Internet marketing, and they include: written communication; diverse knowledge base; knowledge of how to learn; learning about negotiation, relationships, building; being flexible about ideas; being strategic about business; picking mentors, and being digital experts. The third speaker talked about consumer empowerment, where the ad agencies do not dictate or call the shots. She talked about media convergence and media relations, and the all-inclusive communication in a world where everyone tries to provide value, in a world of transforming journalism and the progression of society toward egalitarianism. She talked about job interviews and how people may not get hired at times. Finally, there were questions raised and answered about ad methods for the future, to wit that customer satisfaction will outdo technology, as well as will collaboration and strategy. She also talked about tips for job interviews, such as: practice, be on time, dress the part, listen attentively, respond carefully, and follow up after the interview.

You cannot imagine in the slightest how completely overwhelmed with joy I was when I woke up this morning and discovered that my "sweet heart," Barack Hussein Obama had become the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, a little more than four decades after Dr. Martin Luther-King won the same. I am delighted, not just as a proud black man should be, but also as a person who loves this country and its ideals a lot... "we the people, in order to establish a more perfect union, ensure justice, ensure domestic tranquility and the blessings of liberty on ourselves and our posterity..." It is in this country that a new president full of hope and courage and change has won the coveted 2009 Nobel prize barely 9 months into his presidency. There were more than 200 nominees, and Barack won, preferred above them all. I am so delighted. Watch this commentary and leave a comment on my blog.

As an eight-year-old growing up in a festival town, this song first taught me that we are all interconnected in this world. The song talks about "breaking down the walls that come between us for all time." Bill Clinton said on Larry King Live that there is reason to believe that the physical characteristics that separate us: color, gender, and so on, only account for 1% of our make-up. If this is so, we are all 99% the same. Black, white, gay, Hispanic, Native American, Jew, straight, Asian - we are all one people, and "hand in hand we stand, all across the land." In this world of globalization, we are even more reminded of this fact, especially with the current proliferation of technology, and the consequent progressive shrinking of the globe. We realize through the consequences of production and global warming, international trade and foreign exchange; the presence of multinational diplomatic missions, and the coexistence of creeds, cultures, races, castes, especially in America, this global melting pot of ours, that our destinies are commonly shared. When then will we all be truly one; when will we truly see one another as sparks of the spirit, regardless of what we look like? In this world when a white man can legally adopt a black boy as his legitimate son, and let him inherit all he owns, and vice versa; in this world where the leader of the free world is a black man; in this world where noone is excluded from social interaction and political determination. Yet, we still have the likes of Joe Wilson and Kanye West; Osama Bin Laden and BTK. O Lord, when shall we learn that there is more that unites us than tears us apart?

Watch this video and post a comment on my blog. I honestly think that Jaden and his other children are very blessed to have a father like him. If I were Jaden, I would take my father's spirit and put into myself. Will has the spirit of the gods, the same kind of spirit that was in Alexander the Great, Pompey and all the wonderful gods that walked on the earth looking like human beings, when in actual fact they weren't. I completely adore the two of them: Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey. They are gods in human form. Period. Would to God I could be as influential as they are, and bring all that positive energy to all the world. Believe me, I am trying. Let's see what I can accomplish in my own humble, undeserving life. The songist says: "O Lord, whatever destiny is pleasing to you for me, I accept with a resigned and willing spirit."

My favorite people in the world are two. One is my favorite man, and the other is my favorite woman. My favorite man is not Barack Obama, no. But he comes a very close second. My favorite man in the entire world is whom I call the greatest black person alive. He is the one I admire the most in all the earth and beyond. His name is Will Smith. Will Smith in my honest opinion is not just a man. He is a god. He is all a man should be, in my opinion. If I could choose to be someone else other than myself, I would choose to be Will Smith. I love him dearly, even if he doesn't know I exist. He is exceptionally handsome, exceptionally wealthy, exceptionally talented - Oprah calls him the greatest actor on the planet since the history of the world. In short, Will is not just a human being. I repeat, Will Smith is a god. Period. He is the lead actor in my favorite movie... and no, my favorite movie is not Sound of Music, even though it comes a close second. My favorite movie is The Pursuit of Happiness. In that movie, Will Smith makes a statement that is my favorite of all statements in the world - you can see why Will is my favorite man; he is the lead in my favorite movie, and he made my favorite statement of all time. He made the statement in the movie when he, playing the role of Chris Gardner, another great guy, said to his son on the basketball field: "You want something? Go get it. Period." Obama wanted to be president. He went and got it, period. I want to graduate and immediately get into PhD by fall next year, I am going getting it. Period. My life now is a no-nonsense kind of life. Period. But this blog is not about Will Smith, my favorite man of all time. It is about my favorite woman of all time: Oprah Winfrey. Indeed, there is not and probably cannot be a woman living or dead, including my late mother, Grace Nze, whom I love and admire more than the superb Oprah Winfrey, who doesn't even know I exist on this planet. I love Oprah so much that I am willing to do much to be near her for even an hour and ask her questions. Oprah is not a human being. She is a goddess. If you read my book, The African Verses, one of the poems is to Oprah Winfrey, and it is entitled: The Apotheosis of Oprah Winfrey. My, how I love Oprah! But this blog is not a mushy rendition of my love for Oprah. It is a scholarly take on the contribution of Oprah to television and pop culture, and the contribution of the television to Oprah's fame, in keeping with the theories of Agenda setting and Status conferrment. The theory of agenda setting states that the media sets the tone for what people discuss in the public. The theory of status conferrment also states that if a person is popular, it was the media that made him or her that way. Oprah was born poor, but she rose from her state of poverty to become the wealthiest woman alive and the second wealthiest black person of all time. OPRAH is simply phenomenal. Period. Through her syndicated Oprah show, she has set the tone for popular discuss, and has received fame, making Forbes call her one of the, if not the, most infuential woman on the planet. She played a lead role in the movie rendition of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, and has interviewed the most interesting people all over the world. She started a school in South Africa for girls, and has donated tons and tons to those in need. Television can never remain the same, for the impact of this icon, Oprah Winfrey the Great.

An illustrious communicologist once said: "He (or she) the would change the world should use television. How apt this statement is in today's world. Television is power. One of my earlier posts focused on the ages of media evolution and influence. I have already said as well that one of my favorite, if not my favorite, of all quotes in communication is the one by Bernard Berelson (1960). It reads: "Some kinds of communications on some kinds of issues, brought to the attention of some kinds of people in some kinds of situations have some kinds of effects." This statement can be seen as the summary of the limited school of communication effects. The limited school incorporated the realization that there are many variables that intervene in the squelching of media effects. These variables of course include: social groups, individual differences, self perception, as well as the selective processes of attention, retention, perception and exposure. These intervening variables refute some of the earlier claims of the stimulus-response school, some of which were that audiences were more linked with the media than with one another; that senders only need to channel their messages in a particular way, through a particular channel to a select target audience to get a desired response, and that audiences responded to social communication in a stimulus response fashion. This old school of communication conceptualization encapsulated theories of communication, such as: the magic bullet, the hypodermic needle and social control theories of comunication. Communication was also perceived as linear, and usually vertical. In this modern school however, we have a realization that communication effect is only limited. Yet we now have television, and scholars enthuse that whoever would change the world should use it. Is this not ironic? Think about it and post a comment on my blog.