The principle of media construction and other key media literacy concepts make it possible for students and adults alike to critically examine environmental news at a time when the stakes of environmental policy decisions could not be higher.
We explore the significance of the meteoric rise of direct-to-consumer drug advertising, and identify the strategies which drug companies use to increase physician prescriptions of their products. Also includes a look at how pharmaceutical advertising—like advertising for any other consumer product--encourages us to believe that prescription drugs will transform our lives.
There’s a distinct imbalance of power between consumers and online advertisers when advertisers are able to scoop up consumers’ personal data without their permission or even their knowledge. We envision what a commercial Internet centered around user ownership of data might be like, and why media literacy education is essential.
Most researchers agree that children are able to understand the persuasive intent of advertising by the age of 8. But that doesn’t mean they arrive at that age with the media literacy skills they need to adequately respond to the sophisticated strategies food advertisers use to draw their attention.
Advertising sends contradictory messages to young people about food, dieting and fashion. We look at a recent survey regarding teen girls and their attitudes toward media and fashion. We also report on new research from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media on the representation of women in family films.
In this issue, we offer a wide-ranging update on advocacy, scholarship and resources on media and body image issues. Includes an interview with CSUN professor Dr. Bobbie Eisenstock.
Advertising helped financial institutions convince consumers that incurring debt was not only reasonable, but a wise choice. We discuss the role of consumer credit in the U.S. economy, and how advertising and other media have kept us reaching for that credit. We also analyze the strategies that advertisers use to enable audiences to bypass their rational minds as they make purchasing decisions.