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media – Page 2 – Felicia M. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Category: media

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Communicating Vision

I’ve encountered several instances lately when I’ve found myself in the challenging place of trying to communication my vision. I see things so clearly in my mind, yet the language to make it clear to other evades me. I’m usually really excellent at this. Maybe I am finding myself in these situation where I am still not clear and the specifics are not clear and hence other not so much.

I do know this:

  • communication is essential to communities, a community unable to communicate its values, ideals, and needs will find it difficult to grow or compete
  • the tools and systems of modern communication have never been more accessible, but so many still are without access to or the skill in using these new tools
  • corporations and governments are rapidly changing how we organize society, and if communities don’t advocate for the public sector we will loose a core ingredient for a true democracy
  • I want to be one of those working to make sure that all of this happens and I want to work with other committed souls who have this as their mission

And so I found this:

Developing and communicating vision from the Community Toolbox.

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Brand Identity vs. National / Ethnic Identity

nikeThis semster I’ve been teaching a Media Literacy class at UMass Boston. Today the topic was advertising, brand identity, emotional branding, and the increasingly blurry lines between commerce and content. I was using Frontline’s “The New Pursuaders,” as a key discussion point.

At one point in the report an expert says that brands, like Apple, attempt to create a sense of community and belonging around them. That brands are filling voids left by the erosion of schools and churches.

It seems to me that in a globaizing world controlled by corporations brands are the new types of national flags. Kinda of like the world of Rollerball where the turf is the minds and dollars of cosumers. I asked my class if they felt that these newly constructed brand identies were any different than the early construction of clans, tribes, and nations.

One student indicated that national / ethnic identity was different because it is part of her and who she is. Will the next generation or the generations after being saying the same about their identification with a constellation of consumer goods that represent their “clan?”