Blog Assignment 10: Class Highlights

Here are three “Aha! moments” I had this quarter:

  Chapter 6: I did not know the USA only produces around 15% of the world’s movies. I knew that India produces many films, but I had no idea Japan, China and Brazil do too! I was perhaps under the impression that the USA produces the largest number of movies because in Germany, as well as in other European countries, the majority of films watched are American. This really made me acknowledge the validity of the idea of American "cultural imperialism" through the movie business. 

  Chapter 11: I found it interesting to learn that many liberals think the media has a liberal bias, while many conservatives feel like the media has a conservative bias. I previously thought that conservatives generally accuse the media of having a liberal bias, and liberals usually complain about the media’s conservative bias. In my opinion, this could be seen as proof that people consume media in accordance to their world views, political preferences and etc. 

  Chapter 13: I found it useful to become familiar with the differences between advertising and PR. Prior to having studied the difference between PR and advertising, I didn’t know how to distinguish one from the other. Knowing how advertising and PR differ (advertising tactics, as an example, are often obvious, while PR techniques aim to persuade in a more subtly noticeable manner) enables me to make a more conscious decision about which persuasion industry I might consider and prepare to work in.