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ABOUT


Welcome to the Media Writing Lab at DePauw University. This site features commentary and criticism written by students enrolled in Professor Kevin Howley's Media, Culture & Society course.

Throughout the semester, students organize and publish a weeklong series of thematic essays (500-600 words each) that address some aspect of media and popular culture. Modeled after the Media Commons project, In Media Res, this site promotes collaborative research, interactive learning, multi-modal writing.

The views and opinions expressed in the Media Writing Lab are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the instructor, the Department of Communication & Theater, or DePauw University.

 Instructor: Kevin Howley
Teaching Assistant: David Petrushka
Technical Assistance: Jin Kim

For more information regarding the Media Writing Lab write to us at: khowley@depauw.edu.

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DO THESE CELEBRITIES ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

By Maggie Wagenbrenner Over the past few years, we have seen some big changes in the political world of the United States.  With the advancement of technology and the rising popularity of social media, many people are able to voice their opinions for the world to see and reflect on, some of those people are celebrities. We are constantly hearing and seeing celebrities endorsing politicians of their liking, but the question must be asked: do these celebrities actually make a difference? I argue that the rise of social media has led to celebrities having a far reaching effect on voters  due to the social identification theory and the parasocial relationship construct. Social identification theory is defined as “people adopt[ing] attitude or behavior from another person because they associate it with a satisfying, self-defining relationship with that person” (Um, 2018). A similar concept is touched on in Dustin Kidd’s book, Social Media Freaks: Digital Identity in t...
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SNLS POLITICAL PARODIES: IRONICALLY FUEL FOR THE FAR RIGHT?

By Natalie Raskas The American public seems to have a problem with discernment, confusing entertainment with the reality of the real-world consequences of politics more and more and Saturday Night Live (SNL) may be to blame. Nickie Michaud Wild writes in his research article, “Dumb vs. Fake: Representations of Bush and Palin on Saturday Night Live and Their Effects on the journalistic Public Sphere,” that “The observation that news and entertainment are becoming more alike has been met with derision or with acceptance.” This “infotainment” element became popular in American media starting in the 1980s with the advent of cable news and only has grown to be a stronger and more polarizing feature in today’s political climate (Wild, 2015, p.495). To most Americans supporting the political left, Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, now President, became a joke – thanks in part to SNL ’s spot on political satire sketches. We laughed until we cried on election night when the unima...
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AS SEEN ON THE NEWS: BLACK MEN AND VIOLENCE

By Destiney Davis Growing up as an African American female has been the best of times, but also the worst at times. But, through every struggle I had my father to fall back on. Dennis Davis, a 6-foot African American male with three kids, a loving wife and the heart of the nicest man alive. Who would fear that? Unfortunately, many people fear just that but why? African American males are often portrayed as monsters and thugs more whether that be in television, movies and especially the news. In American culture, black men are faced with this double life because they are seen as amazing for athletic abilities but in the social world they are looked down upon and judged by untrue stereotypes. The news often portrays these black males as overly masculine and aggressive towards anyone and everyone around them. Not only is news a problem, but black men are often underrepresented in roles that do not include violence or an increase in masculinity which would include the ster...
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