If you (like I) grew up in the United States, or if you have lived a somewhat “mediated” life, then you are probably familiar with the chant “The Whole World is Watching”. You may not know that this chant is older than the popularized Internet, which only really took off once Tim Berners-Lee more or… Continue reading The Whole World is Sleeping
Tag: literacy
What is Publicacy + Why does it Matter?
Considering how many people are affected by media world-wide, it seems a little odd how few are aware of how much media control their lives. That’s quite a mouthful, so let me take a step back and describe the so-called global media landscape of today. Ever since the stone age, humans have been refining concepts… Continue reading What is Publicacy + Why does it Matter?
“Leider” — Information Asymmetry in Leading Media
Up until now, I have regularly participated in a radio program in Germany (in German language) where participants are invited to ask questions about an author’s new book. The show is quite popular, and I find the programmers are being increasingly selective regarding the questions — not only is the censorship quite obviously becoming more… Continue reading “Leider” — Information Asymmetry in Leading Media
Fascism & Regulated Media
Of course the word “fascism” is a loaded term. Let alone that the term was invented by some short pudgy Italian only about a century ago. What does it mean? He might have known, but in the meantime (now, a century later) the term has been applied so often in so many contexts that it… Continue reading Fascism & Regulated Media
Knowing Ignorance
Knowledge and ignorance are closely related concepts. One thing I’ve found puzzling for many years already is to what degree awareness is also involved. In my opinion, it seems unfathomable how anyone could know something and at the same time pretend to not know it. Yet followers of Freud apparently consider this to be so… Continue reading Knowing Ignorance
Does Google Own the Internet?
For the faithful [1], the answer is almost certainly a resounding “YES!” Yet before jumping to conclusions, let me take a step back in time. A long time ago, messages (i.e., “dialog boxes”) like this were quite widespread. I think they were seen as confusing, and gradually gave way to other question-and-answer combinations. What I… Continue reading Does Google Own the Internet?
Whose Language?
Let me start with a little English lesson. English has many homonyms, other languages also have many homonyms. Sometimes I try to wake people up to the fact that there are many words in their own language that sound just like something completely different in other languages. I often have to think twice about the… Continue reading Whose Language?
Who is Free to Choose?
I distinctly remember my father telling me to watch TV once — or rather: strongly recommending me to sit down and watch it together with him (and whoever else in the family happened to be around). It was a very special event: PBS was doing a series with Milton Friedman, called “Free to Choose“. We… Continue reading Who is Free to Choose?
X did Y, and I don’t care
I am reflecting on my recent posts over the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago, I described how mainstream media uses “bait and switch” tactics to get suckers to look at advertising. [1] This is usually done with a headline that claims something sensationalist along the lines of “X did Y”. Last week, I went… Continue reading X did Y, and I don’t care
Do Not Read This
This image of Putin and Tillerson toasting a deal between Exxon-Mobil and Rosneft to collaborate on their engagement to develop oil drilling in arctic regions is a still from the movie “Merchants of Doubt” (2014). You have probably never seen it before — I don’t imagine it was a blockbuster at any local cinema. The… Continue reading Do Not Read This
Socio Business blog 