NCA Mass Communication Division - Gatekeeper Magazine

Vol. 22, No. 1
February/March 2017
Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.
Publications/Web Editor - Zac Gershberg, Idaho State University

Welcome from the Chair

Lubbock, TX -- In this issue, I wanted to thank our past chair, Sumana Chattopadhyay, and all our wonderful MCD officers.

I also wanted to introduce myself to the members of the Mass Communication Division as the new chair, and to share with you my excitement about our division.

First, Sumana Chattopadhyay has done a great job of managing the division and keeping us on track this past year. In addition, I would like to thank Meghan Sanders, Vice Chair, and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, Vice Chair Elect, for their amazing efforts for this division. I would like to thank Anji Phillips for her outstanding job as our secretary. Hugh Phillips Curnett, Tracey Worrell, and James Durbin did a wonderful job planning our 2016 NCA MCD programs. Thank you to Stan Tickton and Shane Tilton for serving on legislative assembly for the MCD division. Thank you to Laramie Taylor for being our parliamentarian. A huge thank you to our nomination committee members and our graduate student representative. Most importantly, I would like to thank Zac Gershberg for his work on Gatekeeper and web editor.

I am so honored to be the chair of one of NCAs largest and best divisions. In addition to being an associate professor at Texas Tech University, I am also an assistant dean of international affairs. I like to conduct research on media effects, social media, and how media influences our perceptions of other people. This year will be an interesting year due to current events, political twitter feeds, media programs, and social media outlets to really analyze media effects.

I look forward to receiving many, many submissions for our November conference in Dallas, Texas (my hometown) and encourage you to submit to this conference! Submissions are now being accepted for MCD. Please keep the deadline of March 30 (11:59 PM PACIFIC) in mind while planning to submit to the 2017 convention. More details can be found here.

One of the strengths of the MCD division over the years has been our diversity in scholarship spanning a wide range of topics, theoretical perspectives, and methodologies. We accept individual competitive papers, paper sessions, and panel discussions. Please read the MCD call for papers here.

Also, just a gentle reminder to please select MCD as one of your membership divisions when you renew your NCA membership this year. Your membership makes a big difference to the division. It provides the division benefits such as more sessions at the convention, greater number of representatives at the NCA Legislative Assembly and the best times/venues for our division's sessions.

Don't forget to keep up with MCD events and happenings through the Gatekeeper online, our MCD Facebook page, and twitter account (remember to add the hashtag #ncamcd to your tweets).
Feel free to share any news and announcements that would be of relevance and interest to our members!
Please write to me if you have any questions or ideas relating to our division.

Dr. Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter
Chair, Mass Communication Division
Texas Tech University
n.punyanunt@ttu.edu

Pocatello, ID -- Please enjoy reading through this new issue of The Gatekeeper. I'm excited to welcome Dr. Narissra Punyanunt-Carter as our new chair and thank all of the other officers, old and new, for their service.

This issue features a timely Gatekeeper Scholar Chat with Dr. Zizi Papacharissi from the University of Illinois - Chicago. Her work focuses on democracy, communications technology, and digital citizenship.

Please pass along ideas for future issues of The Gatekeeper. I'd like to add more content on research and pedagogy moving forward. Our next issue is this summer!

Dr. Zac Gershberg
Publications and Web Editor, The Gatekeeper
Idaho State University
gerszach@isu.edu

Announcements

Athens, OH -- As the NCA Immediate Past President, I am chairing the 2017 NCA Committee on Committees. This committee performs the important task of nominating members to fill vacancies on NCA standing committees, councils (formerly known as “boards” under our old bylaws), and award selection committees. I’m reaching out to you because I would value your help in encouraging members of your unit to apply for open leadership positions and/or to nominate others. These positions constitute meaningful ways for our members to get more involved in NCA, to meet individuals from across the association, and to provide essential service to the association through work on the respective committees or councils.

I hope that you will join me in spreading the word about the availability of these positions. If your interest group has a Facebook page, website, and/or electronic newsletter, please consider sharing this link to the call at www.natcom.org/governancecall. In advance, thank you for your help in urging members to apply and/or recommending possible nominees!

Nomination materials are due September 1, 2017. I’m contacting you now so that we can make our members aware of these leadership and service opportunities in NCA before we bring this academic year to a close and transition to the summer months. (This deadline will likely come quickly for many after the fall term begins.)

If you have questions about any of the open positions or the Committee on Committees process, please contact the Committee on Committees’ staff liaison and NCA Chief Operating Officer, Mark Fernando, at mfernando@natcom.org. As always, if you (or any of our members) would like to visit with me for any reason, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Beck@ohio.edu.

Again, thank you for all that you have contributed to NCA and our discipline!! I’m grateful to you for any help that you can offer as we strive to get even more of our members involved in leadership and service roles within NCA.

Best regards,

Christie

Dr. Christina S. Beck
Past President, National Communication Association
Professor, Ohio University
beck@ohio.edu

Chicago, IL -- Dr. Zizi Papacharissi is a professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois - Chicago. A onetime editor of The Gatekeeper, Papacharissi hails from Greece originally but came to the United States for graduate study, earning a Ph.D. at the University of Texas - Austin. Her work, which includes over 50 refereed journal articles and several books, focuses on the social and political consequences of online media. Affective Publics: Sentiment, Technology and Politics is her most recent book, published in 2014, and Papacharissi serves as the editor for the Journal of Broadcasting & Electric Media and Social Media & Society.

Gatekeeper: Your work over the course of the last decade deals with democracy, politics, communications technologies, and digital citizenship. Now we have all these convulsions across the globe, from Brexit to the Turkish coup controversy to President Donald Trump. Did your research anticipate some of these dramatic changes in the public sphere?

ZP: I didn’t plan to, but that’s a good question. I’m actually teaching a grad seminar right now, titled “After Democracy, What?”, and I got the idea because a lot of people are wondering whether democracy is the best we can do and many are disillusioned. Democracy gives everyone the right to vote and voice their opinion, but it doesn’t mean you’re always going to get your way. That’s where people get it mixed up: they vote and then wonder why they didn’t get their way.

But it’s not just Trump; consider all the referenda that are happening across the globe and Austria almost elected a Nazi candidate. When I put this course together I didn’t think we’d be talking about the U.S. context, but more how technology lets us reimagine democracy. Some of what we’re reading from before this time is remarkable, like Michael Schudson’s Why Democracies Need an Unlovable Press.

Gatekeeper: Since your work is about new media and democracy goes back to Ancient Greece, I’m wondering if these new populist changes are just a part of its evolution or what we’re experiencing is truly new and different.

ZP: We’ve seen similar tendencies in the past and society often works in cycles. In the process of getting through these periods democracies can reinvent themselves in interesting ways. Nobody has a crystal ball, and we need to find the terms to explain what’s going on. Ulrich Beck, for instance, wrote about cosmopolitanism and was criticized for using this abstract concept, but here we are now. But he said in order to survive we need to be more cosmopolitan, and in the U.S. and elsewhere, that’s what we need.

When I wrote Affective Publics (2014), I was writing a book about revolutions in the making. I was writing about social media and the infrastructure it has for social movements. My concern at that time was with the Arab Spring and Occupy [Wall Street] as examples, but now, when I give that talk, I use #MAGA [Make America Great Again] because that is the same thing on the other end. Scholars describe phenomena, but maybe we don’t realize that it doesn’t move in a particular direction. If the concept is strong, it can explain a variety of different things. People who support #MAGA deserve the right to have their say, but we need to expand for all voices so we can empathize and understand our own narratives and rhetorics.

Journalists must be able to talk to those communities. There’s been talk that journalism as a profession is becoming a blue-collar occupation, and I hope they step down from the throne.

Gatekeeper: When we think of journalism and the news media, we tend to think of reporters working in New York and Washington, DC, but they often start off working in small towns making $25k. Our perception is often these big columnists and television anchors, though, which is a different lifestyle.Just as with the media, those perceptions affect the academy. I’m curious what your thoughts are about scholars in mass communication and media studies. What role should scholars play in public life given the recent populist fervor?

ZP: It’s difficult to generalize because there’s a lot of thoughtful pieces being written, but we should be a resource for media and journalists to turn to explain these trends more than the regular talking heads. They’re saying the same thing over and over again and increasing the distance from the public. [Scholars] should actively try to produce scholarship that takes a more accessible tone that makes sense to the public. We should be thinking, then, of how to advance our field and making our work more relatable to broader publics. It’s not for everyone and sure, it’s easier to do that once you advance into tenure and full professor positions. But we need to learn to speak in a media friendly way.

Gatekeeper: One would think as communication scholars we’d be able to do that.

ZP: We have to learn to actively seek out connections and reach out to people. In the U.S., when you interview on television, there are restrictions on time and ways to speak; in Europe, things are very different. It seems there are many media outlets, though, and hopefully they’ll be willing to engage academic discussions.

Gatekeeper: So I’ve been waiting to ask you think -- and please excuse the sensationalist nature of it -- but, since you have published a piece on the Performances of the Self on Twitter, what do you make of that platform and the new president, who communicates so frequently on it?

ZP: You know, when I first ran that study, I was focused on the average user who could communicate in 140 characters or less. But I took inspiration from an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago that explored the relationship between the artist and the audience, without [whom] the art would mean nothing. Applying it to Twitter, the audience is very important and it became very clear to me that, despite the condensed form of expression, people create these striking performances. Who knew most of them would be so playful? People can use different personas and personalities.

Gatekeeper: <only a little sarcastically> So are you saying President Trump has concocted a great work of performative art?

ZP: I think he tried out a particular performative strategy, but it’s not very playful in that he’s thin-skinned and doesn’t engage. However, his strategy works for him. We definitely see a different persona than what he projected with The Apprentice or with the Birther conspiracy. It’s very interesting to study his tweeting. There’s a definite rhythm to them, which always start with a statement, then provide a counterstatement and exclamation point. This happened, here’s my reaction, and exclamation point. There’s a certain musicality to them. It mobilizes the sentiment of his public, but does nothing for logic.

Gatekeeper: Mobilizing his public is such an apt phrase at this time. As we’ve talked about your past research, I’m wondering where you see yourself moving forward -- and even that of our field.

ZP: I’m editing five volumes, so I’m using this opportunity to give my brain a massage and let the ideas come out. I’m interested in artificial intelligence, robots, and human/machine interaction, which I’m reading a lot about right now and thinking about. The Internet is not new media anymore, and the new media are AR, VR, robotics -- and even those aren’t super new. As a field, I think we should move there full speed.

Also, there was a time when I think it made sense, as a field, to grow and divide into subdisciplines, but it’s time to realize all of the technology we have is converging. Instead of dividing and conquering, now is the time to move together -- mass comm, political communication, computer-mediated technology, communication and technology. The distinctions no longer hold so we can think of ways to reorganize.

Gatekeeper: When you suggest these divisions should collapse, do you mean from an organization level -- NCA, ICA -- or from a scholarly focus.

ZP: We should rethink these divisionary boundaries and do away with them, but journals need a name so I understand the need. Maybe this is an exercise in power and I don’t have all the answers, but organizations should be more topical and flexible. The terms don’t really make a lot of sense anymore. At conference I feel like the pre-conferences are where all the action is.

Gatekeeper: As we’ve heard a lot lately about fake news, what do you think, from a pedagogical perspective, as to how to help with media literacy, digital literacy, and citizenship -- is that something we should explore?

ZP: That’s the answer to everything. Literacy is part of what we do every day and I can’t separate it. When we go in the classroom and talk about what students are seeing on Facebook and Twitter, that’s literacy. If you’re a successful educator you can help students with what’s going on. Fake news is just another name for propaganda. That we use the term to slap a name on something provides people with an opportunity to change the tone and tenor of the conversation. The problem isn’t fake news, though -- it’s that the press isn’t focusing on what’s important. They focus on fake news when the president uses it or when an aide discusses alternative facts.

Gatekeeper: Professors have connections with their students, sure, but with all of these scholarly contributions you’ve made, how do we reach those without access to education to facilitate greater media literacy?

ZP: We need to stay in touch with the world, both our students and beyond. You have to step out of your bubble and use different language. Work with, not against, the multitasking everyone does. In class, I’m 100 percent against policies that don’t let media in the classroom. I want students to google stuff during class. How can you teach fake news without having students look at their feeds? We’re all worried about distractions, but people have always been distracted, and it’s unrealistic to have everyone’s attention all of the time. No one is that interesting.

Gatekeeper: Thank you for talking with me today. Are there any final thoughts you have about the field you’d like to end with?

ZP: Well, I have lots of ideas! First, no divisions. Second, let’s change the presentation style at conferences. It makes sense, I guess, to have 15-minutes to present findings, but we should also have discussions that are more informal that take on different topics which allow more depth. I’ve always wanted a panel with professionals to discuss mistakes and it’d be useful for scholars. So keep some of the formula, but play with it to reinvent conferences so they’re not boring.

2016-2017 MCD Officers
Chair Narissa Punyanunt-Carter Texas Tech University Department of Communication Studies 1015 Media & Communication Lubbock, TX 79409 n.punyanunt@ttu.edu	Vice-Chair Meghan Sanders Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication 217A Journalism Building Baton Rouge, LA 70803 msand@lsu.edu
Vice Chair-Elect Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz Department of Communication University of Missouri 215 Switzler Hall Columbia, MO 65211 behmmorawitze@missouri.edu	Past Chair Sumana Chattopadhyay Marquette University Diederich College of Comm. 403 Johnston Hall Milwaukee, WI 53233 sumanach@gmail.com
Secretary Anji Phillips Department of Communication Bradley University 215 Switzler Hall Columbia, MO 65211 aphillips@bradley.edu	Secretary-Elect Siobhan Smith University of Louisville Department of Communication 310 Strickler Hall Louisville, KY 40292 siobhan.smith@louisville.edu
Publications & Web Editor Zac Gershberg Idaho State University Department of Communication 921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8242 Pocatello, ID 83209 gerszach@isu.edu	Graduate Student Rep. Arienne Ferchaud The Pennsylvania State University Penn State College of Communications 201 Carnegie Building University Park, PA 16802 amf345@psu.edu
Research Committee
Chair Tracy Worrell Rochester Institute of Technology 3041 Eastman Hall Rochester, NY 14623 Tracy.Worrell@rit.edu	First Vice-Chair Tracy Worrell Rochester Institute of Technology 3041 Eastman Hall Rochester, NY 14623 Tracy.Worrell@rit.edu
Second Vice-Chair Nicole Martins Indiana University 940 E. Seventh St. Bloomington, IN 47405 nicomart@indiana.edu	Second Vice-Chair Elect Jessica Gall-Myrick Indiana University The Media School Bloomington, IN 47405 jgmyrick@indiana.edu
Nominations Committee
Committee Chair Valerie Kretz St. Norbert College Department of Communication 100 Grant Street, Boyle Hall, 332 De Pere, WI 54115-2099 valerie.kretz@snc.edu	Chair-Elect Veronica Hefner Georgia College Department of Mass Communication 231 W. Hancock St Midgeville, GA 31061 vhefner@gmail.com
Nominations Committee Grace Choi University of Missouri Department of Communication 311 Switzler Hall Columbia, MO 65211 grace.choi@mail.missouri.edu	Nominations Committee Julius Riles University fo Missouri Department of Communication 311 Switzler Hall Columbia, MO 65211 rilesj@missouri.edu
Nominations Committee Laramie Taylor University of California-Davis Department of Communication 394 Kerr Hall Davis, CA 95616 lartaylor@ucdavis.edu	Representative to the NCA Nominations Committee & Interest Group Parliamentarian Shane Tilton Ohio Northern University Department of Communication Freed PAC 137 Ada, OH 45810 s-tilton@onu.edu
Representatives to NCA General Assembly
Legislative Assembly Stan Tickton Norfolk State University Mass Communication/Journalism 700 Park Ave., Unit 3249 Norfolk, Virginia 23504 stickton@nsu.edu	Legislative Assembly Omotayo Banjos University of Cincinnati Department of Communication 137 McMicken Hall Cincinnati, OH 45221 banjooouc@gmail.com