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Vol 26, No. 2 
August 2021
Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.
Publications/Web Editor - Emory Daniel, Appalachian State University

Sponsored by:

In this issue:

Welcome from the Chair Editor's Note Announcements Gatekeeper Scholar Chat NCA MCD Officers (2019-2020)

 

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Welcome from the Chair

Davis CA -  On Summer

 Toward the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, an email was circulated among the faculty and graduate students of my department that would go on to become infamous. It was after campus had announced our lockdown plan--namely, that campus would effectively be closed for an entire year, all courses delivered virtually, all labs working with human subjects closed indefinitely. The glass-half-full author of the email encouraged everyone to take advantage of the additional time provided by the lockdown--now was the time to learn a new method or programming language, to make a dramatic leap forward in research programs, to write a book, to be ambitious and audacious and bold!

The reaction wasn't subtle. Parents with child-care responsibilities noted that home-based learning meant they would have LESS time, not more. Outstanding teachers reminded the author that preparing for teaching was going to be much more time consuming than usual. And a lot of people collectively looked into their heart and soul and realized that a pandemic was going to mean unprecedented emotional and cognitive stress at an individual and community level, and that maintaining productivity, never mind dramatically increasing it, was going to be tough. And in the intervening year, we've seen the entire gamut, from dramatic increases in productivity to barely hanging on.

 And on a small scale, I have this same argument with myself every summer. I cook up a laundry list of projects I should start (or finish), professional and personal, intellectual and physical. I'm going to produce four entire manuscripts, start to finish; I'm going to outline that book that's been kicking around in my head; I'm going to overhaul all my undergraduate course materials, flipping every class; I'm going to teach myself Spanish, lose 20 pounds, and grow SO MANY VEGETABLES.

But after the finals are graded and commencement is over, my first impulse isn't to wade into the to-do list; it's to breathe. I find myself taking a step back, finding excuses to spend time outside, away from the computer. I let emails sit in the inbox for a couple days, and I bug my kids. And when I watch bad TV, it's not for research--it's just TV in all its preoccupying, distracting splendor. And at some point over the last six or seven years, I stopped beating myself up over it. I've learned that I need the change of pace. I need the room for emotional and intellectual recovery. And I need time to reconnect with my kids. 

And that's okay. Summer break is a peculiar institution--a quarter of the year set aside as something different, something apart. And using it as something different, using it for a peculiar purpose--whether to write or recover or prepare or connect--makes sense.

Sincerely,

Dr. Laramie Taylor
Chair, Mass Communication Division
University of California - Davis
lartaylor@ucdavis.edu  

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Editor's Note

Boone, NC -- Please enjoy reading through my penultimate issue as editor The Gatekeeper. I have enjoyed being your web editor for this division, as it marks the final of my three-years as publications and web editor. Below you will find announcements about a book publication as well as some key dates for the convention. Please feel free to reach out with any news you'd like to share at danieles@appstate.edu

Further down you'll find this issue's Gatekeeper Scholar Chat with Karen Freberg who is a professor of Strategic Communicationfrom the University of Louisville . She has an emphasis is social media with a particular focus on social media pedagogy.  

In closing, I hope everyone is well and staying safe.  

All the Best,

Dr. Emory Daniel Jr.
Publications and Web Editor, The Gatekeeper
Appalachian State University
danieles@appstate.edu

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Announcements

NCA Mass Comm News 

Book Publication Announcement 

Dr.  Joshua Scacco has a new book publication entitled: The Ubiquitous Presidency: Presidential Communication and Digital Democracy in Tumultuous Times by Joshua M. Scacco and Kevin Coe

The Ubiquitous Presidency is the latest addition to the Oxford Studies in Digital Politics series. The book explores the historical and contemporary evolution of presidential communication practices, presents a framework for researchers and readers to make sense of past and future strategic messaging from the White House, assesses media coverage and public attitudes toward changes in presidential outreach, and offers a set of ways that key institutional and individual actors (e.g., government leaders, journalists, social media companies, constituents) can hold presidents accountable for their words. For more information, including an extended description and book contents, please see: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-ubiquitous-presidency-9780197520642?cc=us&lang=en&

NCA Mass Communication Dates      

 Mass Communication Division Research Escalator

Date and Time: Friday, November 19th - 9:30am - 10:45am

Location: Washington State Convetion Center, 615 - Sixth Level

Mass Communication Top Paper Session

Date and Time: Friday, November 19th - 11:00am - 12:15pm 

Location: Washington State Convetion Center, 615 - Sixth Level

NCA's Mass Communication Division Business Meeting 

Date and Time: Friday, November 19th - 12:30pm - 1:45pm         

Location: Washington State Convetion Center, 615 - Sixth Level

Mass Communication Division Top Student Paper Panel 

Date and Time: Friday, November 19th - 2:00pm - 3:15pm 

Location: Washington State Convetion Center, 615 - Sixth Level

Dr. Karen Freberg 

Louisville, KY Karen Freberg (@kfreberg) is a Professor in Strategic Communications at the University of Louisville. Before coming to the University of Louisville, Freberg earned a PhD in Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee in May 2011, and a Master's degree in Strategic Public Relations at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California in August 2007. Freberg received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Relations at the University of Florida in August 2005. 

Freberg is an award winning author, and has written several books including Social media for strategic communications: Creative strategies and research based applications (with SAGE which was named 2020 NCA Public Relations Division's Outstanding Textbook Award Winner) and Discovering Public Relations: Creative innovations through evidence-based practices. Freberg has coordinated and advised various companies on the areas of social media pedagogy and certification programs, such as Cannes Lions (Co-Chair of the Cannes Lions Educator Summit), Hootsuite (Advanced Social Media Certification and #HootAmb), Meltwater (certification program and contributor), Adobe (EDUMax Thought Leader and Adobe Education Leader), Facebook Blueprint (Subject Matter Expert), and HubSpot (Education Founding Member). Freberg also launched a social media educators community on FB and Twitter (@SMprofessors and #SMprofs) for professors, practitioners, and professionals in the education industry to share resources, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on projects to bridge the gap between education and practice.

GK: First and foremost, thank you for agreeing to participate in the scholar chat! I'd like to start with your current and upcoming book projects with social media and public relations and your upcoming book about strategic communication in 2022?

KF: Thank you so much for the opportunity to be able to participate in the scholar chat. It's truly an honor and I'm really excited to be able to share my insights on social media, public relations and strategic communication. It has been a pretty busy few years, and I am really excited to have my second edition of my social media book come out in September 2021. The response to the first edition has been tremendous, and I have included many new updates, features, case studies and chapters (including influencer marketing, DE&I, and paid media) to this new edition. The activities book that goes along with the book also has 125+ new assignments professors and students can use to apply what they learn from the textbook. 

In addition, here's a video promoting the new edition from Silent Wolf Productions in Louisville, KY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqvgDt2HXeI

GK:You have been a major figure in research and presence in social media in pedagogy. Could you share some of your most recent findings in the field?

KF: You are too kind and I'm really honored to be able to do the research in social media pedagogy and these past few years. I am really excited to see how this research line is really becoming a more prominent specialization within the social media research agenda in all aspects of communication and public relations. When I first started researching and doing social media pedagogy of research, it was not taken seriously or it was viewed as "easy" compared to other lines of academic research. 

Fast forward to today, and it is a rising and prominent area of study, valued by both the academic and professional community. It was only until researchers such as Carolyn Kim, Karen Sutherland, Matt Kushin, Amanda Weed and others who have published exceptional research on pedagogy and social media that has really changed the field. 

I've had the chance to collaborate and work on a few studies with colleagues Karen Sutherland, Carolyn Kim, and Lin Humphrey on social media and pedagogy. We have found in recent findings the new marketable skills do does need to have and working in social media, and it all comes down to what are the different assignments, experiences, and experiential learning activities that are embedded within the classroom. This is truly an exciting time for researchers to get into social media pedagogy work. Many insights, findings, and research are being shared within the #SMprofs community, which continues to grow and thrive as more people are coming together to learn, grow, and execute new approaches, questions, and research ideas in our field.

GK: Since there are talks about universities going back to in-person teaching in the fall, are there any social media pedagogical trends that you have found helpful as this transition occurs?

KF: This past year, I was one of the few colleagues in my department at the University of Louisville who went hybrid and did meet my students on and offline. However, I will also be going back in person teaching this fall, and I feel that in many ways, social media professors are very prepared in making the transition as seamless as possible. 

Many of us have already been doing what we call a hybrid approach for teaching. We have embedded and you zoom and other video conferencing calls to bring a guest speakers and do many lectures even before the pandemic, so we are very attuned to how and why we use various tools/applications to spark relationships, conversation and making some incredible networking connections. I feel more than ever we are going to see more emphasis on having this hybrid approach, as well as the needed time span to not only incorporate these tools and social media into our classes, but really you like them even more for professional networking purposes. As remote work is being fully embraced in many sectors, industries and businesses, it is important to teach the students how they can network remotely rather than going to an office and seeing individuals in person. You do not have to go to LA or NYC to network professionals today. All you need to do is spark a conversation on Twitter or slide into the DMs on LinkedIn. \ GK: Has it changed at all since the pandemic?

GK: Any differences in the perceptions between faculty and students with regards to the transition to online education?

KF: I actually think faculty before the pandemic associated online teaching as being "easy" or not has important as traditional teaching. I have taught online for over 12 years, and it is not easy at all. Teaching online is a lot harder and takes a lot more time to Prep. Students also feel that their view of online education is basically watching a video and going through the motions. However when done right, it can be extremely dynamic and very engaging. Especially when hosting real-time synchronous sessions bringing in guest speakers and giving students hands-on activities that they can apply in breakout groups not only fostered a stronger connection to the material covered in class, but also created a very exciting learning dynamic within the classroom. I actually had some of the best teaching evaluations this past year in my classes from what I was doing online with my students.

GK: Switching gears to social media in practice, recent research has been focusing more in the directions of influencer marketing. What trends have you seen with influencer marketing?

KF: I think it is really exciting to see how influencer marketing is really being fully embraced as a key specialization and social media and public relations research. I remember when I first published my first very first article and influence or marketing and public relations review back in 2011, this article was extremely hard to get published because at the time, no one thought influencers were going to be a big thing. It's amazing to see how things have changed. This article actually is the most downloaded article still to this day in the journal, and I'm excited to see the new research really fully exploring what influence or marketing is. I do feel that there is still much more room to grow and influence marketing. In the research that I've seen, there is still a need to kind of explore the how and why influencers are influential rather than categorizing them into different types of influencers base or follow account. This is a beginning part of what we need to explore as researchers, but there's a depth into this group of influencers that needs further exploration from a conceptual standpoint, as well as from an applied standpoint. We are getting closer to asking the right questions and choosing the right methodologies and exploring influencers, but the field is still growing and needs to be asking some of these questions.

GK: There have been some classifications within the field of influencers revolving around nano/micro/macro influencers for example. Do you see major differences with these types of influencers? How/should the research adapt to these classifications

KF: Exploring a typology is just one way of describing influencers, but influencers sometimes do not fit in the category that they're categorized in. For example, you can have a very new influencer who is classified as a nano influencer, but by the engagement that they are gaining with their ideas are extremely influential and important in their respective Community. I do feel it is important to talk and categorize the influence based on behavior and perceptions of what people attribute to them based on personality characteristics than just their vanity metrics. This will help us not only understand influencers at a deeper level in terms of their characteristics and overall address on what makes them influential, and also can help us identify red flags and what strategies need to be implemented.. Many influencers have been part of the woke and cancel culture, and this is due to brands and agencies not doing the research, or not determining the aspects that makes one influencer appropriate to partner with, and another not. We also need to have more collaborations with companies that specialize in influencer analytics and research. Meltwater is doing this more with educators with the launch of Meltwater Academy, so this is one step educators interested in this line of research could take advantage of.

GK: What are some trends that you see happening in the recent future involving social media? And social media pedagogy that you care to share?

KF: It is really exciting time to be working in social media, but also teaching and researching social media. We have more resources and support than we've ever had before. I feel one of the exciting developments that we are seeing especially in the social media pedagogy world and research agenda is the growing support and opportunities that are available for brand Partnerships. More Brands, like some of the technology platforms, are realizing scholars and professors are teaching social media, and are willing to support and even partner with these researchers and Educators for their classes and research projects. However, what we have to realize is that along with the growing changes we are seeing in the platforms and social media, this is not only going to affect our research, but it's also going to a fact how professors need to re-evaluate what are the skills, duties, and roles they play in the industry. What I mean about this is, to be working in social media in 2021 and Beyond, it's not only about doing research and teaching socially but in many ways, we have to also think like a practitioner. Social media is an ever-changing field, and we need to understand how our research and teaching practices apply in the real world. Consulting and other professional opportunities should be explored and encouraged by higher education institutions as a way to build a professor's reputation not only in the classroom, but in the industry so they are able to get more opportunities to bring back into the classroom. At the University of Louisville, this is being classified as creative activities which falls under our research component of tenure and promotion evaluation, and this has been one element that I was evaluated on as I went up early for full professor promotion this past year.

GK: Are there any projects that you are looking forward to that you would like to share?

KF: I've gotten this question a lot, especially when people and friends have asked me if I was going to sit back and relax after achieving full Professor status this year, but I laughed because the work never stops and social media. I'm really excited to be able to collaborate with a few projects on influencer marketing that they play with a few colleagues of mine, and some consulting projects I'm working on right now with several Brands that tie into social media pedagogy. For example, I'm actually incorporating several brands as part of my classes this upcoming year including Brown-Forman, focusing on influencer marketing and training within their organization and community. I've also been really excited to work with the can lions Festival of creativity to continue to build the Educators Summit, which we will hopefully be able to do in person in Cannes during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2022.

GK: AWhat resources would you recommend for professors who are interested in using social media strategies in their classrooms?

KF: There are many resources for professors who are interested in using social media strategies in their classes. I highly recommend searching for the Social Media Professors Community (#SMprofs) Facebook. We have over 2,000 members as part of the SMprofs community from all over the world, along with Representatives who are part of the platforms that we cover and talked about in our research and teaching. There are also many books that are available on teaching social media in your classes. There are many great authors who have written several books including Carolyn Kim, Karen Sutherland, Keith Quesenberry, Jeremy Lipschultz, and of course I've written a couple of books myself. I would also highly recommend following the community on Twitter #MarketingTwitter. This is a great Community full of professionals who are working for Brian to do social media in their day-to-day activities and roles, and would be excellent guest speakers an individual to bring it to your classes to talk about what it's really like to be working in the field. Also, if you want to see the future of social media marketing, follow Maximum Effort, Aviation Gin and Ryan Reynolds on social media. They are implementing the skills, creativity, and innovation the field needs, and as educators, we need to share this with our students, but also explore the details in research.

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NCA MCD OFFICERS

2020-2021 MCD Officers Chair Laramie Taylor University of California - Davis Communication Department 396 Ker Hall  Davis, CA 95616  lartaylor@ucdavis.edu Vice-Chair Valerie Kretz St. Norbert College  Communication and Media Studies 100 Grant Street, Boyle Hall 352, De Pere, WI 54115  valerie.kretz@snc.edu \ \ Vice Chair-Elect / Ad-Hoc Awards Veronica Hefner   St. Mary's College - California School of Liberal Arts - Communication  105J Sichel, Moraga, CA 94575 vh10@stmarys-ca.edu Past Chair David Rhea  Governors State University Communication Program One University Parkway, University Park, IL 60484 drhea@govst.edu Secretary Ashton Speno Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville Department of Mass Communication 1017 Dunham Hall Edwardsville, IL 62025 aspeno@suie.edu Secretary-Elect Kristin Drogos  University of Michigan - Ann Arbor LSA Communication & Media 7415F North Quad, 105 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 kdro@umich.edu Publications & Web Editor (Position through 2019-2021) Emory S. Daniel Jr. Appalachian State University Department of Communication 121 Bodenheimer Dr. Boone, NC 28607 danieles@appstate.edu Graduate Student Rep. Lindsay Roberts University of Califonia - Davis Communication Department 469 Ker Hall Davis, CA 95616 laroberts@ucdavis.edu Ad-Hoc Appointment - Group Parliamentarian Shane Tilton Ohio Northern University Department of Communication Freed PAC 137 Ada, OH 45810 s-tilton@onu.edu Graduate Student Rep. - Elect Lauren Taylor University of California - Davis Communication Department 469 Ker Hall Davis, CA 95616 lautaylor@ucdavis.edu Research Committee Committee Chair Lisa Glebatis Perks  Merrimack College 315 Turnpike St. Cushing Building North Andover, MA 01845   perksl@merrimack.edu  First Vice-Chair Joseph Hoffswell  Wetern Kentucky University Department of Communication FAC 145 Bowling Green, KY 42101 joseph.hoffswell@wku.edu  Second Vice-Chair Arienne Ferchaud  Florida State University College of Communication & Information 4100 University Center, Building C Talahassee, FL 32306  aferchaud@fsu.edu  Second Vice-Chair - Elect David Stamps  Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication 252 Hodges Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803  dstamps@lsu.edu  Nominations Committee Committee Chair Hillary Gamble  Auburn Universiy - Montgomery Communication & Theatre 7430 East Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 hgamable@aum.edu  Vice Chair Colin Kearney  University of Dayton Department of Communication St. Joseph's Hall 106  Dayton, OH 45469    ckearney1@udayton.edu  Vice Chair-Elect Benjamin K. Smith  California State University - East Bay Department of Communication 3011 Meiklejohn Hall  Hayward, CA 94542   benjamin.smith@csueastbay.edu  Nominations Committee - Representitive Jeanette Ruiz University of California - Davis Communication Department 364 Kerr Hall, 1 Shields Ave, Davis CA 95616 jbruiz@ucdavis.edu Representatives to NCA General Assembly Legislative Assembly (Position through 2021-2022)   Stan Tickton Norfolk State University Mass Communication/Journalism 700 Park Ave., Unit 3249 Norfolk, Virginia 23504 sdtickton@hotmail.com Legislative Assembly (Position through 2020-2021) Jennifer Stevens Aubrey The University of Arizona College of Human & Behavioral Sciences  Communication 218 Tuscan, AZ 85721 jlsa@arizona.edu  <<back to top>>