Media Law & Literacy

A professor of communication studies, known as Everett Rogers popularized the theory Diffusion of Innovations. The theory is used to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Rogers believes that communication channels, time, a social system, and the innovation itself are the four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea.  An innovation that spread at a fast rate is the social media app Instagram, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Instagram was released on October 6, 2010 for iPhones and in April 2012 for Androids. The app is a social networking system that allows people to share photos and videos through the app. These photos and videos can be publicly shared or only shared by accepted followers. Instagram quickly grew to become one of the most popular social media apps in the world.  How did Instagram grow so quickly? Lets start the explanation off by discussing Instagram's history. In 2009, Kevin Systrom was working at a trave...

  Antiwar voices have been censored in the United States for years and are still being censored today. The censoring of antiwar voices became prevalent during the Progressive Era, specifically during World War I. Multiple groups in the United States, including the Women's Peace Party, the American Union Against Militarism, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the American Friends Service Committee, protested against World War I. Although, these antiwar movements against World War I were overpowered by World War I propaganda that persuaded people to become pro-war. The propaganda consisted of posters with illustrations and words to convince Americans to fight for their country during the world war.  One of the most iconic pieces of propaganda from World War I was created by James Montgomery Flagg . The poster consists of an image of Uncle Sam pointing to the viewer and the words "I Want You for U.S. Army "  below the image. This poster was one of the most popular pieces ...

Netflix is a streaming service that allows people to watch TV shows, movies, documentaries, and animations without commercials. Netflix can be watched on any internet-connected device that offers the program, such as computers, smartphones, smart TVs, game consoles, tablets, and streaming media players. In order to access Netflix, a person must subscribe to the streaming service by creating an account and paying for the service monthly.  So, who created Netflix? Two serial entrepreneurs named Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph invented Netflix in August 1997.   Reed Hastings is a businessman, as well as an advocate for education reform and a former member of the California State Board of Education. Marc Randolph is a speaker, advisor, and an environmental advocate. Marc Randolph also works at High Point University! How cool is that? Randolph is High Point's Entrepreneur in Residence. He works with HPU students of all different majors on campus, speci...

  Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, recently criticized The First Amendment on the Armchair Expert Podcast, where he talked about the paparazzi. The Duke of Sussex described The First Amendment as 'bonkers', explaining that he believes we live in a society where certain aspects of the media are redefining the meaning of privacy.   Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle moved to the United States in March 2020, after moving out of England and stepping down from The Royal Family. Since living in the United States, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are discovering that aside from The Royal Family, there is a lot to criticize about the United States as well.  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been complaining a lot about privacy by publicly explaining their issues about privacy matters through social media. In the Armchair Expert Podcast, Prince Harry talks with podcast host, Dax Shepard about his concerns about the paparazzi invading his family's privacy and the priva...

Out of all of the Eight Values of Free Expression, the one that resonates the most with me is Individual Self-Fulfillment. Individual Self-Fulfillment, also known as Self-Actualization, is about individuals being able to express themselves and create their own identity. Individual Self-Fulfillment can lead to finding people others have a lot in common with, which could lead to lifelong friendships. Individual Self-Fulfillment resonates the most with me because I would not be the person I am today without having the freedom to create my own identity. I am able to express my hobbies, passions, culture, and fashion style, thanks to Individual Self-Fulfillment.  Individual Self-Fulfillment reminds me of social media because we all have the freedom to express ourselves the way we want to through social media apps, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. Social media allows people to express their identity online for other people to see. A person can learn a lot about anothe...

  I learned that the Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the United States with notable justices. The notable justices I learned about are John Marshall, Charles Evans Hughes, Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Sonia Sotomayor. John Marshall was a notable justice because he defined the relationship between the judiciary and the rest of the government. More specifically, in the Marbury vs. Madison case, Marshall acknowledged the Supreme Court's power to review and rule on the constitutionality of federal laws made by congress. Charles Evans Hughes was a notable justice because he wrote landmark opinions on the freedom of speech and press. Earl Warren was a notable justice for issuing landmark decisions for multiple Supreme Court cases, such as the Brown vs. Board of Education, Miranda vs. Arizona, and Loving vs. Virginia. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American justice, Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female justice, and Sonia Sotom...

1. The news source that I use the most is Instagram. I scroll through Instagram multiple times a day to not only see pictures of my peers, but to read the news that pops up on my feed as well. The news that is on my Instagram feed fascinates me, which is why Instagram is one of my most used apps on my phone. Instagram provides me news about multiple topics from celebrities to politics to fashion trends to health. I can always rely on the gram to keep myself up to date on the latest news!  https://www.instagram.com 2. The second news source that I use is YouTube. I use YouTube to watch the latest videos on people I like to keep up with, such as celebrities and specific YouTubers I am subscribed to. I also use YouTube to watch the latest sports videos for the sports I am interested in. Furthermore, I use YouTube to watch clips from specific news sources, such as ABC News, NBC News, Buzzfeed, and E! News. I can always rely on YouTube because I use YouTube in multiple ways to keep myse...

Hi, welcome to my blog! My name is Alexandra Lewis and I am from Long Island, NY. I am student at High Point University majoring in social media and digital communications with minors in graphic design and marketing. In my studies at HPU, I am focusing on studying social media, written communication, video production, graphic design, and marketing. I am focusing on being hard working, motivated, and confident in my studies at HPU. Outside of class, I like to focus on socializing with my friends and participating in extracurricular activities. I am a member of High Point University's club gymnastics team, CHAARG, Alpha Lamda Delta, the National Society of Leadership & Success, and social media marketing club. After HPU, I plan on getting a social media marketing career in NYC. A fun fact about me is that my favorite food is sushi!