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Articles on Media studies

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New forms of entertainment and consumption abound. And yet the book endures. Swikar Patel/AP

The myth of the disappearing book

E-book sales are falling, even though many said they would “kill” print books. Computers and television were also supposed to spell the book’s demise. At one point, people even feared the phonograph.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry flexes during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers. USA Today Sports/Reuters

Why sports fans need villains

Many decry ‘superteams’ like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors as bad for the sport. But psychology research shows that they also make us more likely to watch – and bask in the joy of seeing them fail.
The Starship Enterprise, the famed setting of the original ‘Star Trek’ series, was almost lost to the graveyard of failed pilots. alanoodle.com

How ‘Star Trek’ almost failed to launch

With a pilot that was deemed too complex and cerebral, ‘Star Trek’ looked dead in the water. Fifty years later, we look back at the show’s rocky beginnings.
Donald Trump in the boardroom during an episode of ‘The Apprentice.’ Nick Lehr/The Conversation

Obsessed with reality TV? You may be a narcissist

Studies have shown that since the 1970s, people’s scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory are rising. Could there be a connection to television consumption?
The first issue of Black Panther, a Marvel series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, was released last month. Marvel Comics

Why the stakes are so high for the Black Panther

In the entertainment industry, the success or failure of a minority lead can be a referendum on whether or not to use diverse leads for future projects.
In the authors’ study, 35 percent of respondents said they’ve binge-watched TV. 'Binge' via www.shutterstock.com

Those post-binge-watching blues? They might be real

TV networks and streaming services are encouraging viewers to binge-watch their favorite shows. But findings from a recent study point to a potential public health concern.
Fear of the unknown: would free radio broadcasts hurt gate receipts? glove and radio from www.shutterstock.com

When baseball almost banned broadcasts

With owners deeply divided over radio, a 20-year tug-of-war would ensue.
Popular Latino musicians like Café Tacvba didn’t make an appearance. Ruy Landa/Flickr

Where were the Latinos at South by Southwest?

At an event that bills itself as ‘the place to preview the technology of tomorrow today,’ one of the fastest-growing, youngest and most tech-savvy segments of the population was largely ignored.
Vladimir Putin appears on the Kremlin-backed news network Russia Today. The multi-platform channel has already garnered more than 2 billion views on YouTube, making it the most-watched news network on the video-sharing website. Kremlin.ru/Wikimedia Commons

Russia fighting information wars with borrowed weapons

The airwaves arms race is on, and the Kremlin has taken a page from the playbook of its Cold War nemesis.
Studies have shown that mentioning misinformation – even in the process of combating it – can cause it to stick in listeners’ minds. from www.shutterstock.com

The media fuels vaccination myths – by trying to correct them

Studies show that the more familiar we become with false information, the more likely we are to later remember it as fact.
Workshops that teach scientists about public communication and advocacy are growing in popularity. Career ambition rather than politics appears to be a main motivation behind scientists’ desire to engage the public. SISSA

Inside America’s science lobby: What motivates AAAS members to engage the public?

At their annual meetings last month, leaders of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) urged their members to advocate on behalf of federal funding for scientific research, actions…
Star Trek fans were especially drawn to Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock – who showed many that it “was okay to be a nerd, that even in the future not everyone fit in, or needed to.” Sam Howzit/Flickr

One of the family: Leonard Nimoy’s impact on fandom

Star Trek fans were especially drawn to Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock – who showed many that it “was okay to be a nerd, that even in the future not everyone fit in, or needed to.”
NBC newscaster John Cameron Swayze was television’s first “anchor man” – though not for presenting the news. The term referred to his status as permanent panelist of the quiz show Who Said That? Wikimedia Commons

The origins of the all-powerful news anchor

In the beginning, newscasters weren’t even visible to TV news viewers. With Walter Cronkite, everything changed.

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