Yep, that’s right — I’m being one of those academics. Engaging in neologisms to make a name for myself. But what I am working through here is an idea for a book project, and I’d love peoples’ comments to help me to do so. Redefining Media Studies A medium is a technology for the storage,…
Redefining Social Media into Social Communication
Originally I had this post connected with some thoughts I have had on media studies, but I have separated them because I think they are two different (but perhaps interconnected) projects. So this one is going to focus on redefining social media and the other one focuses on a new approach for doing media studies….
Compassionate Pedagogy for Online Teaching
In this blog post, I am collecting my thoughts as well as links to other people’s thoughts and writings about how to teach online from a perspective and position of compassion for learners. This information was originally collected on Twitter. Additionally, this notion of “compassionate pedagogy” is not limited to online teaching and learning but…
A Communication Toolbox for Communication Literacy
The following is an excerpt from my book Fractured Fandoms: Contentious Communication in Fan Communities. To read all of the information, you will need to get the book, either from a seller or your local library. [Do not cite this blog post as it is an abridged version of what appears in the book. All…
PCSJ Vol 7 Is 2: Inaugural Student Showcase
I am happy to announce that the second issue I have edited is now live and free to anyone interested in popular culture studies. More importantly, I am so proud that it features our inaugural Student Showcase, highlighting great scholarship done by undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. These students present their original…
Overview of Media Theories
This list was created in 2008 to help both my research and some writings I did with Brenda Dervin. If you find this useful, I also suggest checking out other work I did from that time period on conceptualizing audiences. 1) THEORY NAME: Diffusion of innovation TENETS: Distribution of innovative media products into society and…
Why Is Sense-Making Methodology Methodological?
This is from a class paper I wrote for Brenda Dervin in 2006 at Ohio State University. The most efficient and useful way I can conceive of answering this question is by exploring it in relation to my phenomenon of interest, fandom. Fandom has been studied using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, as a…
Meet the PWSJ and PCSJ
The Professional Wrestling Studies Association announces the first issue of the Professional Wrestling Studies Journal from editor Matt Foy. This online, open access journal can be reached at https://www.prowrestlingstudies.org/professional-wrestling-studies-journal. The first issue contains scholarly essays and reviews from different disciplines, all considering various aspects of professional wrestling. Issues include how professional wrestling relates to the…
Professional Wrestling Studies Opportunities
First, the Professional Wrestling Studies Association (PWSA) invites anyone interested in professional wrestling to attend their first annual online symposium, WrestlePosium I. This symposium will occur on Saturday, April 4th, from 8am to 4pm Central Time and will be completely online so that anyone around the world can attend. Registration is necessary to access the…
When the Rebel Heart Met the Blackheart: Slash in Professional Wrestling
NOTE: This post was originally posted on the Professional Wrestling Studies Association blog and can now be found at this link. I’ve been working on this project for awhile now, and this presentation from MPCA/ACA 2019 contains my preliminary results on slash fanfic that feature NXT wrestlers Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. This work began…
New Japan Pro Wrestling Podcast
For the fifty-fifth episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson and I are joined by unofficial third co-host Joe Belfeuil to discuss the history and significance of New Japan Pro Wrestling aka NJPW. The trio consider how NJPW emerged, and its early relationship with other big professional wrestling federations like WWF and NWA….
Social Media Literacy and Ethical Leadership
Social Media and Leadership Power Social networks online and offline represent relationships between people, and people capitalize on such connections to perform tasks, from gathering information to enacting political reform. Strong connections can yield higher returns, as strong ties more than weak ties can encourage willingness to help. The more strong ties we have, and…
