personal mass com

"New research on the use of social networks in the United States finds that 55 percent of online teenagers use social networking on such Web sites as Facebook and Myspace, and 55 percent have posted an online personal profile" (Tubbs & Moss 546). I am part of the 55 percent that has fallen a victim to these social networking sites. However, I never really paid much attention to my accounts until college.

One reason college has affected my use of my social networking through Facebook is because I am half a country away from all of my best friends, friends, and family. And Tubbs & Moss claims that 82% of social networking users are on these networks to stay in touch with old friends (546). So even though I was going to Creighton, I never intended on having these important people not be a part of my life. Facebook has been a great way to accessibly communicate with friends from high school, who I may not have stayed in contact with, and to see how one another's college experience is going. However, five of my best girl friends from grade school, and myself have a "thread" on Facebook. This allows us to update one of each other on our lives in sort of an open email within the six of us. It has been a great way to all keep in contact and up to date with each other. I have truly appreciated the easy means of communication provided by Facebook.

Another reason I have used Facebook more since I have entered into college life is because it has helped me to communicate and learn things about my new classmates. Tubbs & Moss notes that 49% of users use Facebook to help make new friends (546). Facebook is very helpful when it comes to learning if you have anything in common with a new friend or even just to simply communicate to one another through chatting or comments. 

Overall, Facebook has had positive effects on my interpersonal communication through mass communication providers. 

Applied - Mass com

Technology has allowed for an extreme change which is a trend referred to as "narrowcasting." "Narrowcasting refers to the programming designed to target a specific segment of the media audience" (Tubbs & Moss 538). Narrowcasting employs sophisticated research to learn information about the audiences lifestyles, characteristics, age, gender, needs, and preferences. Facebook is a online business that practices narrowcasting. 

Facebook allows easy access for companies to be selective in the viewers the companies want to attract. To begin, it instantly wants to clarify who the advertisement is meant to target. It asks for specific variables such as, location, age, keywords, relationship status, gender, relationship interests, languages, workplaces, and age that can help advertisers select the viewers of their ads. This is clearly beneficial toward companies because most of its viewers are all prospective clients. However this form of narrowcasting can be overwhelming to Facebook audiences. For example, a surplus weight loss ads are targeted to females on Facebook. It is no secret that females tend to be very self-conscience about their bodies, so no matter how healthy the viewer is, they may feel like these ads are truly trying to tell them something. In this situation, the narrowcasting Facebook has allowed weight loss companies to use is detrimental to the Facebook user and can cause harm to there health, by looking into unhealthy ways of loosing weight instead of the suggested advertisement. This which essentially benefits no one. This is an example in which the narrowcasting can harm a viewer; however, Facebook has many aides that pertain to males such as razors. In this case, these ads are normally beneficial to the company because males can easily see which razor suits there needs. Ultimately, it is essential for people to be aware of the narrowcasting on Facebook and not to let it alter decisions about what they like and who they are. 

http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?advertising&src=aw05Target Your Audience By:

• Location
• Age
• Sex

• Keywords
• Education
• Workplace

• Relationship Status
• Relationship Interests
• Languages 

definitional Mass Comm

"'Mass communication' is often used loosely to refer to the distribution of entertainment, arts, information, and messages by television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, recorded music, and associated media" (website). Evidently, mass communications is how our world communicates news to one another. But who decides what is newsworthy for peoples attention, and for how long? 

"A gatekeeper is a person, who by selecting, changing ,and/or rejecting messages, can influence the flow of information to receiver or groups of receivers" (Tubbs & Moss 508). Seven different decisions help gatekeepers determine what is newsworthy. The first variable that gatekeepers must recognize is economics because much of the mass media in the United states is concerned with the profit they will make when spending and raising money. Next, legal restrictions affect the presentations and the content of information have to be taken into consideration. Also, the amount of time a gatekeeper has for a story (deadlines) affect the "depth as well as the time available to determine the accuracy of news selected" (Tubbs & Moss 510). The fourth thing gatekeepers take into consideration when determining the strength of a story is their ethics; their personal beliefs will influences the information they share will others. "A fifth factor is competition among media: In a market with several available sources, it was hoped that competition would raise the overall level of professionalism, ensuring a more objective presentation of information" (Tubbs & Moss 510). Also, the value of the news and the amount of time to present the story are huge factors when a gatekeeper is contemplating the "newsworthiness" that lies within a story. The final variable that affects a gatekeepers decision about stories within mass communication is reaction to feedback, where it is essential for gatekeepers to look at the media goals against public opinion. These are the several variables gatekeepers use to determine what stories should be released through mass communications. 

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/masscommunic/masscommunic.htm 

Rhetoric & Public Culture Applied

I have been to Mexico several times for different reasons. I have been there both on vacation with my family and on Mission Trips to build houses with my parish. No matter what ever the reason I find myself in Mexico, my time spent there is always eye-opening to the different realities of our world. 

Every time I leave Mexico I am always overwhelmed with a feeling of appreciation. I tend to appreciate our physical world a lot more after my trips to Mexico. It breaks my heart when I walk up to the houses where a family of ten might be living and it is smaller than my dorm room with no running water or secure roofing. Furthermore, I always become thankful for the little things in America's physical world that we live with in our day to day life style, such as cars, grocery stores, paved streets, bathrooms, and computers. The circumstances the citizens of Mexico live under astonish me. 

However, the circumstances are not what ultimately stands out to me, it is Hispanics social realm that impresses me. Despite all of the communities "set backs" in developments and technological advancements the families thankfulness and closeness is stronger than any families I have ever seen.  For example, the families always provide a nice home cooked Mexican meal for us as we build the house when they do not need to and normally do not have the money to support the cause, but the financial restrictions do not stop the families appreciation. After spending about thirty seconds with the different families I always feel I am amongst the most genuine love that can be bestowed in people. No matter what happens the families eternal love is present in their day to day interactions with one another. Also, their power of prayer is impeccable. The families are so thankful for us, the workers, and God and express their thankfulness repetitively while we are there. I love my trips to Mexico because they are eye opening to the different "worlds" different cultures live in. 

Applied Rhetoric & Public Culture

The study of rhetoric allows the consumers of messages to think critically about why messages are being sent and what intentions the messages send. A person's "understanding of how messages work will be greatly enhanced if you apply yourself to the intense study of how and why human communication works through messages" (The Power of Messages). It is important for people to take a step back, and acknowledge the different effects various messages have. 

For example, the coke company often manages to employ different props that to assist in selling coke products. The rhetorical aspect this specific diet coke commercial implies that if you drink diet coke, you will have as much fun as the people in the commercial. The setting on the commercial allow suggests diet coke aligns with bright sunny days with friends. Furthermore, the idea that diet coke delivers happiness comes as tiny bubbles and stars leave the diet coke can as it opens.  To continue strengthen the coke's appeal people in the commercial appear to be having the time of their life as they not only drink diet coke, but skate around on roller-skates dancing to a fun poppy song, "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Paul Oakenfold. This fun song illuminates the the coke companies underlying message that diet coke brings happiness to its consumers. Coke applies peripheral rhetoric to help sell the diet coke. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmBDeswu2dI

Definitional Rhetoric & Public Culture

The Power of Messages suggest that we live in three very distinct, but that overlap one another. These three worlds are our physical world, social world, and symbol world. It is important to acknowledge that all of the worlds unite; one cannot exist without the others. The Power of Messages informs that they all "provided us boundaries, resources, and challenges." 

To begin, The Power of Messages suggests that many may believe that humans have mastered the physical realm. Human's have come close to mastering the physical world through exploring ideas such as sailboats, aircraft, space exploration, automobiles, gravity, and many more inventions and sciences. However, "our physical world often reminds us that we have neither total nor adequate control of physical conditions. One hurricane, one deadly virus, one tsunami,  or one ravaging fire can quickly remind us that all of out efforts, improvements, technologies, and skills are at times puny" (The Power of Messages). We can anticipate and plan for our physical environment; however, we will most liking never fully "master" it. 

Also, people's social world alters in various cultures and time. Most commonly, families prepare members to be introduced into society by practicing social norms. For example, eating with silverware is a norm in America, whereas the social realm in Asian cultures uses chopsticks. Additionally, Mark Twain proposes a flaw to people's conforming to a society when he says, "a nation is only an individual multiplied" ( http://thinkexist.com/quotations/society/2.html). Moreover, social interactions consist in many different situations, but they allow us to help make sense of situations. The "social world often is the source of our greatest contentment and the foot of our most maddening distractions." 

Finally, the symbol world consists of sounds and images that influence our thinking. It is essential to be aware of our social world because "the use of language tools and habits allow us to manipulate words and images about time, space, and physical conditions" (The Power of Messages). Therefore, if we do not pay attention to how others employs sounds and images in the symbol world we can fall a victim to things such as false advertisement. 

Ultimately, people must recognize how the three worlds overlap. The Power of Messages explains the constant unification of the three worlds, "We have used our symbol world to describe, understand, and manipulate our physical world. Our physical world holds the constraints and possibilities that make our creation of symbols, worlds, and language possible. Our social world deeply influence how we use material resources to construct what some scholars call our "built" environment." 

Personal Group Com

When planning prom night junior year, I fell a victim to groupthink. Within the larger group I hung out with in high school their was a smaller group of 6 of us that were always together. I wanted to go to dinner with the larger group and participate in a backyard BBQ that my friends were having. However, my boyfriend at the time and the rest of our subgroup wanted to go out for dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I thought it was rather ironic that the boys chose to spend more money because they normally do whatever they can to save a buck or two. I fought the idea of the steakhouse for about a day, but eventually I gave in because all of my closest friends preferred the steakhouse idea. Looking back on the occasion I still kick myself for not trying to change people's minds one at a time. I do not mean this in a manipulative manner (even though it may come off that way) I just wanted all of us to share our first prom with our larger group of friends. Regardless junior prom was still amazing, and senior prom was even more fun since everyone wanted to participate in the catered dinner that our parents were putting on in our friends backyard. I do not know if it was because the food was catered or because it was our senior year, but I definitely appreciated getting to spend before prom with our subgroup while being with our larger group. This is just one example of when I have changed my opinion to create less controversy with my small social group. 

Applied Group Com

In some groups it is very common for members to fall a victim to groupthink. Groupthink is when other people's judgements affect our beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and values (Tubbs & Moss 392). It can be very harmful for small groups because groupthink limits a groups creativity by only examining a few alternatives. 

The movie Mean Girls perfectly displays victims of groupthink. The "mean girls" who are the three most popular girls on campus have groupthink rules such as, only being able to wear their hair up once a week, that limit one's self-expression. Also, the group has a "queen bee" who controls and manipulates the other two girls in their social group through forcing groupthink to align with all her beliefs. 

When a fourth member is invited to the club, groupthink effects become extremely apparent. Linsday Lohan's character, Cady, is perfectly happy with the person she is. However, Cady witnesses the girls criticize every each of their body, so she follows the trend trying to fit in by saying she has bad breathe in the morning. Her attempt to fit it only grosses the girls out because Cady's flaw was not critical of her appearance.  This scene displays how groupthink is deteriorating their image of themselves, and concerns of how others perceive them. 

The movie displays how groupthink can negatively effect a whole high school. There are many flaws with groupthink, but it can be resolved by allowing leaders to remain impartial, using an outsiders opinion, or by playing a devil advocate approach. 

definitional group com

Tim Borchers of Moorhead State University defines a small group as a group with at least and no more then 15 members where, "members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. Groups will develop norms about discussion and groups members will develop roles which will affect the group's interactions. A group must have a common purpose or goal and they must work together to achieve that goal. The goal brings the group together and holds it together through conflict and tension." (http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/definition.html). 

Tubbs & Moss discusses four different types of groups: social or casual groups, learning or educational groups, work groups, and self-directed groups. To begin, a casual or social group consists of people with whom we socialize, such as, family, friends, neighbors, fraternity and sororities. These relationships can be short-lived, but also the foundation for how we indirectly communicate our identification to others. Furthermore, members of a learning or education group come together to learn something about a given subject. This kind of group can extend outside of the classroom; Tubbs and Moss give examples of a Quarterback Club and Film groups. It has been suggested that these groups are "'enlightenment groups,' in which members may attempt to solve problems but have no authority implement their decisions" (Tubbs & Moss 387). Next, a work group consists of individuals who may have little in common other than their job because they come together with specific goals to achieve, mostly in a work environment. The fourth type of small group is the self-directed work team: "a group of employees who have day-to-day responsibility for managing themselves and the work they do with a minimum of direct supervision (Tubbs & Moss 388). Undoubtedly, any type of interaction we have with more than one other person and less than 15 other people, the communication can typically fall under one of these small group categories. 

Personal Organizational communication

My last two year of high school I was elected to Student Council. My junior year I was a class senator and my senior year I was Student Body Recording Secretary. The organizational communication within the class was different each year. My junior year the President ran the organization with downward communication, and my senior year was horizontal communication.

My junior year the class was ran more effectively with the Student Body President running the class off downward communication. The president, Peter, would take volunteers to head subgroups and then make sure other students were on the committees. Daily, he would check in with the leaders of the subgroups so the whole class could know where we stood with assemblies, dances, lunch cart, etc. This was effective because everyone filled there roll in the class. However, it often formed clicks because people typically joined the groups that their best friends joined. 

On the other hand, my senior year the student body President, Becca, ran the class with horizontal communication. I believe she cared a little more what people thought of her, so it was difficult to be the enforcer Peter was, even though she saw how he ran the organization. Within this organization we had many great ideas being discussed in the class but less action was definitely being taken. However, there were not as many clicks; the problem came because we all enjoyed talking to each other so much that own communication did not always stay on topic. We still managed to get stuff done, but most of the time Becca did not inform enough people what was going on, so a handful of people consistently did most of the work. 

Applied Organizational Communication

Snap Patties fast food place will be installing downward communication within its organization. Snap Patties key question is "what is right for the enterprise" including employees from every level of the staff. The companies downward communication organization strategy is defined as communication "initiated by the organization's upper management and then filters downward through the 'chain of command'" (Tubbs 478). 

The leader of the organization, Mitch Meaty, believes the downward communication will be most beneficial for the efficiency of Snap Patties. Snap Patties will apply legitimate power where "the authority a person has by virtue of her or his position" where the boss handles all authority (Tubbs 482). Therefore, Mitch Meaty will be at the top of the pyramid for the communication of Snap Patties, the communication will then funnel down to "chain of command" through e-mails, faxes, and phone calls because combined, oral and written, suggestions are most effective in downward communication. 

If one has not noticed yet, Mitch Meaty choose downward communication not only because he has seen the wonders Jim Donald has created with Starbucks through downward communication, but Mitch Meaty wants the control. This can be positives and negatives for the organization. On the upside, Mitch Meaty with easily be able to trace where the accidents have occurred within the organization. When looking for an error in communication, Meaty will easily be able to look down the funnel of communication his staff practiced and see where the accident went wrong. However, on the down side, such a demanding and controlling boss can intimidate employees and make the staff of the company unsuccessful.

If Meaty employs his power wisely through downward communication he can work the wonders Donald did. He just has to make sure he makes the choices. 

Definitional Organizational Com

Organizational communication is "a program that focuses on general communication processes and dynamics within organizations. Includes instruction in the development and maintenance of interpersonal group relations within organizations; decision-making and conflict management; the use of symbols to create and maintain organizational images, missions, and values; power and politics within organizations; human interaction with computer technology; and how communications socializes and supports employees and team members."  (source: U. S. Department of Education, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/ciplist.asp?CIP2=09) Evidently, the success of an organization corresponds with the business's organizational communication; 85-90% of a companies achievement relies on the leader's organizational communication (Tubbs 472). There are four different types of culture and leadership style for managers or leaders of the organization: Tough-Guy-Macho Culture, Work-Hard-Play-Hard Culture, Bet-Your-Company Culture, and Process Culture.

The Tough-Guy-Macho Culture mostly occurs is organizations that are demanding and risk one's life. Police departments and surgeons are common organizations which obtain the Tough-Guy-Macho Culture because the people within the organizations must be authoritative. 

Next, the Work-Hard-Play-Hard Culture represents companies who encourage their workers to work hard to be excited for the companies success because their own success with align. This type of organization focuses "on sales and meeting customers' needs...Sales type organizations also celebrate a lot to keep up their energy and motivation." (Tubbs 470). McDonalds and Mary Kay Cosmetics are good examples of Work-Hard-Play-Hard Culture.

Also, the Bet-Your-Company Culture requires its individuals to endure high risk, but slow feedback (Tubbs 470). Big oil companies and NASA are prime examples of the Bet-Your-Company Culture.

Lastly, the Process Culture maintains very low risks and feedback. Often times employees will rarely witness results (Tubbs 470). The Process Culture is maintained in systems with check-and-balances, such as the government, so nothing bad slips through.