Author Archives: CharlotteAlden

In decoding messages from the media, background knowledge is everything. That’s what Hasan Minhaj stresses in the “Saudi Arabia” episode of Patriot Act. The various ways that people decode media messages reveals the background or lack of background that people … Continue reading →

Five elk-skin drums attached to a wall, splattered with various amounts of black ink make up the work “This Song Is A Museum” by Peter Morin. It isn’t a work that immediately evokes an emotional response, like many of the … Continue reading →

In the debate, I was responsible for arguing against Castells’ resolution that social media enables sociopolitical change. This was inherently a complicated task, because our main source was the article that mostly supported the opposite side. Looking through the article … Continue reading →

Fyre Festival came to life through a massive social media marketing campaign, but turned out to be essentially fraudulent, causing a legal and social media backlash that has only just come to a close. Back in 2017, Billy McFarland, the … Continue reading →

Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” was released on August 24, 2017 to an incredible amount of discussion and controversy. The song wasn’t just a song: it was a comeback, a reinvention of the formerly tame pop star. … Continue reading →