Getting to Know You

It seems most fitting for a class about media and communications to first have the predictable yet indispensable exercise of self-presentation in a mediated environment. Obviously the manner of communication in cyberspace is starkly different from face-to-face interaction, with the loss of many symbolic cues--from body language to the rise and fall of voice pitch. But much are added as well--from the adoption of avatars to the narrative closure afforded by one's writing of a beginning, middle, and end. And in both types of communication, the challenge is to make a good first impression. What is frustrating--and exciting--of course is that we simply don't know just how our audience will react, respond, remember, reply. And, with the affordances of technology, also: comment, forward, poke, reject, block, digg, flame, spam.

However this site, and this class, is a site of hospitality. It is a site of learning and exchange. It aims to be a space premised not simply on reason and/or emotion, but on responsibility, Roger Silverstone's (2006) lofty requirement for a mediaspace. This homepage is home.

I am happy to welcome you to the website of Com101 Communication Theory Section E. I wish that you treat this online space not simply as a supplement to our offline lectures but as a meaningful resource for learning, an active and vibrant space for discussion, and a shared experience with your fellow classmates and lecturer.

Kindly reply to this post and introduce yourself below so that we can get our discussions going. Aside from your name, of course, I'd especially like to know why you picked your course. Additionally, you have the option of answering any, or all, of the following questions:
1) name a favorite tv show or movie or book and state why it makes your list.
2) how much time do you spend on the media in a typical day? do you consider yourself a heavy, medium, light user? a fan/addict/junkie of a particular technology or program or artist? why? how?
3) how do you plan to make use of your course for your future career?

Switching to a different medium, please bring a 5x7" index card with 2x2" ID photo on June 17, Tuesday. Please include: name, birth date, and contact information (cell phone and email address).

June 17, Tuesday is the first classroom lecture. Please be prepared with the Silverstone readings.