With social media engraved as a part of most peoples every day lives, we see that these social platforms serve different functions for different users. There are those family and friends who haven’t really picked up on the whole “social” aspect of social media and simply snoop or lurk in the distance with their accounts. On the opposite side of the spectrum we encounter those family members or friends who seem to share too much or share content that is simply not truth.

On our pursuit to become digitally literate, the ladder social media sharing personality stands out. As we become more digitally literate, our responsibility to educate others is magnified. How do you deal with a friend or family member that is constantly sharing false information online? Can we educate in a manner that promotes awareness rather than detour unaware excessive misinformation sharers?

We find some excellent guidelines on the best approach to educating such types of social media sharers in an article presented in module five. Titled What To Do If Older People In Your Life Are Sharing False Or Extreme Content, BuzzFeed News staff writer Craig Silverman gives a road map on this educating process.  Silverman opens up by explaining that “The challenge is to handle the situation in a way that works and doesn’t fray intergenerational relationships.”

There should be special attention paid to the fact that with different generations come different perspectives. Silverman also suggests that we should begin the process by being non confrontational. This stance will be most productive to facilitating meaningful discussion and hopefully enlightenment. The article gives a great suggestion of “helping to provide context.” Many times people share not knowing the context of the content they are sharing. Helping friends or family members see the big picture can open that users eyes to look deeper into content before sharing it.

Another suggestion we can leave to those in our life sharing false or extreme content is to fact check before sharing. In the article Silverman suggest the simple tactic of getting friends or family members to “Google News It.” Seeing the article from other perspectives and seeing what others have to say on the content can often shed light on incredibility.

In summary, when dealing with friends or family that may share false or extreme content, it is important to start the discussion in a non confrontational manner. The reality is that many generations have different levels of media literacy. As we ourselves become more and more media literate, it is our duty to share that knowledge and promote media literacy within our own circles and beyond.

Francisco Healy

 

When I initially learned about this Wikipedia assignment I thought it was a daunting task. I’ve used Wikipedia in the past for a jumping off point for research assignments or just for light reading. I didn’t even know that wikipedia was open for edits from anyone. I guess I had alway seen the edit button but thought you had to have special privileges to edit an article.

I started the assignment off by figuring out an article to edit. I decided to edit the McClintock High School page because it was pretty lacking. I am aware of some really great accomplishments by the Speech and Debate team and thought this would be a nice addition to the article. Especially since, currently, the article is very sports driven. I proposed my edit on the talk page and waited for feedback.

When I did not hear any feedback I went ahead and made my edit.

Overall I found the process to be pretty straightforward. It was very much like the sandbox used in our training modules. I was very nervous about making my edit. For some reason I really got in my own head about it and thought it would be really hard or that I wouldn’t do it right. 

I think the training modules really helped my overall confidence. I knew exactly what I was doing and knew that the hardest part would be getting myself to press that edit button. Once I got past that point it was fairly simple. I found that actually completing the training modules was much more stressful than editing the article itself.

This could be for a few reasons. One being on the talk page there were no objections made to my edit. Second my article was really underdeveloped so I could have found any relevant fact about my high school and added it with seemingly no objections. Lastly the training modules are there to prepare you for various scenarios that I actually did not encounter.

Some of these scenarios include your work being reverted. This simply means that your edit will be deleted. Another scenario is there being objections to your edit on the talk page. There are various reason someone could object to your potential edit. The potential for disagreement made me highly anxious. But none of this actually happened to me.

I want to take some time to reflect on the training I received in order to be able to complete this module. I thought the training was pretty fantastic. I had no idea what to expect going into the assignment so I started the training modules early in the semester. You get to learn about the history of Wikipedia as well as some interesting facts about the editing process. The most interesting thing I learned was that anyone can edit articles. I mentioned this already but I had no idea this was possible until the training modules.

There were modules to help you pick your article. This was something I stressed out about as well. I had no idea what kind of article to pick or where to start. The training module helped but what inspired me most was seeing a post on Facebook from someone who was previously on my high schools speech and debate team. I saw their post while I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and didn’t really think anything of it. Then when I was brainstorming ideas for this assignment I decided to look up the wikipedia page for my high school. I noticed it was underdeveloped and I remembered the training modules said these were good articles to edit. I bookmarked it and kept it on my list. Ultimately it beat out all my other ideas.

Overall I can say I’m very proud of myself. I really did not expect to learn so much and also complete the task at hand. I was afraid that I wouldn’t find a topic or something else would go wrong. I feel like it was a huge success and I feel so thankful for this assignment because I learned a skill that I can use as long as Wikipedia is around. Editing articles could potentially become something I do for fun in my free time. I don’t really see that happening but it is nice to know i have the option.

The next time I come across an underdeveloped article I might just take the time to add an edit. Wikipedia has been such a great part of researching and learning for me that the least I could do is make Wikipedia even better. I believe in one of training videos it talk about how when you edit a Wikipedia article you are making Wikipedia better. I like the idea of that because I’m a broke college student so I can’ t donate money to Wikipedia. I hope this post inspires people out there to make their own wikipedia edits.

 

 

I’d dare to say that everyone has at least one family member who has questionable online tactics. For me, I have one entire side of my family who I feel needs to be checked. The “Grandmother Problem”, or posting content that isn’t quite appropriate or fact-checked due to not knowing better, does not only apply to grandmothers and other elderly folk. It can apply to anyone who does not take the time to look at the information before posting it.

For example, my cousins and their family are very extreme in their political views. So extreme, in fact, I had to unfollow them (not unfriend them, I don’t want family get-togethers to be awkward). They repost articles, memes, videos, and quotes that are not based on factual evidence, but more so simply opinion, gossip, and twisted words.

The thing is, they don’t post any original thoughts where they have done the research and can speak on a topic. It is all regurgitated information that sounds correct to them.

Now this is where it gets difficult. Perhaps unfollowing them was not the right answer… there might have been a more constructive way to deal with this. In the spirit of full transparency, I do not have the guts to stand up to my family members when it comes to political views and iffy social network posts. So these “fixes” will be hypothetical.

Earlier in this course, we were assigned to read a very helpful BuzzFeed article called: “What To Do If The Older People In Your Life Are Sharing False Or Extreme Content“. I am able to apply these same concepts to my cousins not because they are too old to understand how to be media literate, but because they choose not to do the research.

One of the pointers that stood out to me from this article was to be kind when discussing these posts. Nothing gets done with harsh words on the internet, plus in the aftermath, you’ll have to see them at family reunions. These aren’t the faceless trolls you see in the Facebook comment sections. Being positive will make it more likely for these family members to actually listen.

Another tip that this article gives is to let the person research the information on Google. I might hesitate to do this in some situations because I think it’s very easy to find content that supports your views and the same falsified videos/content CAN be found on Google as well. I don’t know if they would necessarily check the source. It might not be the most productive method.

All this in mind, I want to make sure I’m checking myself as well. While I hope they would have an open mind, I need to expect the same for myself. How am I supposed to provide articles and information to educate others if I’m not able to be educated myself? I think this is probably the most important step in all of this. An open, positive dialogue in both directions.

After my initial blog post on this subject, I decided to put my action plan to the test. I have a friend from high school who is a huge culprit of sharing news stories of a political party that are not always fully true. I decided to private message this person and just start a simple conversation on one of his posts. After some time, I very nicely stated that some things in this particular article are not necessarily true. Of course I was met with backlash but then I sent the article from Forbes that I discussed in my other post. Although the article was not about proving him wrong, he did state that it opened his eyes to the idea that fake news being spread could be dangerous. This person did not take down the post that seemed to have some fake aspects to it but we were able to have a really great conversation on fake news and why its so dangerous.

I’m not sure if I have cured this person from his fake news sharing tendencies but I do believe I opened his eyes to why fake news is dangerous. He and I had a great conversation about the topic and I got to see his perspective on things. Although I don’t agree with has previous posts, he hasn’t reposted anything fake since the discussion so I will be interested to see if the content he shares now will have been somewhat fact checked.

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization that provides technology and entertainment recommendations for parents and schools. My husband and I frequently use this site to determine if movies are appropriate for our children. Thus far, their reviews have not failed us. Read their post, What is media literacy, and why is it important?

Common Sense Media provides tools for parents, educators, and advocates as well as age-appropriate content for young people to learn more about media literacy. Visitors can explore questions by age group (preschoolers, little kids, big kids, tweens, and teens) which is a great resource for parents to teach their children about media literacy.

“Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.”

Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood (2008)

Consuming Kids is a documentary that highlights how children are primed for consumption from birth. I think it is a great tool for media literacy because it shows how the technology our children regularly interact with is used by marketers/advertisers to sway them. You can view the trailer below, and the full documentary is available HERE. This is a documentary I have viewed several times… before I birthed my first son in 2008 and also with my children over the years.

Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car. Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children’s advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to transform American children into one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. – The Media Education Foundation

Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens via Coursera

This free six-week course is offered by the University of Hong Kong and the University of New York on Coursera. It is taught by qualified professors and staff from both universities. Participants have the opportunity to pay extra for a certificate of completion and assignment feedback. The course has a 4.8 rating with a number of promising reviews.

Never before has the need for News Literacy been more urgent. As news consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of fake news, propaganda, hoaxes, rumors, satire, and advertising — that often masquerade as credible journalism — it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. While the public’s faith in the news media erodes, purveyors of misinformation have helped give rise to troubling cultural trends and alarming political movements.

Brain Pop’s Digital Citizen Media Literacy Curriculum

Yes! I am so happy to have found Brain Pop’s Media Literacy tools. I spent about 30-minutes browsing their free resources and I cannot wait to go through this with my children. Educators can play informational videos, create quizzes, and use games to test skills. There are a number of topics to browse including a food section that explores marketing tactics used to sell food and lesson ideas for various age groups.

This week’s blog features a roundup of media relating to financial literacy for minorities followed by a brief summary of how my media intake has changed since this post. Forgive me as this post won’t feature my best work due to a family emergency that, ironically, caused a huge financial setback for our household this week.

Maybe it’s TMI, but we drained our savings, maxed out credit cards, and put liens on the only property we own in one day and we have a journey ahead of us from here. I am thankful because the work we have done to increase our financial literacy made it possible for us to help ourselves. This is a huge setback. Murphy, as Dave Ramsey calls it, came to visit but at least we know what to do from here.

I hope that you enjoy exploring…

When: February 14^th, 2020

What: Single, Taken, or $aving?

Who: Minority Mindset

This article is short and sweet (Valentine’s Day pun intended). It lists quick facts about the history of the holiday and how it affects your wallet whether you chose to celebrate, or not. It ends with a reference to consumerism and a link to the following video:

When: February 12^th, 2020

What: Retirement Plan: Raise Kids?

Who: Minority Mindset

This article highlights the fact that few people are actually prepared for retirement and more retired adults are relying on their children as a backup plan. Check this out if you want to know your odds and explore “modern” retirement ideas.

When: February 12^th, 2020

What: Govt. must adopt financial literacy in educational curriculum – AFLO

Who: News Ghana

The Alliance of Financial Literacy Organisation (AFLO) is calling for the government of Ghana to establish financial literacy programs in their education systems noting the potential impact on micro and macroeconomics. Ghana is not the only African country considering the importance of teaching young people financial literacy.

Click here to see how Grow with Data Youth Foundation is teaching financial literacy in Nigeria! The video was published recently. In fact, at the time of this writing, it only has a few views.

And I found more on this topic…

When: February 12^th, 2020

What: Derek Minor Founds Black Financial Literacy Campaign ‘We Own Now’ [INTERVIEW]

Who: Rapzilla

This was an exciting find because it’s what I hope for from news media on my topic. The “interview” kind of feels like an advertisement for weownnow.com and the publisher is not the most reputable source of financial news. However, the article provides insight and inspires thought. It’s educational, but it also provides action items for the people it refers to– in this case, African-Americans.

When: February 10^th, 2020

What: Examining the legacy of slavery in America

Who: The New York Times

I received this via email. It is a letter from New York Times correspondent Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, inviting readers to explore her creation, the work of her life. She thanks The New York Times for supporting real journalism and giving her work a platform when many other outlets would not. I have not had the opportunity to explore the project in its entirety, but this absolutely pertains to financial literacy in minority communities – the colonization of America and slavery built the framework of financial inequality and ignorance.

How has my media intake changed?

Throughout this course, I have made a point to follow or subscribe to outlets that will expand and challenge what I know. So, I am getting more of my news from my email inbox than ever before. I have the Washington Post’s SOTU fact-checker article saved in my email but have not had time to read it. This week, I did not watch television or stream Hulu/Netflix. And I, gulp, liked an Instagram post from Ivanka Trump because I agreed with the message in that post. This was a huge step for me as I usually lack the ability to view anything the Trump family does objectively.

Here I have compiled a list of sources that has a great variety of explanations towards my topic of player load management in the NBA. I have chosen these six different types sources ranging from article, blog and video. The best way to understand a topic is learning different sides of it from different sources.

ESPN The Jump Video

In this video there is the host of the show Rachel Nichols a sports journalist, along with Jackie MacMullan, a nationally recognized and award winning sports columnist, and Kendrick Perkins a former NBA player discussing in particular what the Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban had to say about the load management topic. According to Cuban, “Load management is the best thing to have ever happened to the league… I’m all for load management.” This video is noteworthy because The Jump is typically the place to find on TV every afternoon for NBA updates.

The Fan Article

In this article, radio station The Fan in Indianapolis discuss with the Indiana Pacers coach  and former NBA player, Nate McMillan, and discuss how he is handling the load management topic within his team. Also, as a former NBA player himself for 12yrs he explains the differences and how times have changed. As he stated, “You have to adapt,” McMillan says. “That’s part of coaching and adapting to the generation of going. It’s much different now than it was 10 years, to 20 years ago.” This article is noteworthy because you are getting the opinion of a coach that has been on both sides, as a player and now a coach. He understands the load management on both ends and is willing to be open minded about changes.

Kobe Bryant Video

In this video the twitter account @ballislife posts a clip of an interview they did with the NBA great, Kobe Bryant. Kobe was asked what his thoughts were on the current load management debate, in true Kobe style he stated ““It’s crazy. It’s your job to be in shape & be able to perform at that level every night. As a competitor i’m not ducking sh**t.” This is noteworthy because Kobe was an NBA legend that the league and players still continue to look up to, and he was one that changed the NBA for many of the current players today.

Times Union Article

This piece was written by Norman Chad, who writes sports pieces for the Times Union. This is a very strong opinionated piece that i felt had a unique side to the topic. Chad states, “If I adhered to self-load management, I wouldn’t even be writing these words; December is a five-column month and I’d definitely take a week off in November to relax my typing fingers.” He made an unusual but smart correlation between NBA load management and his job as a columnist that made me ponder on the topic in a different light.

Physio Network Article

In this article, I felt it was important and noteworthy because it is a clinical article that Dr. Tim Gabbett wrote. Its a different perspective to the NBA load management  topic that a lot of critics seem to not make note of, and arguably the most important piece to a topic like this,  which is the medical perception of the topic. Dr. Gabbett makes two very great points,  “Good load management minimizes injury by bringing players safely to their peak performance.Load Management has to be about making players available more often – and making them available in the best shape possible.”

ESPN Off The Clock Video

In this Video, former NBA player and now host of Off the clock, Jalen Rose discusses with his two guests, Cassidy Hubbarth and Jay Williams the drastic changes the NBA players and teams have caused with load management, and his guest go on to explain how that has affected the fans, and what changes should be made going forward in order to help the fans have an understanding.

My media use this week was not the usual, obviously with this class and this weeks assignment, it was a lot more than my usual media usage. Previously, i had mentioned i only strictly use certain apps regularly each day in order to help me get to and from places or listen to certain radio stations. In this week and since that module one media usage assignment, i have realized that media usage doesn’t always have to be negative as it is portrayed to be at times, seeking and using different sources online for information more regularly can be good. I do use traditional media, such as the news on TV and the stations app for alerts, however, as a mass media student, i have to grow accustomed to the media on all platforms i have out there, that can actually be more beneficial than anything else if used wisely.

In the pursuit of beating the books, it is essential to stay well informed on relevant news related to all sports. As bettors, many times our edges appear with the surfacing of news regarding injuries, travel spots, or market moves. Today we will recap the weeks most notable headlines and stories as they relate to the sports wagering media landscape.

Monday 2/10/20

In this article from OddsShark staff writer Gilles Gallant we learn that  online sportsbook BetOnline was the first shop to open up regular season win totals for MLB. This type of bet offers bettors the opportunity to bet over or under the posted team win total set by bookmakers. Alongside reporting the initial opening market, Gallant gives us his opinion on some potentially profitable angles.

Tuesday 2/11/20

On Tuesday February 11, we learned that William Hill ( a prominent global sportsbook) signed an exclusive deal to become CBS’s official sportsbook and wagering data provider. This news indicates that William Hill will have exclusive rights to ‘promote it’s brand across CBS Sports’ digital properties.” This news is another example of prominent media companies who previously shied away from gambling content now embracing it.

Wednesday 2/12/20

Wednesday morning we saw the release of the popular Deep Dive Podcast hosted by Andy and the White Whale. This podcast’s core content lies in NFL betting, however, the off season can bring some gems in other areas involved with handicapping. This particular podcast episode is titled Deep Dive Ep 238 -Betting Math 101 and it does not disapoint. Both host are very well educated with a heavy mathematical background. We chose to feature this podcast as it covers essential mathematical principles needed to have an edge against the books. It is also content that you can come back to over and over again to help reinforce the principles.

Thursday 2/13/20

In this article found on Sportsbook Review we get a market report on the wagering landscape of New Jersey through out the month of January. “New Jersey sportsbooks made an impressive start to 2020 by taking a handle of $540 million in January. That represented a 40% year-on-year increase on January 2019 and suggested that the Garden State could emerge as the market leader in the burgeoning US sports betting industry this year.” It is clear that Nevada is no longer the only show in town.

Friday 2/14/20

Happy Valentines Day, and of course happy betting. The wagering craze is rooted in more than sports and this article found on OddsShark shines as a representation of the industry’s reach. Titled 2020 Presidential Odds: Trump Remains at an All-Time High staff writer Stephan Campbell gives the lay of the land when it comes to Presidential race odds. With the changing political landscape, come betting odds that adjust with current relevant events. This article proves that if sportsbooks can quantify probabilities for future events occurring or not occurring then they will most likely offer betting odds on that event.

Recapping the week, there was clearly some noteworthy news. The emergence of new betting markets such as the coming years MLB team win totals are interesting news to this market as we will see initial early bets come in, that are usually sharp bettors, and shape the market. Capping this list off with political betting odds was also a bonus in the weeks sports betting news.

Looking back on my personal media consumption for the week, I found myself looking for a second perspective on the stories I followed. From this class, it has been instilled in us to verify content and these stories met that criteria of being verified in other media outlets. When it comes to the sports gambling space, the landscape is rather new. We are seeing more traditional media companies that used to shy away from gambling content now flock to it. Verifying accurate reporting and ciphering through what is actual news vs. simply opinion is essential to navigate this new territory.

Francisco Healy

 

 

 

Part 1: OnlyFans extra sources

OnlyFans blog talks about the 5 steps to setting up your OnlyFans account and what you will want to do, directly from OnlyFans themselves.

NYTimes realized an article describing the way OnlyFans has effected individuals’ lives of creators, implying that it can change the sex industry.

Dazeddigital wrote an article going over why intimacy is important to OnlyFans and why it is such a booming business.

Pandora modeling is an article educating models the best way to act and manipulate the system to work in your favor.

Vox created an article around a story that got some traction this last year, during the wildfires in Australia an Instagram model started selling nudes to fundraise, other sites banned her having her seek help at OnlyFans.

Amazon Alexa has general statistics that could be helpful to compare for research’s sake.

Part 2: Revaluation

My first post was of my activity on social media use for the day, creating a list of everything I did regarding media. It seems as though it was forever ago with the busy schedule I lead, that being said nothing major has changed. I have stated it on my first assignment but others I don’t actively watch the news and the social media accounts I follow are all creative and inspirational, nothing has really changed.

What has changed is the way I see my media consumption as I didn’t before. When bored most of us scroll and scroll and more scrolling, I am no exception to this. Now when I go to scroll something stops me partly some of which this call has taught me about the overuse of media consumption but also the realization of the time spent on it. How much time was I spending scrolling because a very big concern of mine and frequently touches my mind anytime I’m on it.

 

There are so many different podcasts, blogs, and articles that talk specifically about women in fantasy. The following a is a list of some of my favorite ones. We’ll start with the podcasts. 

The first podcast might be one of my favorite sources for my topic. What’s notable about Breaking the Glass Slipper is that it truly focuses on women in fantasy. It talks about different struggles women face in this genre, as well as just fun stuff that women can do in fantasy. A quote from the About section that sums the podcast up perfectly: “We are here to prove to all genre lovers that there is a place for female writers and great female characters amongst the men folk!”

Another podcast I listen to is Anomaly Greek Girl Podcasts which is two self identified geek-girls, talking about all things fantasy. This one is notable because it is for everyone, not just people who like the fantasy genre. It welcomes beginners, as well as die-hard fantasy fans, and talks about a lot of big movies/shows. 

Moving on from podcasts to blogs, one of my favorites is Fangrrls, hosted on the SYFY website. This blog, written by a team of female writers, talks about all things fantasy, and women. What makes this blog so great is that it is not just about SYFY shows and characters, but includes a huge selection of different shows, movies, comics, and characters. 

Credit: United Artists Releasing

Another blog I keep up with is a Doctor Who blog, called Blogtor Who, which fair warning, is not just about women. What makes this blog notable though, is that it is all things Doctor Who, which includes the female characters that are breaking ground in the Doctor Who universe. A quote from an article about the women involved in the show: “ it’s not just a female cast, there is a female production team that have all come together to write, direct and produce these series of stories.” 

Yaz (MANDIP GILL) is quick to challenge the ‘mardy mood’ the Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER) has been in lately. – (C) BBC – Photographer: Ben Blackall

One of the last sources I found was an article titled The Fantasy Genre Hates Women, and this article talks exactly about that. This article is incredible because it states everything wrong with the way this genre treats women. It takes examples from very famous fantasy shows and movies, and criticizes them for the lack of women. As the article states, “The grandfatherly books that defined the fantasy genre, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, are, unfortunately, the worst offenders.” 

Looking back at the first blog post I made, and comparing my media use then, to my media use now, I would definitely say I have changed my routine a little bit. Both this assignment, and this class in general are to blame for that. This assignment changed the way I use media, because I am now listening to some new podcasts, or reading new blogs, that I would have never discovered a few months ago.

This class changed the way I use the media as well. I look at the news a lot more now. Most of the time I would just look at news as I came across it on my feed, but now I actively search for news. I start every morning by looking at my news app, and seeing what I can find. It is weird how much this class changed the way I use media, specifically view news, but I am glad it did. I am becoming a more aware person.