The sixth in the collaborative series of “Times Talks” featured an eye-opening discussion led by Eastern Michigan University professor of communications and media, Geoff Hammill, Thursday at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center.
The talk focused on the effects of media literacy in face of the recent merger of Comcast and NBC Universal.
To increase media literacy, as defined by Hammill, is “to empower the consumer to withstand the onslaught of media.”
With the merger of the two media giants, “there are implications for us as individuals,” Hammill said, there are “fewer and fewer voices out there speaking to us.”
“We have to be aware that the media affect each and every one of us,” Hammill said.
Hammill encouraged a critical examination of the merger. “For us to consume media, we have to realize it has an effect on us,” he said. He told the audience to ask, “what is the impact going to be on the public?” and “are we served well?” by the merger of the cable and internet provider and the TV station and movie studio.
To provide the audience some basis on which to make judgment, Hammill discussed the role and impact of American media as compared to older countries.
Unlike other countries with a long history, “when we tell stories about who we are, we tell mediated stories,” Hammill said, passed on by books, and later, radio and television.
As well as the historical viewpoints, he also discussed the current role of media, particularly the internet.
“We have more access to information than any human beings,” he said, largely because of the internet. However, Hammill is convinced it will follow the path of other media sources –
“internet will just be another version” of media patterns.
“This is a great time to be experiencing the internet, it’s the Wild West,” he said.
Hammill’s advice is to diversify sources when consuming media. “I don’t rely on one source that could bias me,” he said.
Hammill’s interests include areas such as societal broadcasts and media literacy. He has been teaching electronic media at EMU since 1987. Before he came to Eastern, he taught at Indiana
State and Lorain Community College in Ohio.
Hammill said of the “Times Talks” series, “these are the kinds of things that should be done in education.”
“This is a very good forum, without the threat of a grade,” he said.
“I really liked he was really passionate about what he was talking about” said Jahmeel Powers, a junior who attended the talk. “[Hammill] made me more aware of media literacy…to get different stories and sides.”
The “Times Talk” series started this fall as collaboration with The New York Times readership program, where the university pays for papers to be delivered to campus.
The New York Times sponsors the event, which features civic discussions on topics in the Times, covering advertising and pizza costs. They are open to the public and held approximately monthly.
They have featured professors such as Heather Neff, whose talk on “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” attracted from 80-100 people.
Student Government Director of Communications Patrick Holubik said the purpose of the talks is “to increase civic engagement and media literacy on campus.”
The EMU Student Government is currently in discussion to expand the program to include other newspapers like USA Today, and further increase the variety of news available on campus.
“We’re hoping it’ll catch on” said Director of Student Relations for the Student Government Phoebe Conybeare. The two student government representatives cited finding space and time as the biggest challenges in organizing the talks, but the process is improving. “This is probably the smoothest it’s been,” Holubik said.
“Talks” for this semester will include other discussions on civic issues, featuring speakers like Professor Barry Pyle. The biggest “Times Talk,” on April 7, will feature a journalist from The New York Times.
