Media of Politics / Politics of Media

Posted November 23, 2016

The Ivan Allen College School of Literature, Media, and Communication brought to bear humanistic perspectives in a technological world during a public forum at Georgia Tech on November 15, 2016, where faculty discussed the media of politics and the politics of media in the wake of the U.S. presidential election.

Participants at the event brought to bear their various areas of specialty on the role of the media during the electoral campaign and especially the U.S. presidential election. There was a call for scholars in media, science, and technology studies to be more humble with claims for objectivity and to avoid fetishizing facticity and data (Anne Pollock). We should also avoid falling into the trap of technological determinism (Carl DiSalvo) and champion reason to help refine the still rather immature new media and technologies to live up to the highest professional and ethical standards (Janet Murray). Humanizing such media and technologies by "questioning the signal" (Greg Zinman); focusing on the role of the artist and musician in national politics (Joycelyn Wilson); and avoiding becoming prisoners of deceptively comfortable institutional bubbles (Juan Carlos Rodríguez) were some of the suggestions discussed by the panelists and the audience. The organizers hope to continue the conversations during similar meetings in the future.

The panel was co-organized by Yanni Loukissas and Laine Nooney, who are both assistant professors of Digital Media (LMC).

Panelists for Media of Politics / Politics of Media were:

• Carl DiSalvo, Associate Professor of Digital Media (LMC), co-director of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Digital Integrative Liberal Arts Center (DILAC) and S-L-S
• Janet Murray, professor of Digital Media (LMC) and associate dean for Research & Faculty Affairs
• Anne Pollock, associate professor of Science, Technology, & Society (LMC)
• Juan Carlos Rodríguez, associate professor of Spanish (ML)
• Joycelyn Wilson, visiting assistant professor of Education at Virginia Tech and DILAC Fellow
• Gregory Zinman, assistant professor of Cinema Studies (LMC)