Media Psychology in Mandarin

Basic media psychology: business cards are important. The ink, the paper, and the content tell us a lot about a person. In China, the exchange of business cards is a ritual involving a careful presentation with both hands and a careful positioning of the appropriate language side of your card for your new acquaintance. This is the Mandarin side of my card. I know there is no direct translation for 'Rutledge,' but I love that my friend carefully chose the beautiful characters to both emulate the sound of the name and also gave thought to the character choices so that the meaning was gracious and fortuitous. I love receiving the cards. I like the characters, the things people choose to include, and the tiny bit of time that allows you to make eye contact with each new person in a different way than happens in the U.S.  … [Read more...]

Off to the Olympics

As a media psychologist interested in the role of media in conflict, I can't pass up the chance to be in Beijing during the Olympics. I head out tomorrow, now that I have my visa in hand, and will report from the frontlines during the coming week. I don't look forward to the crush of the crowds, but am extraordinarily curious to see how it feels to be in Beijing, to sense the emotion of the crowd and then to see how my impressions align with the media coverage shown here in the U.S. Things I have been pondering in anticipation of this trip: Is China ready to host the Olympics OR is the more accurate question, is the rest of the world ready for China to host the Olympics? This is the first time an emerging country has hosted the Olympics since Mexico City. Does China hosting the Olympics cause cognitive dissonance between what China is today and how we perceive China to be? Is this dissonance significant enough that the collective 'we' must identify and emphasize those … [Read more...]

Words as Art with Meaning = Wordle

media-psy-wordle-2

Attention typography addicts, word-smiths, artists, and web-procrastinators! I have just come across the coolest site: Wordle. It creates art from your words. It is like the bubbling exercises to spur creativity. This way, you not only get to push your brain to think about the words that describe your concept but you get to have a cool piece of art when you're done. … [Read more...]