Don’t worry.
MCH (Media, Culture, and Health) isn’t intended to be a typical prose-heavy blog. I’m not even sure it is a blog, although the speed of change in the age of digital media renders the “what is it?” question much less relevant. Maybe it’s a SLOG, or stories and sources blog.
It’s about sharing stories, links, images, rumors and any other health-related cultural fragments. I define media and culture broadly, and include television, radio, the Internet, film, theatre, music, the visual arts, still and moving images, fiction, ever possible new media technology, and more traditional academic sources.
Anything.
I also define health broadly, and — in addition to well-known public health issues — am interested in violence, epidemics, sudden social trauma including natural disaster and terrorism, hate crime, political extremism, and rumor-fueled social panic.
If something interesting breaks, this is where and how I’ll pass it along.
A number of you are either students or colleagues who have, at one time or another, shared my interest in how matters of disease and illness are shaped and constructed in media and culture. Some of you are MFA students in Integrated Media Arts at Hunter College who have taken my seminar Disease and Disaster in Media and Culture.
Others have been, or are becoming, my valuable guides as I explore the cultural and political frames that shape how we understand a broad range of issues related to health, safety, disease, illness, disaster, and violence.
MCH will simply be a central way to share various articles, findings, news stories, and other relevant fragments. It will replace my annoying, in-box clogging emails. If you use a RSS feed reader like Google Reader, a subscription will get you these posts easily and conveniently. Just click on the “RSS Posts” link to the right. Also, clicking on the subscription button marked “Sign Me Up” will automatically set up an email subscription.
Given that my current research project is the changing role of expertise in the age of digital media, and the proliferation of pseudo-experts and pseudo-science, the last thing you need is for me to add more bloviation. Links, not loudness.
Your contributions would more than appreciated. They would be gifts.
