Blog Prompt # 3: Expert Commentary, Academic Feilds and Intellectual Diversity

In your view, what academic fields or disciplines (Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, English, History, etc.) are most well represented in the media and which tend to be less common or invisible?

I think economics and politics are certainly very well represented in the media because they are consistent topics of controversy and conversation in our society. Politics especially is constantly in the news and media; it is almost inescapable. Given the current political climate, the media has latched onto the drama surrounding the election and its aftermath so it has received an enormous amount of media attention. To an extent sociology is a large portion of the media as well. Though it is not always as direct or prevalent, social movements like black lives matter are strongly rooted in the sociology of our culture.

Also, how diverse are the intellectual or philosophical perspectives of the majority of commentators in the media? Are there certain perspectives that are over-represented in discussions taking place in the media? Are there perspectives that are under-represented or even stigmatized and actively scorned?

Due to the massive platforms on social media, be it Twitter, television, radio, etc. there are certainly many different perspectives out there. As we discussed in class, those with the strongest voices, however, are often intellectuals. I think there are equally as many philosophical perspectives out there to make the media as a whole an extremely diverse sphere. Right now I feel the most over-represented topic in the media is definitely politics, including the presidential election and the scrutiny our president is under. I think the media is saturated with negativity and pessimistic perspectives from some media platforms and representatives. Just as there are things that are over-represented there are also things being ignored and given less attention. I think the main reason for this is because there isn’t enough room, there is too much attention given to politics and negativity that there’s isn’t ample opportunity for other topics to receive more media attention.