Mass Communications Conference focuses on 'Social Media'

The 9th annual Mass Communications Conference, "Social Media: Free Speech at What Cost?" was April 15 in the Anderson Center.

This year's conference, sponsored by the Liberty Tree Initiative, McCormick Foundation and the First Amendment Center, stressed the importance of the First Amendment. 

Conference keynote speaker Christopher Martin, known  as "Play" of the hip hop duo Kid ‘n Play, spoke of the advantages of social networking sites as news and information sources. 

"I want to use my notoriety and influence to bridge the gap between information and news," he said.

Martin is the creator of "Brand Newz," a  media outlet that provides news about local, national and international happenings. Martin said he hopes his website becomes the hub of college and university news,  especially HBCUs.

  Dr. Jinghua Zhang, assistant professor of computer science, discussed online ethics and the differences between the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Zhang said that everything posted online becomes a part of public record. In the age of "sexting", Twitter, and Facebook, many employers use social networking sites to evaluate potential employees.

 Zhang said students shouldn't post anything online they wouldn't want seen in public, and they should make sure they apply everyday ethics to the virtual world.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion on the "Responsible Use of Social Media," moderated by Nigel Alston, columnist and motivational speaker.

Panelists were Martin, Derwin Montgomery student and Councilman for Winston-Salem; Capt. W.C. Cobb of the Winston-Salem Police Department;  and Dr. Denise Nation, assistant professor of justice studies.

 Nation said that the waters of free speech are getting increasingly murky as a result of expanding social ties and perceptions.

Later that evening, the 2010 Rammie Awards Ceremony took place. Below are the winners.