Dr. Ruth Walden of UNC-Chapel Hill suggested in 1994 that I
a new PhD student at the school look into the National Advertising
Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. I did and have followed
that early research with related study into new media, new media policy
and regulatory affairs.
My interest is not the First Amendment issues surrounding restrictions
on advertising or new media, though I am familiar with the pertitent
cases and research in this area. I'm fascinated with the methods by
which a society chooses what boundaries to place on communication, in
general, and persuasion, in specific. Often the legal restrictions imposed
by legislative fiat or policy specialists are reflective of society's
interests, beliefs, indeed, even self-confidence.
That we in this country choose to see advertising as sometimes informative,
sometimes persuasive, would hardly be a surprise to interested parties
in other countries. But what role does advertising play in these "other"
economies? Is American-styled advertising seen as a de facto
form of cultural imperialism? What methods can other countries take
to regulate this new global advertising? What impact will these new
regulatory policy initiatives have on growing global brands, such as
Coca-Cola?
In addition, I am interested in the impact has television advertising
had on our children? If advertising is the most salient reflection of
capitalism, what type of capitalist habits does it create? Have we raised
a generation of children who have learned how to be consumers from television
advertising?
In summary, I intend to continue my research into new media, new media
policy, advertising regulation and international commercial speech regulation.