Strategic Communications: Taylor Wheeler

Taking a mobile-first approach to communications is a critical strategy in 2022. According to a 2021 Pew Research study, around 15% of Americans exclusively use their smartphones to access the internet . Additionally , factors like   limited access in rural areas of the United States and cost keep broadband internet service from being a feasible choice for many Americans who still need the internet for school or to conduct everyday business —leading them to use their mobile devices instead. With over 85% of the population in possession of a smartphone, making sure that your product or message is compatible with and targeted to mobile users is a no-brainer (Pew, 2021).   An interesting part of a mobile-first strategy is playing out inside corporate America as well. Companies are using the same logic behind mobile-first branding or communications to bring a mobile-first appr oach to interacting with their employees—again a solid strategy especially considering that as ...

An issue that has only grown more and more worrisome for me was addressed in this week’s readings—namely that of the decreasing public trust in the institution of journalism.   The Problem   This week’s most interesting reading to me was Les Sillars' article “The Future of News” for First Things  which  takes  an  introspective dive into what has caused this public mistrust. According to Sillars, American journalism once used journalistic objectivity to  position  the industry as essential to democracy. “It promised objective, reliable coverage of events that mattered to citizens regardless of partisan beliefs,” said Sillars, “and it was supported by a lucrative, ad-driven business model. The upshot was significant cultural authority and massive profits” (Sillars, 2019).    No more. According to Sillars, the percentage of Americans who say they trust the news media has decreased forty points in forty years. He lays the blame for the coll...