Discussion Questions

  1. How has consumption changed over the decades since the 1950s? Describe the major changes that have occurred.
  2. C. Wright Mills made the connection and distinction between “public issues” and “private troubles.” How is debt an example of a “private trouble?” How is divorce an example of a “public issue?”
  3. Hypothesize what the “butterfly effect” will look like for technological inventions or how we use mass media. For example, what are the social effects of Twitter?
  4. Imagine what your college experience would have been like before the Internet, e-mail, and smartphones came in. How would the experience have been more difficult? Would it have been a better experience in any aspect?