The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the moviegoing experience in significant ways, but it did not result in greater inclusion for marginalized groups. A new report maps where there has been progress—and where there hasn’t—across the most popular films from the last year....
Mental health is on the minds of medical professionals, policymakers, parents, and advocates these days. Yet a new study reveals that one area where little has changed for mental health is popular movies.
The new report from Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg...
For Gen Z, social media is viewed as both a mood and energy regulator. Their cellphone scrolling habits provide entertainment and escape and the idea of prioritizing a specific time slot for audience tune-in is becoming irrelevant.
Interested in Gen Z’s information consumption habits, USC Annenberg’s Center for Public...
In 2019, Lil Nas X utilized his musical skills and understanding of meme culture by publishing “Old Town Road” on TikTok. The song quickly took over the social media app and beyond, becoming a pop culture earworm heard on TV, radio, and more. It launched Lil Nas X’s career and changed the trajectory of Alexandria Arrieta’s PhD studies at...
In 2021, Netflix partnered with Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to release an inaugural report on inclusion in its scripted film and series content. Netflix also committed to updating that report every two years through 2026 as a means of creating...
Who says hashtag activism can’t create change? Eight years after April Reign launched the #OscarsSoWhite movement, an initiative, backed by new research shows that there have been more nominations for people of color at Hollywood’s top awards.
The research appears online at a new website , launched by...
As world leaders prepare to meet this month at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, journalists and communications professionals around the globe are gearing up to cover the negotiations. And a new center at the USC Annenberg School is ready to improve the impact of climate communication.
The school has launched the...