Research and Impact

The monolithic, three-story media wall in the lobby of Wallis Annenberg Hall serves as an easy visual metaphor: Its towering presence always conveys that you’re at the center of something. When big news is breaking, USC Annenberg students, faculty and staff know they can gather to witness it here — especially if that news is about national politics. During the 2016 election season, all three presidential debates were shown live on the media wall, with students packed onto three floors engaging with faculty in post-debate discussion.

There’s been a lot of concern about how conservatives and liberals consume their news from sources that merely confirm their preexisting beliefs. The result, supposedly, has been a disintegration of a shared reality and a fracturing of the nation’s political life. But does this trend extend to the shows we choose to watch on TV to relax and unwind?

A new study examines the ecosystem of the animation industry and finds pluses and minuses for women in the field.

Interested in the broader questions about sports? Ben Carrington, associate professor of sociology and journalism, examines how race, mass media, and popular culture play roles in what happens on the field and the effect of sports on society.

A new report reveals that mental health conditions are rare and dehumanized in film and TV.

As Rocketman flies into theaters this weekend with a central focus on LGBT identity and addiction, it offers unique insight into the experience of living with a mental health condition. It’s also a rare look at the topic: A study out today reveals how few characters across popular film and TV series exhibit mental health conditions and that those who do are routinely dehumanized.

Clayton Dube, director of the USC U.S.-China Institute, explains this latest phase of the trade war and how it might impact American consumers.

Do liberals enjoy the same TV shows as conservatives? Do they experience similar emotions while viewing their favorite shows? A new study by the Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project, titled “Are You What You Watch? Tracking the Political Divide Through TV Preferences,” looks for connections between media diets and political beliefs, tracking changes from 2008 to 2018.

Entertainers who create original content on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or Twitch don’t at first seem all that different from their counterparts on traditional media. After all, whether their content is live or on-demand, it’s still ultimately just video or audio, right?