Explain why “the dress” retailer produced a one-off version of the dress in white and gold as a charity campaign and why many brands (on a short-term basis while “the dress” was viral) tried to associate their brand’s colors to the colors of “the dress.”

Do You Remember The Dress?

“The dress” is a photograph that became viral on February 26, 2015. But what was the story? Read the Origin (Links to an external site.) section of “the dress’s” Wikipedia page.

In the process of “the dress” going viral, not only ordinary people but also politicians, government agencies, celebrities, and well-known brands started to react. See some tweet examples by reviewing the Tweet Examples slideshow Download Tweet Examples slideshow.

Ultimately, the dress was the subject of 4.4 million tweets within 24 hours and 37 million views in a few days.

To learn more about the Dress and the social media debates, check out the links below:
The Dress (Links to an external site.)

What Color Is This Dress? Black/Blue or While/Gold (Links to an external site.)

Preparation

Read Chapter 3 and the article, Two Years Later, We Finally Know Why People Saw “The Dress” Differently (Links to an external site.).

From what you learned about the process of perception,

Explain why the image created so many discussions on social platforms where users discussed their different perceptions of the dress’s color.

Explain why “the dress” retailer produced a one-off version of the dress in white and gold as a charity campaign and why many brands (on a short-term basis while “the dress” was viral) tried to associate their brand’s colors to the colors of “the dress.”

What have you learned about the uses of Wikipedia and its credibility as a source? [If you viewed the optional video on the “Metal Umlaut,” you can discuss that in your answer, too.]

How We Get News and Information Now

As you do the readings and watch the videos, think about what challenges and opportunities arise from the transformation in news gathering and reporting made possible by the internet and in the proliferation of easy access to information. After doing the readings and watching the videos, post to the discussion board about these transformations. Some thoughts to get you started:

Do you and your friends and family fit the models of news consumption described in the Pew articles? You may want to refer to some of the charts and graphs and cite some statistics from the articles to make your case.

Can limiting your reading to what is posted by like-minded friends on social media make you narrow-minded? How? You may need to cite specific articles and passages to make your case.

What have you learned about the uses of Wikipedia and its credibility as a source? [If you viewed the optional video on the “Metal Umlaut,” you can discuss that in your answer, too.]

Think about everyday access to an important newspaper like the Washington Post. Would you pay for it, or do you think all news should be free? Consider this: who is going to do the long-term research and investigative reporting that roots out corruption if all news is free and not done by professional journalists? [Hint: read the optional reading on investigative journalism for more about this topic.]