Design of Communication: Two Contexts for Understanding How Design Shapes Digital Media

Abstract

This essay examines two contexts for understanding how design informs peoples’ understanding of news and information. The construct of frictionless design articulates how social networking platforms, such as Facebook, employ persuasive design to manipulate user behavior in ways that optimize advertising revenues. This necessitates that scholars critically examine the design elements of digital interfaces such as color, affordances, feedback, and metaphor. I also introduce the design of journalism to contextualize how news organizations have adopted design principles to create personalized news products. This requires that scholars study the new practices, products, and ethical considerations of this convergence.

Keywords

design journalism social media

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