mediarological

Refers to the sensational and overly-dramatic "spin" dat radio/TV weather-forecasters put on fairly-mundane upcoming rain/wind/snow activities.

I heard a set of rather dire storm-warnings on the evening weather forecast, but I still went ahead and planned my returnables-collecting trek for the next morning. And sure enough, the day dawned just moderately overcast and slightly breezy, and it stayed that way all day, so the mediarological predictions did indeed turn out to be bunk, after all.

by QuacksO April 11, 2020

Mediaology

The study of media—mass media, social media, and popular media—using Kremlinological methods to infer hidden structures of ownership, editorial bias, content suppression, and narrative control. Mediaologists analyze what stories are covered and at what length, which guests are invited and which are blacklisted, and how framing shifts over time. Like Sovietologists reading newspaper layouts for clues about leadership priorities, mediaologists read front pages, trending topics, and algorithmically promoted content to map the invisible hand of media power. The field reveals that media content is not a random sampling of events but a curated projection shaped by economic interests, political pressures, and the personal biases of a few gatekeepers.

Example: "Mediaology research tracked how a major story disappeared from cable news after the network’s parent company was threatened with a lawsuit—the story wasn’t retracted, it just never appeared again."

by Abzugal April 2, 2026