Arthur Asa Berger

Background: The nature of scholarly research has undergone a profound transformation in recent decades, transitioning from traditional, library-based inquiry to digitally mediated and increasingly AI-assisted methodologies. This article reflects on that evolution through an autoethnographic lens, drawing upon the author’s personal academic trajectory and long-standing engagement with satire. Aims: This article explores the evolving landscape of research, communication, and authorship in the digital age, with a particular focus on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence. Methodology: The study employs a reflective, autoethnographic methodology combined with AI-assisted literature synthesis. Drawing on personal academic experiences and outputs from ChatGPT and Claude, the author critically examines artificial intelligence’s role in communication research and satire. This qualitative approach blends narrative inquiry with theoretical analysis to explore the epistemological and ethical implications of AI in scholarly authorship. Discussion: Reflecting on a shift from traditional library-based scholarship to AI-assisted inquiry, the author critically examines how tools like ChatGPT and Claude reshape academic and journalistic practices. The manuscript considers the integration of AI across domains such as human communication, media, sentiment analysis, and translation, while addressing ethical concerns including privacy, authorship, and misinformation. Through both anecdotal reflection and synthesized research, the text interrogates the promises and pitfalls of AI in content generation, especially in the context of satire—a long-standing interest of the author. Conclusion: Drawing on personal experience and historical theories of satire from figures like Northrop Frye, Juvenal, and Linda Hutcheon, the article positions AI not just as a technological tool but as a cultural force influencing narrative forms and critical thought. While acknowledging AI's generative capabilities, the author emphasizes the enduring need for human discernment, intellectual ownership, and critical interpretation in both academic and creative contexts.

In this article, I have tried to provide a comprehensive understanding of fundamental differences, historical evolution, and societal implications of analog and digital technologies. Analog technology, characterized by continuous signal representations of physical quantities, is contrasted with digital technology's binary nature. While digital technologies have surged in popularity, reshaping entire industries and daily life, analog technologies persist in niche applications. The historical narrative traces the digital revolution's inception from the introduction of the ENIAC computer in the 1940s to the miniaturization enabled by transistors in the 1950s. Mainframe computers, microprocessors, and the advent of personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s are pivotal milestones. The internet's emergence in the late 20th century and the proliferation of smartphones in the 21st century further demonstrate digital technology's transformative impact. I have also presented a case to show how digital and analog watches might have social and cultural implications, far beyond their technological nature.

This analysis identifies the problem of the media saturation of people’s lives as a reason for developing programs teaching media literacy. It argues that the basic or foundational disciplines found in cultural studies, such as applied semiotics, psychoanalytic theory, sociological theory, and Marxist analysis, are the proper way to teach media criticism and media literacy (See Berger, A.A., Media Analysis Techniques, 6th edition, 2019). The methods by themselves are not adequate, which means that teaching media literacy also involves providing exercises and learning games that show students how to apply the theories they learn to their analyses of media texts (See Berger, A.A., Games and Activities for Media, Communication, and Cultural Studies Students,2004). Finally, it is suggested that media literacy should be taught at all educational levels.