Chapter 4: Mass Media and Deviance Flashcards
Media
Vehicles used to transmit information in acts of communication
Simulmedia
Using multiple forms of media simultaneously
Media and Social Problems
Indicates which people and issues we should be concerned about and why
Shapes public debates
Media and Boundaries between Groups
Shapes understandings of “us” and “them”
Shapes how we view groups of people
Ex. good vs bad mothers
Administrative Research
Focuses on the objective side of deviance
Concerned with what is already defined as deviant
Analyze individuals who constitute the audience and the effects of media messages
Which messages will result in certain outcomes in certain individuals
Critical Research
Focuses on the subjective side of deviance
Analyzes processes of social control, structures of power, and the relationship between media and society
Focuses on how media shapes society
Product Placement
Inserting brand name products into TV shows, movies, video games, etc.
Virtual Product Placement
Targets more individuals
Browsing certain products and then seeing them appear in ads through other websites or platforms
Correlational Studies and Violence
Analyzes the extent to which increases and decreases
Measuring how much media violence participants consume and levels of aggression in everyday life
More media violence = more aggressive, small to moderate significant relationship
Individuals who are more aggressive to begin with choose to engage with violent media
Experimental Studies
Attempt to determine causation
Greater exposure to media violence has effects such as less empathy, more acceptance of aggression to resolve problems
Media violence may affect some individuals more than others
Desensitization
Lessening the emotional impact of violent acts and making people more tolerant or accepting of violence
Emotional (lowered anxiety) and physiological (lowered heart rate and blood pressure)
Framing
The overall way that an image or issue is depicted in the media
Certain aspects of reality are highlighted and certain aspects are not shown at all
The media frames individuals, social issues, health conditions and social groups
Framing Social Groups
Ethnic minorities are usually invisible in media or biased portrayals
There are 3 important frames when it comes to portrayal of Chinese people: absence or inauthentic presence, racializing the body, social threat
Absence or Inauthentic Presence
Chinese people are relatively absent
The inauthentic presence involves Chinese people represented as martial arts experts or historical figures
Racializing the Body
Certain physical characteristics like eyes and accents are overemphasized, especially in animation
Social Threat
Ex. perceived overrepresentation of Asian students in Canadian universities
Threat of Asian people to Western values and traditions
Micro Level of Media Framing
Media portrayal can affect people’s identities
Identity can be formed within media representation
Ex. stereotypes within media can affect the perceived identities of different ethnic groups
Macro Level of Media Framing
Impact the discussion of social issues and the social policies that emerge
Media framing of racialized groups contributes to social inequality
Hegemony
Moral entrepreneurs assert influence over us through what is projected in the media
Convergence
Media companies owning multiple forms of media
Conglomeration
Companies merging or buying out others to create larger companies
This creates distance between the parent company and its subsidiary companies
This can also create conflicts of interest
Concentration
A small number of companies control most media products
This creates a narrower range of ideas
Media Deviance Nexus
Five different relationships exist between media and deviance: media as a cause of deviance, media constructing deviance and normality, media as a tool to commit acts of deviance, media as a site of the deviance dance, media as deviantized itself
Media Causes Deviance
Specific media messages may propel certain individuals into acts of deviance
Seen in administrative approaches to media