Mass Media Flashcards
definition of media
a medium of communication that communicates information to an audience
definition of mass media
media that can reach a large number of people using modern technology
definition of old media and example
traditional forms of media, e.g. newspaper
name 4 advances in technology over the past 30 years
digitalisation
interactivity
convergence
it is dispersed
how has technology become digitalised over the past 30 years?
more computers have been used - all data, sound and pictures are converted into computer code which can be distributed between devices
how has technology become interactive over the past 30 years?
consumers have an opportunity to engage with the media, eg voting in reality shows
how has technology converged over the past 30 years?
While traditional media involves different devices for different media content-printed format for books, telephones to make calls and radios to listen to music. New media often involves using a single device to do several things.
how has technology dispersed over the past 30 years?
New media is less centralised and controlled than old media.
There is a huge scope for people to create and spread their own information outside the control of media companies and the agencies of social control.
summary of the hypodermic syringe model
the audience are passive
they don’t question media messages
the media is like a drug, we act upon its instructions
criticisms of the hypodermic syringe model 2
audiences don’t all react the same way
there is little evidence supporting this theory
summary of the uses and gratification model
audience are active
the effect of the media depends on what the audience uses media for (their own desires and needs
what are the 4 areas the uses and gratification model fulfills?
escape (relaxation)
personal relationships (things to talk about)
personal identity
getting information (the news)
criticisms of the uses and gratification model
this approach makes it difficult to generalise the effect of the media
what is the decoding theory?
the content of a particular television program has several possible meanings
so, it can be decoded in a number of different ways
what does how we decode a programme depend upon? 4
cultural and social background
age
gender
ethnicity
what is hyper reality?
the audience is losing sense of the difference between the media created world and the real world
the more information we are exposed to, the less able we are to separate the two
the two worlds are blending into one as technology advances
what is socialisation?
the process we learn culture (norms and values) of society
what is identity?
how we see and define ourselves and how other people see us
what is a democracy?
a government controlled by the people
how does the mass media influence identity?
they spread ideas about modern lifestyles and how people should act
what is political socialisation?
the media is the main source of information about current affairs but the media is biased so we acquire different political beliefs
how does the media influence who we vote for?
the media is biased and usually reflect the views of one particular party
a person who regularly reads one particular newspaper is exposed to a different view of current affairs that could encourage them to vote for one party over another
how does the media influence people not voting?
the negative coverage of politicians in the press and politics in general discourages people from voting at all
how does the mass media influence democracy?
the press has the power to influence the outcome of an election because elections are supposed to be fair and give people the chance to express their individual views
what is agenda setting?
the media focus on some issues and ignore others, which influences people’s political views
what is norm referencing?
they outline the acceptable behaviour in society
What is a conglomerate?
A huge cooperation made when different firms merge
Pluralist view of media ownership and control
We have market power and can switch newspapers if we wish to
Owners can’t dictate content as they publish what we want to buy
We can get our ideas published in a newspaper
What is the pluralist view?
Suggests power is equally spread beteeen people in society
Marxist approach to press ownership
The content of the media reflects the wishes of the owners
What are pressure groups?
People who try to persuade the government to adopt a certain policy
How will the development of modern technology lead to a reduction of power of media owners?
The internet allows everyone to produce media content
How can pressure groups use the digital media to their advantage?
They can set up websites to spread information about their campaign to gain support
What is media representation?
How a social group isn’t portrayed in the mass media
What is stereotyping?
The exaggerated representation of a social group
How can the media representation of a social group be positive or negative?
Can portray disabled Paralympic as honourable and determined
Stereotype of young people is aggressive
How were women presented in the media?
Women were inferior
Women were house wives
Women were sex objects
Arguments that portrayals of women are still stereotypical
Women are still invisible in much press and underrepresented in sport
Female magazines are still of adverts that concern appearance an
Shown in basic, limited careers in TV
Arguments that women aren’t still stereotyed
Women have taken the lead in many films
Children’s books now present princesses that can defend themselves
Woemen are presented as rsourcesful and independent, eg bond films
Why do feminists argue that women are symbolically annihilated?
Argues that their views are limited in comparison to men
It leads to women believing their role are less important than mens
How has the presentation of men in the media changed.
Men used to be portrayed as breadwinners but are now sexualised for females
What is the ‘New Man’?
The modern representation of a man - he is more sensitive, concerned with his appearance and more feminine, whilst still retaining masculine characteristics
Harmful consequences of media stereotyping 3
Increase in eating disorders amongst men
8% of cosmetic surgery is now carried out on men
Men are now more concerned about body shape and physical attractiveness
Arguments that ethnic minorities are stereotyped in the media 4
1920s-1950s: black people either absent or underrepresented
When they were there, it was in narrow roles (e.g.criminals)
1970s - people reported on race issues very negatively - e.g. In Britain, reports often associate black people with crime
Today, sociologists have found that the media still portrays ethnic minorities badly, linking them to terrorism and rape
What is moral panic?
A wave of public concern about an exaggerated threat to society, fuelled by exaggeration by the mass media
What is a folk devil?
A group seen as a threat to the values of a society, e.g. asylum seekers
What is deviancy amplification?
The way the media may exaggerate and make worse the problems on which they report
What did Stan Cohen argue?
The media are involved in the creation of moral panics
In a moral panic, a particular group is classed as a folk devil
This group are portrayed badly by the media, which makes the problem on which they were reporting worse
Example of the way in which the mass media can generate a moral panic
A small group of people commit a deviant act
The media pick up on this story and identify a ‘problem group’
To maintain readers’ interest, the original deviance is exaggerated
Causes of the deviancy are simplified for explanation
The group is labelled as a folk devil
This leads to stereotyping
More deviance occurs as people become aware of the media’s interest
A moral panic develops
People begin to stamp down on deviants
What did Bandura do to support the idea that the media caused violence?
Created a film of a woman beating up a doll
Showed this to a group of young children
Showed a non-violent video to another group
Let them into a room filled with the dolls and toys such as hammers
The children who had seen the video beat the doll
The others didn’t
They had changed how they acted to imitate the woman - they were influenced by the media
What do Peak and Fisher argue and why?
Television isn’t to blame for violence and crime
Television has been used as a scapegoat for social problems
The causes of this violence are more likely to be poverty, unemployment, personality traits and poor socialisation
Arguments that the media can cause violence? 2
The hypodermic syringe model - the audience are passive and receive injections from the media that directly influence their actions
Bandura’s experiment
Arguments that the media doesn’t cause violence 4
Peak and Fisher
Sociologists criticise Bandura’s experiment - the children may have acted differently because they knew they were being watched
The uses and gratifications approach
Gauntlett
How does the uses and gratifications approach to the media support the idea that it doesn’t cause violence? 3
We know the difference between real life crime and that in fiction
We use the media for different purposes
We have choice and aren’t just moulded by the media
What does Gauntlett argue to support the idea that the media doesn’t cause violence? 2
Studies which interview young people involved in violence fail to provide a link between screen violence and real life violence
He argues children are more sophisticated than we think in their knowledge of what is and isn’t real
What happened between the 1920s and 1950s to support the idea that black people are stereotyped?
They were assent or underrepresented in the media
When they were present, it was in narrow roles like criminals
What happened in the 1970s to support the idea that black people are stereotyped?
The media reported on race issues very negatively, linking black people to violence and crime
Evidence to show that the representation of ethnic minorities in the media is fair?
Research from 1990 suggests there were changes in the representation of race and ethnicity
There are rich and powerful celebrities who are black, e.g. WILL.I.AM and Beyonce
More black people playing ordinary characters
In 2009, Eastenders ran an episode with an all black cast
