Mass Media - Theories of Mass Media

Question 1

When did New Media first appear?

Answer 1

In the 1980s.

Question 2

What is Content Analysis?

Answer 2

It measures how often a word, phrase or theme is used in a piece of media.

Question 3

What are Semiotics?

Answer 3

The study of signs and codes in the media.

Question 4

What are experiments?

Answer 4

Studying how an actual audience responds to the media.

Question 5

What does Bagdikian 2004 say about media ownership in the past 30 years?

Answer 5

That most of the American Mass Media is now only owned by 5 major companies.

Question 6

What are Traditional Marxist view about ownership and control?

Answer 6

That Media owners control what we seen in the media and actively use their power in companies to manipulate content in favour of the ruling class ideologies.

Question 7

What is the Neo-Marxist view of ownership and control?

Answer 7

They believe that the mass media reflects the ideas of the ruling class and their control is indirect with the views of the ruling class being presented through the media as natural, common-sense views to have - known as cultural hegemony.

Question 8

What is ‘Cultural Hegemony’?

Answer 8

It is one set of ideas dominating over other ideas.

Question 9

What is the Pluralist View of Mass Media?

Answer 9

Media reflects the values and beliefs of society. Media has to respond to market demand or face failure, who owns the media doesn’t matter.
Some opinions are more expressed than others because media is a reflection of the most common view of society.

Question 10

What does ‘censorship’ mean?

Answer 10

The process of controlling the media to remove harmful or offensive messages to protect society for moral, political or security reasons

Question 11

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of semiotic analysis?

Answer 11

Advantage: It can find deeper meaning in things like advertisements.

Disadvantage: It is subjective to bias from the researcher’s own values.

Question 12

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of Content Analysis?

Answer 12

Advantage: It investigates the relationship between two phrases or themes.

Disadvantage: Content analysis takes a long time and ignores context.

Question 13

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of experiments?

Answer 13

Advantage: It shows how actual people react to the media, not just theories.

Disadvantage: People are subjective to demand characteristics, participant bias and the Hawthorn effect.

Question 14

What is cross-media ownership?

Answer 14

When the same companies own different forms of the media.

Question 15

What is the Traditional Marxist view on mass media?

Answer 15

Media serves the economic power of the ruling class. Media presents what is important and relevant to the ruling class.

Question 16

What did Marcuse ‘64 (Marxist) say about mass media?

Answer 16

That the media promotes consumerism which gives people the false needs for things they do not actually need.

Question 17

What did Miliband ‘69 (Marxist) say about mass media?

Answer 17

It is the ‘new opium of the people’.

Media encourages the proletariat to be happy and subordinate to serve the bourgeoisie.

Question 18

What do Neo-Marxist say about mass media?

Answer 18

The ruling class indirectly control media content because those in power are ruling class and express their own norms and values through the media.

Question 19

Name three criticisms of the Marxist theory of mass media?

Answer 19

1. Not all journalists think the same way, and not all media is covered from the same view point.
2. Media doesn’t always reflect the opinions of the Dominicans class e.g. BBC government reports from mass distraction in Iraq.
3. Pluralists states media audiences are not passive and do not believe everything they see in the media.

Question 20

What is the Pluralist view of mass media?

Answer 20

Media content reflects diversity in society in a free market economy.

Question 21

What did Jones ‘86 (Pluralist) find in his study of the reporting of strikes?

Answer 21

That there was a balanced and equal reporting throughout, with only a few biased reports coming through.
The media was also happy to publish any relevant view.

Question 22

What did Katz and Lazarfeild ‘55 (Pluralist) find in their study of media before the US election.

Answer 22

That media influence is unpredictable and limited. People attitudes can distort their interpretation of messages and will often pay more attention to their spouse, family and peers than the media.

Question 23

What is the Postmodern view of mass media?

Answer 23

Media content gives society a consumerist identity.
Media allows people to identify themselves with what they consume and show people how they can identify themselves.
There is no set of dominant ideas and society is presenting many choices and alternatives.

Question 24

What did Lyotard ‘79 (Postmodernist) say about mass media?

Answer 24

People can reject ‘grand narratives’ - large scale theories and philosophies.

Question 25

What do Traditional Marxists believe advertising is for?

Answer 25

To create a demand for goods in a capitalist economy.

Question 26

Why do Neo-Marxists think that alternative, anti-establishment views are allowed on TV and in the papers?

Answer 26

To create the image of fairness, but are often portrayed and childish and stupid, to deter people from it.

Question 27

What do Pluralists believe regulates the media?

Answer 27

The media regulates itself through market demand.