Media Flashcards
What is ‘Media’?
Technology involved in communicating with large mass audiences without any personal contact;
Radio, internet, books, films, smartphones, etc.
What is ‘Traditional Media’?
Name an example.
Mass media that communicated in a one-way, non-interactive manner
Radio, Sunday newspapers
What is ‘New Media’?
Interactive screen-based technology involving the distribution and consumption of digitized media content
What is ‘Globalization’?
The interconnectedness of societies and the spread of culture across the world
What is a ‘Global Village’?
the world viewed as a community/village in which distance and isolation have been dramatically reduced by electronic media
What is ‘Concentration of ownership’?
Most kinds of media concentrated in the hands of a few people
What is ‘Vertical Integration’?
give an example
Owning all stages in the media production
A film company that owns cinema chains
Social media company own phone companies
What is ‘Horizontal integration’?
give an example
Ownership of different media types
(Not Real) Meta owning social media companies, newspaper companies, owning radio companies, etc
Name the 6 legal limits on media
- The law of libel
- The Official Secrets Act
- DSMA
- The Racial and Religious Hatred Act
- The Obscene Publications Act
- Contempt of Court provision
What is ‘‘The Law of Libel’?
Forbids publication of an untrue statement about someone, which may make them publicly distasted
What is ‘The Official Secrets Act’?
The law makes it a criminal offense to report on any official government activity (official secrets)
What is ‘The Racial and Religious Act’?
Forbids the expression of opinions which may encourage hatred against certain people because of beliefs, race, ethnicity, etc
What is ‘DSMA’?
This requests journalists not to report on defence or counter terrorist information
What is ‘The Obscene Publications Act’?
Forbids the publication of anything the court considers obscene or indecent
What is ‘Contempt of Court provision’?
Forbids the reporting of cases which are still being dealt with by the court, and is likely to jeopardize the chance of a fair trial
What is ‘Ofcom’ and what roles does it play in media?
Ofcom is a powerful media regulator, regulating TV, radio, and wireless communication services.
for e.g.
- Makes sure media has a broad appeal
- Protects public from harmful media
- Furthering interests of the public
What is the ‘ISPO’ and what role does it play?
The ISPO is an independent regulator for the newspaper industry in the UK.
- ISPO investigates complaints about content of newspaper
- Monitors and maintains standards of journalism
What is ‘BBC’ and why is it different to other broadcasting
The BBC are largely state-owned therefore have no advertisements in their content. These state funds come from the TV License every household in the UK pays for.
What are ‘independent Broadcasters’?
All non-BBC television and radio stations
Fund themselves by using advertsiments
Name 3 ways governments influence and control media output (apart from media laws).
- Official government press conferences; allowing their position to be presented in the media
- Leaks and off the record briefings; leaking stuff to journalists so journalists give favourable coverage tot eh government in the media
- Spin Doctors; releasing government news along side other news to make sure they get perceived the best way possible, releasing bad government news when there’s already something worse happening in the news, these people will be distracted by the already bad news and won’t look to harshly on the bad government news.
- Refusal to issue broadcasting licenses to those they see as ‘unsuitable’
- Refusal to allow some form of computer software and the use of filtering
- Electronic surveillance of emails and websites
What is ‘Global Ownership’?
give an example
Media ownership is international
e.g. SKY owns media in Italy, Australia, UK
What is ‘Conglomeration’?
Ownership in unrelated industries;
Sony owning McDonalds, done to make sure not all eggs are in one basket
What is ‘Global Conglomerate’?
Media owned by global conglomerates
What is ‘Synergy’?
When a company promotes and sales products in different ways;
A movie being promoted in newspapers or social media or promoted by other companies
What is ‘Technological Convergence’?
Media companies maximising sales by making products available in a variety of forms
What’s an ‘Ideological State Apparatuses’?
The things (social institutions) the dominant class use to push out their ideology and justify the power they hold, these things are; media, school, religion, etc
What is ‘False Class Consciousness’?
A concept which states individuals in a society are not aware of what their true interests are or have an incorrect idea of what their interests are, due to the dominant ideology in society successfully deciding their true interests.
Summarize the Traditional Marxist view on media
Suggests media owners have direct control of media content and manipulate that content and media audiences to protect profits and spread the dominant ideology. Classic Marxists assume media audiences are passive and uncritical
Name 3 criticisms of the Traditional Marxist view
- If media owners are focused on profits, they will try their best to gather a large audience and advertise to this large audiences, however to gather these people, you must give the people what they’re actually interested in, therefore not being able to push out your own (the owner) ideology.
- The Classic Marxist view is outdated as there are a variety of media forms where the owners aren’t directly in control. Like in social media, content is put out by the common person rather than owners.
- There are various regulations which stop media owners from have too much power.
- People aren’t as gullible and stupid as the classic Marxist makes it seem
What’s a ‘Neophiliac’?
People who dislike the same mundane routine life and embrace new change and technology.
Name a Classic Marxist sociologist
- Louis Althusser
- Herbert Marcuse
Summarize the Neo Marxist view on media
Although media owners have powerful influence, they rarely have day-to-day control of the media content, which is left in the hands of editors and journalists. Instead, they believe mass media spread a dominant ideology justifying the power of the ruling class.
-
Name a criticism of the Neo Marxist view
- Underrates the power of owners; owners can pressure employees to push out what they want as the employee literally depend on the owner for work.
- There are a variety of media forms where the owners can’t brainwash. Like in social media, content is put out by the common person rather than owners.
Summarize the Pluralist view on media
Based on the distribution of power, Pluralists believe no group has a monopoly on power. Instead, media owners are only concerned with making a profit, and if media owners are focused on profits, they will try their best to gather a large audience and advertise to this large audiences, however to gather these people, you must give the people what they’re actually interested in. Therefore the market mechanism and the forces of supply and demand work out the market (media).
Name a criticism of the Pluralist view
- The pressure to attract large audiences doesn’t increase media choice but limits it; this is because less quality content is pumped out and the only objective of this low quality content is to get the attention of the audience.
- Media has created its own interests, meaning what the people want is what the media wants
What is ‘Mass culture’?
give 3 examples
Culture associated will working class (the masses).
- Football
- Rap
- Gaming
What is ‘High Culture’?
Culture associated with the bourgeoisie
- Opera
- Horse riding
- Plays
Summarise the post modernist view of the globalisation of media
They regard the diversity of globalised media as means to offer consumers more choice and believe the distinction between high and mass culture as blurred