MEDIA 2: theoretical explanations of media

Question 1

marxism

Answer 1

• believed that there were only 2 social class groups in a capitalist society: working class (proletariat) & ruling class (bourgeoisie)
• they are both mutually dependent on eachother.
• the Bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat- aiming to get the most work for the cheapest

Question 2

false class consciousness

Answer 2

keeping the proletariat unaware of their true class position so they dont realise their exploitation & revolt e.g. a bugs life.

Question 3

ruling class idiology

Answer 3

the false promises fed to the proletariat by the bourgeoisie.

Question 4

capitilism

Answer 4

system based around private ownership & maximisation of profit through the exploitation of workers.

marx is critical of capitilist system

Question 5

name the 4 sociologists supporting marxism

Answer 5

1. Doyle
2. Badgikan
3. milliband
4. curran

Question 6

milliband + media e.g.

marxism

Answer 6

• Argued that the ruling class use the media to control society by creating a false picture of reality that presents capitalism in a POSITIVE way.
• states that media is the ‘new opium of the people’

Media example:
Apps like Instagram / snapchat / tiktok, we scroll to distract ourselves from our exploitation at work.

Question 7

curran + media e.g.

marxism

Answer 7

• found evidence of media owners directly manipulating media content

media example: Ruport Murdoch monopoly - owns the majority of all media outlets so chances are they will be biassed.

Question 8

doyle + media e.g.

marxism

Answer 8

suggests that ownership is important becuase…
1. All points of view need to be heard if society is to be truly democratic.
2. Abuses of power and influence by elites need to be monitored by a free media.
too much media is dangerous and unhealthy because media has the power to make or break political careers and has a considerable influence over public opinion.

media example:
entrepreneurial rich
Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers happening to support those who make the effort to meet him e.g David Cameron and Tony Blair

Question 9

Bagdikian + media e.g.

marxism

Answer 9

• recent trends in media ownership and control suggest that the number of companies controlling global mass media has significantly shrunk in recent years
• only reflects the views & opinions of a smaller amount of people making the media less balanced and bias.

media e.g
Ruport Murdoch monopoly - owns the majority of all media outlets so chances are they will be biassed.

Question 10

neo-marxism

Answer 10

• say that certain social groups that ‘threaten’ the position of white, middle class males are therefore marginalised through media portrayals & stereotyped in a negative way.
• PROTECT THE RULING CLASS DOMINANCE
• media professionals unconsciously produce content that promoted ruling class, norms, values and idiology.

Question 11

what are the 4 socioligists that support neo-marxism

Answer 11

1. glasgow media group
2. gilroy
3. hall
4. sutton trust

Question 12

gilroy + media e.g.

neomarxism

Answer 12

• Argues that black crime, particularly in the 1970s, was a form of political resistance against a repressive, racist state
• stated that the media created a folk devil surrounding black people which generated deviancy amplification.

Media example:
News reports on black crime in the 70s for example headlines about Notting Hill carnival - emphasis on crime from black individuals rather than police.

Question 13

Hall + media e.g.

neomarxism

Answer 13

‘The whites of their eyes’
3 stereotyped of black people within the media
* natives
* Entertainers
* Slaves
States that this is unconscious racism

Media example:
BLACK INDIVIDUALS: TopBoy, Power
WORKING CLASS: Headlines about teacher / workers/ rail workers strikes for example Daily Express, Give up your power play headline

Question 14

the glasgow media group + media e.g.

neomarxism

Answer 14

Research carried out into media representations of different social groups, including the working class

Found that these social groups were presented in a stereotyped and negative way
(KEY POINTS FOUND IN SUMMARY SHEET)

Media example:
Headlines about increasing levels of immigration (from The Sun / The Daily Express), ‘we can’t take anymore’ etc.

Question 15

pluralism

Answer 15

• claims that the media refelects the needs of the consumers/viewers
• consumers control media content rather than media owners.
• media representations are unproblematic since social classes are presented in the ways the public see them.

Question 16

what are the 3 sociologists that support pluralism

Answer 16

1. fourth state of democracy
2. whale
3. williams

Question 17

whale + media e.g.

pluralism

Answer 17

• states that what we see in the media is determined by its audience
• believe that audiences recognise when they are being manipulated- suggesting it is not an issue created by the media.

media e.g:
hillsborough disaster
the news of the world phone hacking scandal.

Question 18

williams + media e.g.

pluralism

Answer 18

• argues that journalists are vital in a democratic society as they provide the general public with the information required to participate in political and cultural life
• newspapers now criticise those of the conservative party when necessary.

media e.g:
Negative reportings of conservative party in the press - i.e. The Daily Express Newspaper - Downing street parties / Matt Hancock’s affair

Question 19

fourth estate of democracy + media e.g.

pluralism

Answer 19

• media has been labelled as the 4th estate of democracy, following the government, courts and their church.
• their access to info is seen as an essential part of democracy.

media e.g: Social media such as Tiktok / Instagram teaches viewers about fashion / language. BBC news teaches audiences about the economy,

Question 20

feminism

Answer 20

they believe society is dominated by men and have more power than women.

THE PATRIARCHY

Question 21

what are the 4 sociologists that support feminism.

Answer 21

1. mulvey
2. wolf
3. whelehan
4. McRobbie

Question 22

radical feminism

Answer 22

hold the most extreme views and believe men are the enemy

Question 23

post feminism

Answer 23

suggests that there is now a range of identities from men and women to choose from now

Question 24

black feminism

Answer 24

argue that women of colour are at a double disadvantage and concerned that these issues may effect those from these backgrounds.

Question 25

liberal feminism

Answer 25

fight for equal rights between both men and women

Question 26

marxist feminism

Answer 26

recognises role of both capitilism and patriarchal

in patriarchal- they hold a less powerful role in society.

Question 27

mulvey + media e.g.

feminism

Answer 27

• introduced the concept of ‘the male gaze’ to characterise cinema as an instrument of spectatorship.
• Carried out a semiology to research the representation of women within films

media e.g: Rear window / Vertigo OR up to date versions like Transformers or Disney princesses or Wolf of wall street

Question 28

wolf + media e.g.

feminism

Answer 28

• states that women are socialised to conform to, and buy into, what she coins the “beauty myth”
• women feel pressure to conform to the male image of what women should look like
• Contemporary media takes these images and presents them as the ‘ideal’

Media example:
Magazines like Cosmopolitan promoting messages such as ‘drop a dress size by tonight’

Question 29

whelehan + media e.g.

feminism

Answer 29

• traditional stereotypes still do exist
• study on mens magazines
• mens magazines promote a ‘laddish culture’ where women are objectified and changes in gender roles can be dismissed as an ‘ironic joke’

media e.g:
Magazines such as Nuts, present women topless or in suggestive poses - could be seen as a backwards step for the feminist movement.

Question 30

McRobbie + media e.g.

feminism

Answer 30

• Conducted a range of research into womens and girls magazines over a long period of time.
• Stated that generally magazines do have an impact on the identity

media e.g:
Heat or closer- “i bought by dream face at 49”

Question 31

Postmodernism

Answer 31

• no traditional representations- we live in a media saturated, fluid society
• people pick and choose what they consume.

Question 32

name the 3 sociologists supporting postmodernism

Answer 32

1. McLuhan
2. strinati
3. Baudrillard

Question 33

McLuhan + media e.g.

postmodernism

Answer 33

• discusses the notion of the ‘global village’.
• Globalisation has had a direct impact on media representations as it proves access to a broader range of lifestyles and identities that often offer people choice.

media e.g: Apps like tiktok bring information about fashion / language / stereotypes from all across the globe to help us construct our identities.
HYBRID IDENTITIES - EMINEM, JAY SEAN

Question 34

strinati + media e.g.

postmodernism

Answer 34

• “media saturation”
• media playes a significant role in constructing peoples identities, due to connection to devices on a daily basis
• Argues that due to the diversity offered by the media there are no traditional representations of social groups.= been an erosion of identity.

media e.g:
Saturated with social media apps, tiktok, instagram, be real, facebook, whatsapp, snapchat - all of which we use to construct our identities online from.

Question 35

Baudrillard + media e.g.

postmodernism

Answer 35

• people are engulfed in the media
• has made it difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction
• media e.g. disneyland