Media- Deviancy Amplification And Moral Panics Flashcards
What is deviancy amplification?
Exaggerating the level of deviance in society- strengthening and magnifying those who engage in behaviours that go against accepted norms and values
What is a folk devil?
An individual/ group that are seen as a threat/ problem to society
What is a moral panic?
Stimulated by sensationalised reporting in the media, outrage/ public concern of an overstated threat to societal decency/ security (moral panics see important in illustrating the power of the media in defining what counts as normal and deviant behaviour)
What is a moral entrepreneur?
People who start to create/ enforce rules and impose views to deal with folk devils, since they have power e.g politicians, teachers, parents, religious leaders- start moral panics
How does Wilkin argue deviancy amplification works?
Folk devils are magnified in the media and the media’s response heightens public awareness and so more people actually engage w/ deviant behaviour
Briefly describe the different stages in the deviancy amplification spiral(Wilkin)
1)tabloid media report on particular incident using sensationalist and exaggerated language
2)follow up articles identify group and demonise as ‘folk devils’ giving them characteristics this helps public+police identify them more easily
3)media oversimplify reasons why group/ activity has appeared e.g young people out of control/boredom
4)Moral entrepreneurs react to and condemn group, insisting action is taking against them
5)rise in reporting to police since it has become more visible in public’s consciousness
6)authorities stamp down hard on the group/ activity
7)group may react to this overpolicing and moral panic, becoming more deviant by protesting/ adapting to become harder to control
8)more arrests and convictions as a result, fulfilling original media prophecy that they were a problem
How did Young use drug taking in Notting Hill to demonstrate this amplification spiral?
Police are susceptible to media stereotypes and target typical folk devils here:
1)police arrest marijuana smokers
2)media sensationalise stories and create folk devil making moral panic about drug takers
3)police crack down harder
4)pushes drug takers ‘underground’ raising suspicion and pushes price of drugs up- more media coverage and police cracking down even harder
5)drug takers start resisting and turn to new types or have to organise themselves better- more deviance
How did Cohen demonstrate the amplification spiral? What were the 4 simple stages he identified in development of a moral panic?
Studied 2 youth subcultures: mods and rockers that were involved in fights- media labelled them in a negative and stereotypical way becoming ‘folk devils’
1)media uses sensationalised and exaggerated language to write articles on group ‘folk devils’
2)creates public anxiety, fuelled by moral entrepreneurs
3)puts pressure on authorities to intervene
4)increased social awareness of problem can lead more to participate
What other contemporary examples of moral panics did Cohen highlight?
•Leah Betts- death by drugs
•welfare cheats and single mothers
•refugees and asylum-seekers
What are the 5 elements present in a moral panic according to Goode and Ben-Yehuda?
•concern
•hostility
•consensus
•disproportionality
•volatility
What the 4 reasons why moral panics come about?
•a reaction to social change
•a means of making profit
•serving ruling class ideology
•a reflection of people’s fears
How does Furedi argue moral panics come about due to social change?
Moral panics arise when society fails to adapt to dramatic social change and it is felt there is a loss of control, especially over powerless groups such as the young- allows older generation to re-establish control over younger generations, particularly when people feel a sense loss and so are more susceptible to anxieties promoted by moral panics
How does Cohen and Young argue moral panics arise due to social change?
Due to consensual nature of UK media, so called problem groups are seen as newsworthy by journalists as they assume like-minded people have the same moral concerns as them
What are the 3 ideological purposes Hall argues moral panics serve, such as the labelling of all young Afro-Caribbeans as criminals?
•divide and rule- turned white vs black
•divert attention away from ruling class mismanagement of capitalist system
•justifying repressive laws that could be used against other groups
Why does McRobbie argue moral panics moral panics are becoming less frequent and harder to sustain today?
Due to digital revolution, the media has a greater plurality of views and acknowledges the public is not one homogenous group and every individuals perception is different and therefore will not view the group in all the same way, plus because there are many now people will move from one to the next as they appear- less significance
