The Role of media textbook chapter Flashcards
Media definition
Media are vehicles used to transmit information in acts of communication
Number of minutes each week Canadian adults spend using various forms of media, comparing 2001 and 2018
in 2018 –> the greatest amount of time was spent watching television and using the internet, while the least amount of time was spent reading newspapers/magazines
Simulmedia
sing more than one form of media simultaneously
- this was measured for the first time in 2015 and it is quite common
e.g. for people to watch television and use the internet at the same time
-if considering Simulmedia the time using media types remained quite stable over time
Which forms of media uses decline over the 2001 to 2018 period?
particularly radio and magazines
- while other forms increased such as the internet
media use patterns and age groups
-there are variations across age groups
-55+ years olds spend more time watching tv than younger (18-24) year old individual’s
-older groups spend much less time on internet than younger groups
the use of _______ has increased for all age groups
Social networking services
-in Canada top social networking services: facebook, youtube, Instagram - 2019 stats
digital natives
those born in 2006 or later who have never lived in a world without social networking media
Part of the media’s power is it’s ability to ____
Define
it defines boundaries between groups and communities’ within those groups
-affects our understanding of “us” and “them”
example of impact of social media on distinguishing groups - mothers
media distinguishes a difference between god mothers who take care of their kids, while “bad mothers” commit infanticide
-“fragile mothers” =crimes of fragile mothers that arise from conditions of poverty, mental illness, singlehood, youth
-these mothers are depicted as not able to help themselves and are deserving of sympathy
“perverse mothers” = older, married, engage in sexually inappropriate behavior- (e.g. adultery)
- explanation for their crimes is hat they are evil/bad people and deserve the harshest of punishment
example of media defining social problems and shaping public debates
found that undergraduate students report media as their primary source of information about intimate partner violence
-those more exposed to print based media stories (news articles) about intimate violence were more likely to perceive intimate partner violence as unacceptable/ a social problem
-this was not true for electronic media sources, print based media has characteristics to enhance defining social problems
why is printed media better for defining social problems than electronic media?
-print media has more room to go in depth into issues
-reading takes more time so people process and think about issues more significantly
-video segments can show mixed messages, and violent imagery that could affect audience aggression
abilities media has
define boundaries
identify social problems
shape public debate
can be used as a tool to change peoples behaviors’ and solve social problems (violence, eating disorders etc.)
Lazarsfeld (1941)
identified a distinction between administrative and critical research in media and communication studies
-many forms of media have changes since BUT the contrasting approaches to media remain
Administrative research
-holds the individual under the microscope
-analyzes individuals who constitute the audience and effect of media messages
-positivist foundation, this research is interested in uncovering cause-and-effect relationships
-concerned about media’s potential to contribute to social problems such as violence in society
Critical Research
analyzes processes of social control, structures of power, and the relationship between media and other aspects of society
holds society rather than an individual under the “microscope”
-how media shapes an entire culture and how it is embedded within structures of power
-critical media used mostly interpretive and critical theories
