theoretical explanations of media representations

Question 1

miliband
marxism

Answer 1

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. Says the media is the new ‘opium of the people’- acts like a drug to numb the senses and produce an illusion of happiness that is not real by taking the proletariat’s attention away from their exploitation and oppression

Question 2

curran
marxism

Answer 2

evidence of owners directly manipulating media content. E.g rupert murdock- politicians clearly believe media moguls to have a geat deal of control over media content because they try to get on the right side of them e.g tony blair flew to australia to meet and rewarded with the support of the sun

Question 3

bagdikian
marxism

Answer 3

in 1983 50 corporations controlled all media in the USA, but by 2004 media ownership was concentrated in 7 corporations

Question 4

doyle
marxism

Answer 4

examination of ownership and control patterns is important:
All points of view need to be heard if society is to be democratic
2. Abuses of power and influence by elites need to be monitored by free media

Question 5

gilroy
neo marxism

Answer 5

argues that black crime was a form of political resistance against a repressive, racist state, he denies that there was greater criminality amongst black people and the media created a folk devil which generated deviancy amplification.

Question 6

hall
neo marxism

Answer 6

‘the whites of their eyes’ 3 key stereotypes of black people in the media: natives, entertainers and slaves. E.g 12 years a slave

Question 7

the glasgow media group
neo marxism

Answer 7

found a range of recurring themes in media representations of social groups:
The conflation of forced and economic immigration
Threatening numbers
A burden on the welfare and job market

Question 8

whale
pluralism

Answer 8

what we see in the press/news is determined by its readers/audiences. e.g tiktok for you page

Question 9

williams
pluralism

Answer 9

argues that the journalists are vital in a democratic society as they provide the general public with info required to participate in political and cultural life. e.g. matt hancock affair

Question 10

mulvey
feminism

Answer 10

concept of ‘male gaze’ from semiology of representations of women in films, says they reinforce patriarchal culture.e.g disney representations, transformers, rear window, vertigo.

Question 11

wolf
feminism

Answer 11

women are socialised to buy into the ‘beauty myth’ that ensure women develop a ‘false consciousness’ that distracts them from seeking to improve their position in society by presenting an ‘ideal image’

Question 12

whelehan
feminism

Answer 12

claimed men’s magazines promoted ‘laddish culture’ where women are objectified and changed in gender roles can be dismissed as an ironic joke

Question 13

mcrobbie
feminism

Answer 13

generally magazines do have an impact on the identity of their readers. She discusses how a ‘discourse of western enlightened values’ with a focus on fashion, lifestyle, love and beauty e. g heat and closer magazines entered around appearance, gossip, romance

Question 14

McLuhan
postmodernism

Answer 14

notion of ‘global village’ to suggest info would eventually be passed on electronically due to it moving at the speed of light. Predicted that new patterns of communication and social interactions would be created, having a direct impact on media representations and encouraging hybrid ethnic identities

Question 15

strinati
postmodernism

Answer 15

effects of media saturation, media plays a significant role whilst people are constructing their identities, due to people being connected with devices and services on a daily basis, diversity offered by media has no traditional representations of social groups which has led to an ‘erosion of identity’- boundaries have blurred between groups of people

Question 16

baudrillard
postmodernism

Answer 16

media saturation has altered reality to have negative impacts on society by making it hard for people to distinguish between what is reality and what is fiction. he says audiences accept diluted view of info ‘fake news’ which leads us to living in a postmodern world with lots of additional info at our fingertips but potentially less meaning/understanding of the world. Uses the word ‘simulacra’ when discussing virtual reality that can lead to a more satisfying version of the physical world e.g. second life, cybercity