Theoretical Explanations Of The Media

Question 1

What are the 2 social groups in a capitalist society that Marx believed in?

Answer 1

A ruling class identity and a working class

Question 2

Ruling class

Answer 2

Those who own factories and businesses

Question 3

Working class

Answer 3

Those who work in factories and businesses

Question 4

Marx

Answer 4

Critical of the capitalist system and believes that the extremes in rich and poor are unjust

Question 5

What do Marxists argue?

Answer 5

There is still an unequal relationship and based on conflict because the bourgeoisies exploit the proletariat

Question 6

What is the superstructure?

Answer 6

Refers to the institutions of society e.g media, family, education, religion

Question 7

Milliband

Answer 7

Marxism

Book = ‘The State in a Capitalist Society’
The ruling class use the media to control society by creating a false picture of reality that presents capitalism in a positive way
Said the impact of the media was ‘the opium of the people’
Media has replaced religion and stated that institutions act like a drug to numb the senses and produce an illusion of happiness that is not real.
Media takes the Proletariat’s attention away from exploitation and oppression of the capitalist system and allows the ruling class to control and dominate them

Question 8

Bagdikian

Answer 8

Marxism

1983= 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the USA but by 2004 media ownership was concentrated in 7 corporations

Question 9

Curran

Answer 9

Marxism

Evidence of owners directly manipulating media content. E.g Rupert Murdock - politicians clearly believe media moguls have a great 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 Rupert Murdoch and rewarded with the support of the sun

Question 10

Doyle

Answer 10

Marxism

Examination of ownership and control patterns 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 concentration of media ownership is dangerous and unhealthy because the media have the power to make or break political careers and have a considerable influence over public opinion

Question 11

Gilroy

Answer 11

Neo-Marxist
Black crime was a form of political resistance against a repressive, racist state. He denies that there was greater criminality amongst black people than white people and stated that the media created a folk devil surrounding black people with generated deviancy amplification (supported by Hall)

Question 12

Hall

Answer 12

Neo-Marxist
3 stereotypes of black people in the media
-natives
-entertainers
-slaves

Question 13

Glasgow media group

Answer 13

Neo Marxist

Migrants and immigrants presented as ‘other’. They are a burden on welfare and the job market, the number of people migrating to the uk is being exaggerated, there’s a mixing of forced and economic immigration

Question 14

Pluralism meaning

Answer 14

Consumers are in control of the media, not the ruling class. What we see in the media is what consumers want : supply and demand

Question 15

Contemporary examples of aspects of the media that offers audience with choice

Answer 15

-blocking people
-liking posts to filter feed
-following certain people
-ratings on netflix
-what you choose to download

Question 16

Whale

Answer 16

Pluralists

What we see in the press / news is determined by it’s reader/audiences

Question 17

Fourth Estate of Democracy

Answer 17

We have access to a number of different media portrayals which is seen as an essential part of democracy

Question 18

What types of media provide us with information that allows informed decision making

Answer 18

News channels, social media, broad sheets (formal and objective)

Question 19

Williams

Answer 19

Pluralism

Journalists are vital in a democratic society as they provide the general public with the information required to participate in political and cultural life. Free press is vital for democracy to work effectively as censorship’s can lead to biased, uncritical view of politicians and policies

E.g Matt Hancock’s affair, party during lockdown

Question 20

Liberal feminists

Answer 20

-march of progress view
-aims to achieve gender equality through social policy reforms within the system
-gender differences are due to the result of gender role socialisation

Question 21

Radical feminists

Answer 21

-men are the enemy
-they believe that women are exploited for the benefit of men and women and used to maintain dominant position in society
-patriarchy is an inevitable feature of all institutions in society
-all women share a common interest against men to take down patriarchy

Question 22

Marxist feminists

Answer 22

-capitalism structures patriarchy, revolting and bringing down capitalism is the main goal
-working class females are the most marginalised in society

Question 23

Black feminism

Answer 23

-white feminists have ignored the position of ethnic minority women
-such women have a double disadvantage as they are oppressed by racism in white society and patriarchy

Question 24

Post feminism

Answer 24

-challenges around gender identities suggest that there are now a range of identities from which women and men can choose from
-acknowledges that the experience of women varies according to their class, ethnicity and age

Question 25

Mulvey

Answer 25

Feminism

-‘male gaze’
Carried out a semicolons to study representation of women in films
E.g wolf o Wall Street

Question 26

Wolf

Answer 26

Feminism

-‘Beauty myth’, contemporary media takes these images and presents them as the ‘ideal’. This is a backlash against the women’s movement.
-women develop a ‘false consciousness’ that distracts them from seeking to improve their position in within society

Question 27

Whelehan

Answer 27

Feminism

-study on men’s magazines such as FHM, Maxim and Loaded and claimed that these magazines override the message of feminism.
-these magazine promoted ‘laddish culture’ where women are objectified and changes in gender role can be dismissed as an ‘ironic joke’/

Question 28

McRobbie

Answer 28

Feminism

-looks at women and girls magazines and states that they do have an impact on the identity of their readers
-a ‘discourse of western enlightened values’ is present throughout magazines = western version of femininity is presented as ‘ideal’
-magazines focus on fashion, lifestyle, love and beauty which promotes hegemonic femininity

Question 29

Postmodernity

Answer 29

Describes society as how it is now, in its present state

Question 30

Features of society that are changing

Answer 30

-power of media and growth of celebrity culture
-development of new technologies and social networking
-flexibility people have over their identities

Question 31

Changes in the workplace

Answer 31

-move away from factory production
-increase in temporary short term contracts
-more flexible working

Question 32

Type of culture important in a postmodern world

Answer 32

-society is dominated by the media
-culture is based around consumer goods and advertising
-culture is a mix of different styles from present and past and from different cultures (hybrid identities)

Question 33

How do people form an identity and what influences it?

Answer 33

-influenced by the media and advertising
-people buy into it : hair extensions, fake tan
-identities are more flexible, np longer based on traditional class, gender, ethnic and age categories

Question 34

Mc Luhan

Answer 34

Postmodernism

-‘global village’ : information would eventually be passed electronically due to it ‘moving at the speed of light’
-post modern world creates a new pattern of communication and social interactions
-globalisation has had a distinct impact on media representations as it provides access to a broader range of lifestyles and identities and offers people choice

Question 35

Strinati

Answer 35

Post modernism

-due to diversity offered by the media there are no traditional representations of social groups, there has bee an ‘erosion identity’ - people no longer use the media as a reference on which to develop aspects of their identity / self
-identity is no longer constrained

Question 36

Baudrillard

Answer 36

Post modernism

-influenced by McLuhan
-media has altered reality and this has negative impacts on society, people find it difficultto disguise wha is reality and what is fiction
-people are engulfed by communication and this has lead to a state of hyper-reality
-‘fake news’ e.g covid vaccine implanting a micro chip
-‘simulacara’ - when discussing virtual reality - can lead to a more satisfying version of the physical world e.g Sims
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