Navigating Media and Mass Communication
MASS MEDIA
The technology that makes mass communication possible
Includes...
- Printing press
- Radio
- Television
- Camera
- Internet
The channels by which messages are transmitted
The agencies that control those channels and determine which messages are transmitted (gatekeepers)
MASS COMMUNICATION
The transmission of a message from a single source to multiple recipients at the same time
Includes...
- A speaker
- A subject of discussion
- A listener (audience)
- A medium
- A consequence
Two-Step Flow of Communication
Information and ideas move from the media to “opinion leaders,” and from them to other people in their social network (Katz & Lazarsfeld)
MEDIA AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Media as a mechanism for informing, socializing, and educating the public
People become more knowledgeable about the world and about cultural variety
People become more likely to demand an open, democratic society
Media consumption helps to bring about social change
Internet and Social Life
Internet users are both consumers and producers of information
- Increased interactions—ability to communicate simultaneously with many people and to create online relationships (friendships, support groups, online dating)
The Internet has a societal impact on:
- Communities
- Politics
- Organizations
- Culture
Modernization
The promotion, in less-developed countries, of non-traditional, mainly Western knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to a variety of topics
MEDIA OWNERSHIP IN CANADA
Publicly Owned Media
Receives funding from or is owned/operated by federal or provincial governments
- Concerned with public service and fulfilling social needs
Media Concentration
As fewer companies control more media outlets, fewer points of view are represented and public debate suffers
Privately Owned Media
Comprises most of the mass media
- Mainly concerned with profit-making
Cross-Ownership
A business structure in which one corporation owns media businesses of different types
Conglomerate
A business structure engaged in several, usually unrelated business endeavours
Concepts and issues associated with media content
Commodification
Media messages teach and encourage people to be consumers
Power Relations
Media are dominated by a few powerful interests
Violence
Promoted as a method to resolve problems and conflict
- Correlations between playing violent video games and aggressive behaviours
Cultivation theory
Heavy television viewers are overexposed to violent imagery and storytelling
Results in “Mean World Syndrome”
An exaggerated perception of risk and danger that creates a homogenous, fearful population (Gerbner & Gross)
Bias and Distortion
Filters
Media show some things and ignore /hide others
- Emphasize stories that are sensational, reflect “negative news,” and appeal to a mass audience
Claims-making
Strategy associated with the social construction of reality
- Involves moral entrepreneurs— individuals/groups bent on swaying opinion and driving political action on a social issue the individual/group has defined
Hyperreality
The simulation or representation of something that does not exist (e.g. “reality” television) (Eco, Baudrillard)
Production-of-culture perspective
Sees television as a social institution that frames social reality to uphold established balances of power (Gans)
- News coverage tends to be superficial, reflect the views of network owners, and favour one political party or ideology
Inequality
Minority groups are underrepresented and misrepresented, often portrayed as objects of consumption and display, or as victims
Digital divide
Differences in access to technology perpetuate social inequalities, being influenced by gender, socioeconomic status, and location
Male gaze
Sexist, objectifying way of viewing and portraying women
NAMES WORTH KNOWING
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) was a Canadian media theorist who examined the influence of technology on society and culture, and is known for the expression “the medium is the message” and the term global village.
Edward S. Herman (b. 1925) and Noam Chomsky (b. 1928) wrote Manufacturing Consent (1988), an analysis of the news media that proposes the American mass media are powerful ideological institutions that rely on self-censorship to produce propaganda supporting the capitalist economic system.
Herbert J. Gans (b. 1927) observed that news reporting is concerned with appealing to a mass audience and is shaped by the interests of people in high positions.
Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) explored the concept of hyperreality, arguing that Westerners construct timeless, perfect fantasy worlds they consider real, but where nothing is authentic.
Suzanna Walters studies gender, sexuality, and popular culture, including how the media portrays women as objects of consumption through the male gaze.
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