Sociology A2 Mass Media Revision Pack

The social background of mediaprofessionalsSemiotic analysisGUMG looked at the language & imagesusedThey are more sympathetic to theinterests of the powerful & devalue thepoints of the less powerfulE.G. Reporting on Iraq war & miners‟strikeThe GUMG argue that the way the news is gathered &presented is the result of journalists socialbackgroundThey see nothing wrong with society so do notcritisiseThey side with the rich & powerful because they havemore in common with themOwnership, ideology& biasCriticismsThe media does not always act in the interest ofthe powerfulThe media can shape public opinion & the way theyvoteMedia companies are in competition with eachotherPrice warsPluralists argue that the news contains many viewsBias is not consistentConclusionSo the news may not be as impartial as wethink it is due to:Bureaucratic constraintsNews valuesChurnalismPrimary definersSocial back grounds of journalistsSo the news is socially manufactured &reflects interest of powerful groupsUndermines democracy & preventsinformed choices

The medias reaction tosocial groups or activitieswhich are defined asthreatening societal values.As a result they createanxiety amongst thegeneral public.Newspapersplay akey roleincreatinga moralpanicMarxistsarguethat theyservecapitalistideologyRemember Stan Cohen‟sstudy of Mods & Rockersin the 60s:Folk Devils & Moral PanicsMoral Panic or Deviancy AmplificationWhy do they happen?Because society fails to adapt todramatic social changesThere is a sense of a loss ofcontrol over certain groupsJournalists assume a sharedmoral concern – so by reportingthese issues they are giving thepublic what they wantSome argue that the motivationis profit – Moral panics sell newspapers5 distinguishing features of a moral panicIncreased public concern over the behaviourof a certain groupIncreased hostility towards the groupA certain level of public opinion agreementthat there is a real threat & that it iscaused by the groupPublic concern is out of proportion to the realharm caused by the groupMoral panics appear & disappear very quickly

Topic 4: The mass media & audiences Key Issues: Hypodermic syringemodel Active Audienceapproaches: Two step flow model Selective filter model Uses & gratificationsmodel Cultural effects model Essay Title Assess theusefulness of theHypodermic syringemodel of the massmedia.

The Mass media throughnews, TV programmes, films,news papers, video games etcare able to ‘inject’ whatevercontent, ideas, images etcinto the audience.The ‘syringe’ is full of themedia content & ‘injects’this directly into theaudience.The audience areunthinking, passivereceivers of these images& messages. They areunable to resist themessages that are‘injected’ into themMassMediaViolence, pornography, war,knife crime, muggings,horror.Hypodermic SyringeModelThe audience are filled with the dominantideology, sexist & racist images, scenesof violence etc & they immediately go outand act out what they have seen. Theyare violent, racist, sexist & sometimeskillers.

Catharsis - Can provide a safeoutlet for people‟s aggressivetendencies. Fesbach & Sanger(1971)- teenage boys. just violentTV Vs a mixture of violent & nonviolent TV . The group thatwatched only violent TV showedless aggressive behaviour.Conclusion - by immersingthemselves into the violent filmstheir aggressive energy wasreleased in a safe waySensitisation: Jock Young(1981) argues that seeingthe effects of violence canmake people more aware ofthe consequences & lesslikely to commit them.He suggests that violentscenes can be so graphic &so shocking that they putpeople off violence.Methodology: Gauntlett (2008)criticises the methodology ofstudies like Bandura‟s. Conductedin a laboratory which is artificial& therefore children are unlikelyto behave „normally‟. Violence isnot defined – is it real orfictional/cartoon violence –Itfails to acknowledge that thecontext of the violence canaffect the affect it has on theaudienceCritique of the Hypodermic Syringe ModelChildren as sophisticated mediausers: People are not as venerableas the HSM suggests. We are ableto distinguish between realviolence & „cartoon‟ violence from avery early age. We are also awarethat the violence watched shouldnot be imitated. Demonstrated in astudy by Buckingham (1993).Another study by Wood (1993)showed how watching horrormovies was a rite of passage & nota corrupting influence on theirbehaviourAudiences are nothomogenous:They have different socialcharacteristics in terms ofage, maturity, class, education,family background etc. Thesedifferences will influence howpeople respond & use mediacontent. They are, therefore,not the passive receivers ofinformation that the HSMassumesScapegoating the Media:The HSM uses the mediaas a scapegoat foreverything wrong insociety.But there are otherfactors that could becausing the violence &antisocial behaviour e.g.Peer group, drugs,childhood trauma & mentalillness.

Active Audience ApproachesSees the media as far less influentialThey believe that people have considerablechoice in the way they use & interpret the mediaThere are 3 main versions of this viewThe two-step flowmodelThe uses &gratifications modelPlus the selective filtermodelThe culturaleffects model

That’s veryinteresting Imust tell mySociologyGroup.Here isthe 9o’clocknews.Two Step FlowModelIf MsCarpentersays its truethen it mustbeY13Sociology A2group

The uses &gratifications modelPersonal relationshipsand companionship,through identificationwith communities likethose in CoronationStreet or Eastendersare main conversationstarters in manycommunities.Leisure, entertainmentand relaxation, as anescape from dailyroutine.The audience usethe media fordifferent reasons.Background whilstdoing other things.Information, such asnewsPersonal Identity: Theuse of media for theirown identity, e.g.Latest clothingfashions.

The „cultural effects’model.(AKA the „drip drip‟ effect)Associated with Neo-MarxismDoes not view the audience as „simply passive‟People interpret the media they „consume‟But, producers of media „expect‟ the audience to respond toit in a particular way.‟Or, as Neo-Marxists call it a „preferred (or dominant)readingRuling class ideology constantly „bombards‟ the public through the media.Because they have power they can „filter‟ their ideology into society via the media.The public (proletariat) will eventually believe the ruling class ideology to be natural& true. This is called ‘cultural hegemony’Thus, the proletariat will consent to bourgeoisie ideology without even realising it!The more an ideologyis ‘dripped’ intosociety by the media,the more peoplebelieve it & accept itas true!(George Orwell)Examples:Many OAP‟s believe the media message about „dole scroungers‟ somuch they are too embarrassed to claim the benefits they areentitled to. (fear of being stigmatised as scroungers)The more material possessions you own, the happier you will be.To feel attractive/confident, women must imitate the body shapeof Supermodels.Most asylum seekers are really „welfare scroungers‟

THE SELECTIVE FILTER MODEL1. Selective exposure3. Selective RetentionA message must first bechosen to be viewed, reador listened to.Messages have to stick.People have a tendency toremember only things theybroadly agree with.These choices depend onpeople‟s interests,education commitments etc.2. Selective PerceptionThe messages have to beaccepted. The audience maychoose to take notice of onemessage but reject another.For e.g. a heavy smoker maychose to ignore a Televisionprogramme which focuses onthe link between smoking andlung cancer.Postman (1986) argues thatwe now live in a „three-minuteculture‟ i.e. the attentionspan of the average memberof society is only 3 minslong!

Topic 5: Representations of the body:gender, sexuality & disability Key Issues: Essay Title Media representationsof femininity Media representationsof masculinity Media representationsof sexuality Media representationsof disability Assess the sociologicalexplanations of theways in which the massmedia represent anytwo of the following:gender, sexuality,disability.

Traditional mediarepresentations offemininityHousewife and motherDomestic servantDomestic consumerSex objectMale gaze - Thecamera „eyes up‟women in asexual way toprovide eroticpleasure for menFeminists argue that when womenare shown to be working theyexperience problems.Media Representation ofFemininitySymbolic annihilation –Tuchman et al used thisterm to describe theway women‟sachievements are notreported, trivialised orcondemned by the media.If they appear in thenews they are eithercelebrities ordeclarations.Things are changing,there are manyexamples of morepositive images ofwomen.This reflects thecultural change inwomen's positions insociety over last 25years.

Traditional mediarepresentationsof masculinity –The jokerThe jockThe strong silenttypeThe big shotThe action heroThe buffoonRetributivemasculinityNewer mags,Zoo & Nutsappear toreject metrosexuality &reasserttraditionalmasculinity„birds, booze &football‟New man – an 80‟sphenomenon.GQ, Maxim & FHM aimedat middle class malesShowed men getting intouch with their femininesideMedia Representation ofMasculinityThe ‘metrosexual’ maleWares designerclothes, has skincare products it is argued thatthis reflectschanges in socialattitudes tomasculinityOver the past 20 yrs we havewitnessed a move from thetraditional to new forms ofmasculinity.Liberal feminists: The media plays a major part in the socialconstruction of gender rolesSocialist & Marxist feminists: The male & female images in themedia are driven by moneyRadical feminists:The media reproduces patriarchyPopular feminism :„girl power‟Postmodernist :There is now greater diversity of gender identities inthe mediaPluralism: Women can see through gender stereotyping &manipulation

Sexuality: refers to peoples sexualcharacteristics & their sexual behaviourSexual orientation: refers to the type ofpeople that individuals are either physicallyor romantically attracted to.Heterosexual: involves a sexual orientationtowards people of the opposite sexHomosexuality: involves a sexual orientationtowards people of the same sexHomosexuality - Illegaluntil 1967 In BritainHomosexuals aresubjected to periodicmoral panics regardingtheir supposedly„unnatural‟ practicesMedia Representation ofSexualityRepresentation of homosexualityGay men:effeminate &campmachodeviantflamboyantfunnyGay women:butchshort hairaggressivehairydungareesThings are changing:More gay and lesbiancharacters in dramas, films& soaps, such as; BrokebackMountain, Holyoaks and Willand Grace.

It is the physical or mental impairmentwhich has a substantial & long termadverse effect on a person‟s ability tocarry out normal day-to-day activitiesinvolves a sexual orientation towardspeople of the same sexMedia Representation ofDisabilityModels of disability:Medical model: This model viewsdisability as a product of impairment (Bulsara 2005).Social model: This model viewsdisability as the outcome of socialbarriers. The main focus on thismodel is the obstacles anddiscriminatory that people withdisabilities face.How disabled people are seenAn object of ridicule: Disabled people are often laughed at in comedies for example littleBritain ANDY.As a burden: Television documentaries and news features often focus on carers rather thanthe disabled.As sexually abnormal: It is assumed by media representations that the disabled do not havesexual feelingsAs ordinary or normal: Barnes argues that the media rarely portray disabled people asnormal and who happen to have an impairmentAs pitiable and pathetic: Barnes claims that this stereotype has grown in popularity inrecent years because of television appeals for example children in need.As sinister and evil: disabled people are often portrayed as criminals ormonsters.As super cripples: Barnes notes that the disabled are portrayed as having special powersexample the blind may be seen as visionaries with a sixth sense.

Topic 6: Representations of ethnicity, age& social class Key Issues: Essay Title Media representationsof ethnic minorities Media representationsof social class Media representationsof age Critically examinesociologicalexplanations of massmediarepresentations ofone of the following:ethnicity, age, socialclass.

In the media ethnic minorities areportrayed as a “problem” they arereported as the cause of crime andsocial disorder. They may be involvedbut so are white youth.Racial Stereotypes inthe media:Ethic minorities areportrayed in a negativeway;As criminals, Sufferersof AIDS in AfricaUnderachievers inschool.Van Dijk (1991):looked at the reporting ofethnic minorities between 1985 & 1989,White citizens were reported positivelyNon – whites were reported negatively.Van Dijk also showed that the voice of theBritish press was predominately white.Media Representation ofEthnic MinoritiesThere have been manymoral panics aboutethnic minorities:Muslims, immigrants andrefugees.There have been changes in the mediarepresentations of ethnicity.Most research was done in the 70‟s andearly 80‟sOver time there has been an increase inthe representations of ethnicity in themedia.Overt and Inferentialracism: Overt is whenracist arguments areobvious.Inferential is whenarguments are balancedbut based on racistassumptions.A content analysis in the late 1990‟srevealed that most news items thatdealt with racial issues conveyed an anti– racist message.However, about a quarter of news itemsstill convey a negative message ethnicminorities.

Media Representation of AgeDifferent ages groups tend to be represented in different ways in the media.There are three main types of stereotypes: Childhood Youth Older people.Childhood:They arerepresented ina positive waye.g.Cute,Brilliant,Brave littleangels.AcessoriesYouths: are seen as aproblem group becausethe media portrays themas vandals.The media tends not topraise youth for theirgood achievement. Cohenfound that youths wereblamed for all problemsin society and were usedas a scapegoat.Older people: Theyare presented in themedia in quite negativeways.It is argued that olderpeople are stereotypedmore than any othergroup.These include;Grumpy,Mentally challengedA BurdenEnjoying secondchildhood

The media shows each socialclass in a different light andrarely focuses on theconflicts between them.The media often representthe working class in astereotypical context suchas on soaps such asEastenders and CoronationStreet.The News & Social ClassGUMG: TV news is not unbiased but reflectsthe interest of the powerful group.The coverage of the miners strike in the80‟s illustrates this.GUMG argue that the overall impression bythe media was that the workers caused thestrikes.This dominant views shows the working classin a negative way.Media Representation of Social ClassRepresentations of social classreceive little attention compared toethnicity and age. Research that hasbeen done is mainly on the workingclass.Ehrenreich says that in the newsworking class are likely to bewitnesses of crime or sports butnever the commentator.British soaps show close knitworking class communities – inreality they have collapsed.Dodd and Dodd argue thatthese communities arethreatened by criminal andracist forces.Sitcoms portray WC as dumb &immature

Examples of the media Print media Audio Visual media Cyber or Digital media Do we have more choice today? More channels More free papers & magazines . type of media. Synergy This is where media companies sell their product in different formats – e.g. a film will also be a game, have an album, action figure etc.File Size: 1MB