Media, Communications and Culture (SOCI 2071) PDF

Media, Communications and Culture Media, Communications and Culture (SOCI 2071) by Kibur.E. Objective of the course: Imparting students’ knowledge about media, communications and culture using sociological insights. Learning outcomes; Develop theoretical knowledge about the impa...

Media, Communications and Culture Media, Communications and Culture (SOCI 2071) by Kibur.E. Objective of the course: Imparting students’ knowledge about media, communications and culture using sociological insights. Learning outcomes; Develop theoretical knowledge about the impact of the media on human society. Able to research on the impact of the media. Broaden communication knowledge and skill; and Understand culture and its impacts. Course requirement Class attendance and participation (5%) Assignment 1 (quant) (15%) Assignment 2 (qual) (10%) Assignment 3 (document analysis, qual) (10%) Mid-exam (20%) Final Exam (40%) Assignment 1 Quant on the effect of media (who=socio-demographic data, why=usage motives, how=active or passive usage) The effect of media on students’ educational performance The effect of media on the attitude of youth towards life Media and life aspiration Media and mate selection criteria The effect of media on attitude towards gender equality TikTok and interpersonal communication between students and their significant others…  Assignment 2 Conduct focus group discussion Opinions and concerns of teachers/parents/employers on students’ children’s, employees’ usage of tiktok/Facebook/insta etc. Assignment 3 The representation of social classes (gender, age, disability, class) in selected TV ads/movies. Content analysis Media sociology Media sociology can best be understood as a field of the social sciences that deals with the role played by the social or technologically-based mediation of communication in the construction of the social world. Introducing the Media Definition of the media. Any technological or social devices used for selection, transmission and reception of any information. Usage of the term People  Organization Technology and mode of communication Newspaper, radio, television, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Netflix, YouTube, the internet, google, advertising, magazine etc. Brainstorming Sociological perspectives of the media Why are sociologists interested in the media? Why are sociologists… Answering this question requires clarifying/recalling what sociology is  Introducing Sociology Defining Sociology Sociology is the study of social life, social change, social organization and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. And for Emile Durkheim Sociology is …  Durkheim posited that sociology is a study of social facts Sociologists are interested in the media… Media dominate the mental life of modern societies, and therefore are the intense interest of sociologists. Among others…. Sociologists can study the media as social fact Content, function and influence We can also be interested in the ownership of the media History of the media The age of speech: Oral culture Started with more sophisticated societies Related to language Ear is an important sense 100 years Depended upon a great deal on ability to remember and to tell stories. The age of writing Writing culture Spoken words are written down. ‘ear’ is exchanged for ‘eye’ 5000 years ago Depended upon two things : ? Limitation ? Limitation Can’t correct typos The age of Print Printing Culture Embodies all forms of text and other printed forms of visual communication. 1455/56 Johanes Gutenberg printed Bible Printing culture… It brought with it: An ability to store and transmit culture much more readily. The potential to include those people previously excluded from knowledge. A potentially different way of thinking in which the person ‘engages’ with a text rather than another person. The potential for mass culture, mass society and mass education. A new sense of ‘authorship’ and control over the text.  Electronic culture Late 19th century (photographs, cinema) How patterns of information flow changes with television (1920s) Shifted the boundaries of how experience the world. Sociology of social media Examines how social media shapes communication, interaction and social norms and how it is influenced by wider social forces. Social media Online communication The emergence of the internet 1960s and 70s to get computers to communicate with one another 1980s and 90s were more significant to set the emergence of social media PC became more normal Blogging in 1990s User generated knowledge Any member can post Disruptive of traditional knowledge sources Usually, no restriction on the types of context that get uploaded Social Media Six Degrees, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, Snapchat Social Media Social Media Positives and negatives But still exciting and influential Integral part of how people communicate Sociological Implication of the social media Identity and self-presentation, Relationships Culture Social change Identity and self-presentation : Constructing and presenting a particular image of ourselves to others Curated profiles, status updates, and self-presentational strategies Best version of ourselves via digital identities Sociology of Social Media The meaning of the word privacy is on the verge of becoming obsolete Identity formation Mostly have to do with self-presentation I post therefore, I am Self-production Banal is pregnant with meaning E.g. had too many espresso shots today Meaning ? Negative consequence Sense of pressure and anxiety We may feel that we live inauthentic life But still … But it can also be way of learning people’s rituals, habits and happenings Perhaps we are getting more truthful portrayals of some side of people which were previously kept in the private sphere (backstage) Backstage (places where the camera is not focused at the moment) vs frontstage (what people want us to focus on).  Social Relationship SM changed ways of interaction interacting with millions and changing interaction orders People meet in time rather than a place No cultural and geographical boundaries Affects the way people use language i.e. instant messaging emoji It changes power relations between interactants Insults, criticisms, jibes, rejections, validations…etc Is the relationship authentic zo? Social isolation Interacting with several in SM at the expensive of physical interaction Screen vs your parents/sibilings It can create a sense of ‘social snacking’ Interact briefly with many people with little deep or meaningful interaction Are we leaving in our social media bubble Posting in our echo chamber Interacting only with people who share our views and beliefs You are kindly requested to bring out your phone check the comments in you latest post in the social media? How many people commented What did they say Who were those people (do you know them in person?) Tell me their socio-economic status What is wrong with ‘eco chamber’ Well it affects empathy and sympathy “Nobody thinks what it’s like to be the other guy” Joker SM effects on social structure SM may create a sense of polarization and reinforce existing social divisions  Culture Social media has had a profound impact on cultural production, consumption, and. Dissemination. The concept of "viral culture" reflects the rapid spread and circulation of cultural artifacts and ideas through social media networks, challenging traditional notions of cultural authenticity and authority. The democratization of content creation and distribution has empowered marginalized groups to challenge dominant narratives and amplify their voices. Shapes popular culture viral memes, hashtags, digital activism  Social norms Social judgment or encouragement is increasingly determined by “likes” and comments made by nebulous, networked audiences. Updates are also a reflection of digital capitalism The more you update and stay SM platforms, the more you are subjected to targeted advertising Influencers also making a living  Update never really existed at all if it has not received public engagement. Social change: Activism Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for activism and social change, enabling individuals and communities to mobilize, organize, and advocate for political and social causes. The Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter movement, and #MeToo, NoMore movement are just a few examples of how social media has catalyzed collective action and galvanized public opinion. Slacktivism UN defines slacktivism as when people ‘support’ a cause by performing simple measures’ but ‘are not truly engaged or devoted to making a change. The good Slacktivism makes engagement easy of the public Sparking conversation Viral movements ALS Ice Bucket Challenge The bad Lack of skin in the game The Ugly Making personal gain in the name of the poor Challenges and Opportunities: Social media is here to stay (or another technology replaces it). While social media offers numerous opportunities for communication, connection, and activism, it also presents a range of challenges and risks Harassment, cyberbullying, and misinformation have become increasingly prevalent, raising concerns about the impact of social media on mental health, privacy, and democracy. Moreover, the concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants raises questions about accountability, regulation, and the concentration of online influence Theorizing the media The classical perspectives Functionalism, Conflict theory and Symbolic interactionism. The two faces of Society Order Structural Functionalism.  Functionalism is a framework for building theory that envisages society as a complex system whose part work together to promote solidarity and stability.  This perspective begins by recognized that our lives are guided by social structure, meaning relatively stable patterns of social behavior.  Second, this perspective leads us to understand social structure in terms of its social functions, or consequences for the operation of society. Structural functionalism  Merton notes, people rarely perceive all the functions of a particular social structure.  He described as manifest functions the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern.  By contrast, latent functions are consequences that are largely unrecognized and unintended.  Merton makes a third point: not all the effects of any social structure turn out to be useful. Thus, he designate as social dysfunctions any social pattern's undesirable consequences for the operation of society.  Functionalism Structural functionalism focuses on how media performs key social functions that contribute to smooth operation of society. Functionalist theories of the media look at the ways in which the media serves to integrate society in different ways, and examine the role of the media effects in doing this. Brainstorming Please list of the manifest and latest functions you perceive media to perform for you Functions of the media The status conferral function: the media give status to people, public issues, organizations and social movements. nctions of the media Social Solidarity Function The collective representations that are shared and circulate through the media — media stories, images, narratives, musical expressions, celebrity characters, film clips, etc — are part of a collective conscience, “the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same socie ty” (Durkheim, 1937/1895). Collective representations are a means of binding individuals together in coordinated action and perception through the power of shared ideas, beliefs, and feelings.  Social solidarity “[F]ollowing the collectivity, the individual forgets himself [sic] for the common end and his conduct is directed by reference to a standard outside himself” (Durkheim, 1985) When an element of collective conscience determines an individual’s conduct, “we do not act in our personal interest; we pursue collective ends” (Durkheim, 1985). The media creates a collective conscience that functions to integrate individuals into societal goals. Social coordination function Mediated forms of communication function to coordinate the activities of society, especially when they get too large or complex for face-to-face communication to be effective. One example of the social coordination function of media is advertising. Companies that wish to connect with consumers find television and digital media irresistible platforms to promote their goods and services. Television and internet advertising are highly functional ways to meet a market demographic where it lives and thus coordinate circuit of commodity production, distribution, sale, and consumption more effectively and efficiently  Advertisement is a form of communication that functions to coordinate the commodity circuit from the production of goods to the consumer purchase. Ads also make rhetorical appeals to persuade consumers that they need products, often promoting common anxieties about personal inadequacies, inferiority and social comparisons. The latent function of weight loss advertising therefore supports gendered norms about “proper” appearance, weight, and beauty standards.  Entertainment Function An obvious manifest function of media is its entertainment value Ask people why they watch television or watch trendy TikTok videos –enjoy them! Pleasure, relax means of escape from the grind obligations of everyday life (such as attending 2 hours classes such as this (say yes and I will fail you)) Not functional and practical-no useful skills or academic knowledge not self-cultivating and self-expressing … Just a stress relief  Functions of the media The ‘enforced application of social norms’ function. This highlights the public announcement of social norms, and publicity serves to close the gap between ‘private attitudes and public morality. E.g. deviance and crime By showing law enforcement, victims and model citizens in the best light and criminality in the worst light, this genre of media reinforces social beliefs about who deserves punishment and who deserves rewards. What do you learn by watching a documentary of a serial killer ?  Media as a social control mechanism Media are also direct means of surveillance and social control. The panoptic surveillance envisioned by Jeremy Bentham and later analysed by Michel Foucault (1975) is increasingly realized in the form of technology used to monitor people’s every move. Media as a social control mechanism Security cameras capture people’s movements, satellite technologies track people through their cell phones, and police forces around the world use facial-recognition software. Subjected to disciplinary power (Surveillance) We are controlling our behaviour as we fear becoming the wrong kind of person A failing student An unproductive workers, A bad mother An obese person Surveillance, social control and increasing inequality Increase in surveillance can result increase inequality How?  The wealthy afford to live in mass private security enclaves? Place where the wealthy spend their leisure time are protected by extensive surveillance. Airports, hotels, shopping malls Poorer parts of cities are becoming ‘badland’. Not protected by any type of surveillance Crime rates are higher  The transmission of culture function. The media have become prime modern agents of socialization. Enable societies to pass along norms, values, and beliefs to the next generation. Culture spread through the media… You may learn values and norms of others  The narcotizing function. This is more of dysfunction than a function and refers to the way in which a flood of information can lead to superficiality. Narcotizing dysfunction, a term that describes when people are too overwhelmed with media input to really care about the issue, so their involvement becomes defined by awareness instead of by action about the issue at hand (Lazerfeld and Merton, 1948). The two faces of society Conflict The conflict theory Conflict theory is…  a theoretical framework that envisages society as arena of inequality that generates change and conflict. The basic feature of all societies was the struggle between different groups for access to limited resources. Conflict on Media Focuses on the creation and reproduction of power relations and inequality through the media — social processes that tend to destabilize society and create conflict rather than contribute to its smooth operation Conflict Theory In Europe, conflict approaches to the mass media have had more impact than functionalism. The political economy approach The culture industry  Ideology refers to the influence of ideas on people’s beliefs and actions. Ideology and bias in the media Ideology was used in a more critical way. Karl Marx, for example, saw ideology as important in the reproduction of relations of class domination. Ideology is about the exercise of symbolic power – how ideas are used to hide, justify or legitimate the interests of dominant groups in the social order.  Camera obscura Marx and Engels (1998/1846) used it as analogy to describe the distortion of ideological representations: “in all ideology men and their relations appear upside down as in a camera obscura.” Capitalists often present themselves as the creators of wealth, but for Marx and Engels this is upside down. For them only the labour of workers produces economic value.  Powerful groups are able to control the dominant ideas circulating in a society so as to justify their own position. Marx, religion is often ideological: it teaches the poor to content with their lot. Just like religion, media (music, movies, documentary, Dramas might teach us to be content with our fate/poverty.  The political economy approach It views the media as an industry and examine the way in which the major means of communication have come to be owned by private interests.  Advocates of a political economy view argue that look at who controls the media, and how media promotes the norms of upper- middle-class white demographics while minimizing the presence of the working class, marginalized groups, and racialized minorities. Economic interests in media ownership work to exclude those voices that lack economic power. The voices that do survive are those that are least likely to criticize the prevailing distribution of wealth and power. Shaping people’s discourses In media and communication studies, a particular type of analysis – discourse analysis- has been widely used in the study of media products. Discourse are ‘systems of thought’ or ways of thinking about and discussing the world within a particular framework. Language E.g. Terrorists …. Ibrahim Khafaji, Danis Rodman & Stepen Paddoc  Stereotypes are used to characterize people who don’t own the media Ownership implication Powerful individuals and social institutions have a great deal of influence over what kind of media is available for popular consumption and what messages circulate in society, a form of gatekeeping. Shoemaker and Voss (2009) define gatekeeping as the sorting process by which thousands of messages are shaped into a mass media–appropriate form and reduced to a manageable amount. In other words, the people in charge of the media decide what the public is exposed to, which, as C. Wright Mills (2000/1956) famously noted, is the heart of media’s power. Profit making Media is also big business, and the underlying motive of the commercial media is to profit from the circulation of media content. The culture industry Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (1944) The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception The commercial marketing of culture. The culture industry They were highly critical of the effects of mass media on the population and culture. Inspired by Karl Marx They argued that Marx had not given enough attention to the influence of culture in modern capitalist societies. Weber’s influence? They argued that in mass societies, the production of culture had become just as standardized and dominated by the desire for profit as other industries. The culture industry The commodification of culture is the commodification of human consciousness. Cultural goal-films, radio programs, magazines, etc. that are used to manipulate mass society into passivity. The culture industry eradicates autonomous thinking and criticism, serving to preserve the reining order. The culture industry Media as Opium of the mass The culture industry: Media as opium of the mass…. The culture industry Theodor Adorno attacked Jazz for destructing people and making them passive and therefore strengthening the current social order. The culture industry Jazz is illusory with its standardized and repetitious forms.  The culture industry Adorno wrote “Jazz music are the dregs of musical history. They contain no genuine musical innovation, so any educational theory that creates an appreciation of jazz masks its "prescribed ever-sameness" of "standard devices." Those who become "addicted" to the music are no different from an addict of alcohol or tobacco (Kibur’s voice … calm down mate, why do you hate Jazz this much? Jeez!) The culture industry Adorno was very critical of Jazz music for its static and repetitive essence. He compares the calculated process of rearranging various "frills" and "ornaments" with the factory customizing of automobiles; consumers make purchases based on minor differences, but everyone drives away in essentially the same vehicle. In short, Adorno regards even the most progressive jazz as prefabricated product. The culture industry Adorno similarly despised astrology and the attraction to the ‘occult’ which he called “ a symptom of retrogression of consciousness”. Auguste Comte’s insight…. Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. …..\..\..\..\Users\owner\Downloads\How The Zodiac Signs Wake Up.mp4 Culture industry… To sum up music (like jazz), astrology are low culture that render people docile, thereby helping the upper class to maintain the status quo. The culture industry High culture refers to culture creations that have a particularly high status. They are regarded by arbiters of cultural taste as the epitome of the highest levels of human creativity.  They include such things as ballet,  Classical music  The work of highly regarded classical composers such as Beethoven and Mozart.  The painting of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci.  Critically acclaimed literature such as the work of Shakespeare and John Milton.  Opera Critical remark ? Symbolic Interactionism What kind of theory is this? Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical framework that envisages society as the product of the everyday interactions of people doing things together. Understanding human interaction requires knowing what symbols mean.  Symbol anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share culture. Studies conducted by SI Not numerous Have become popular in recent years. Early attempt made by Herbert Blumer to see the impact of Cinema on audience , [Movies and Conduct (1970 )]yet proved to be naive. Moral Panic Theory Stan Cohen’s (2003 ) famous study of clashes between Mods and Rockers in the UK showed how exaggerated and sensational media representations contribute to recurring moral panics in society.  A moral panic is an intense feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. Folk Devils are presented as a threat to social orders  Such panics serve to scapegoat social groups, including youth cultures and ethnic minorities, taking attention away from structural problems like unemployment and economic recession.  Jurgen Habermas and Public Sphere The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action. At present, the global media fail to constitute the basis of a public sphere.  John Thompson has analyzed the relation between the media and the development of industrial societies.  Face to face interaction Mediated interaction involves the use of a media technology. interaction is mediated quasi-interaction. This refers to the sort of social relations created by the mass media.  “we are constantly shaping and reshaping our skills and stocks of knowledge, testing our feelings and expanding the horizons of our experience”.  The development of communication media has transformed the spatial and temporal constitution of social life, creating new forms of action and interaction which are no longer linked to the sharing of a common locale. The consequences of this transformation are far-reaching and impinge on many aspects of our lives, The modern mass media do not deny us the possibility for critical thought; in fact, they provide us with many forms of information to which we could not have had access previously.  Reality TV shows  More people today are appearing on television to discuss moral and political issues. Allegations about actors being hired….. Modern Media provides a platform for Mediated quasi- interaction Critical Question But are such programmers really providing new public spaces for citizens to engage in moral and political debates on key issues of the day or are they just cheap and trashy TV for masses. The post modern  The post modern (3 elements) Postmodernity is a historical epoch that is supposed to have succeeded the modern era, or modernity. Postmodern social theory is a way of thinking about postmodernity; the world is so different that it requires entirely new ways of thinking  How about postmodernism Premodern culture Modern culture Postmodern culture Premodern culture (Before 20th Century)  Modern culture (early 20th Century) Rapid advancement in mass image production (Photography, Film, Printing ) Different explanations (religious, consumerism, communism, science… So the perception how we should live our life changes Unlike painting..they look real (simulation) New layer of believability Postmodernism Postmodernism refers to cultural elements in post modernity that are different from modern cultural components Culture helps us define and understand reality Postmodernism  Post Modernism We are so much surrounded by culture, its now part of our daily lives The Instagram, YouTube, the post you read…all of them are not part of a reality just like the tree outside.  The postmodern world is one marked by a lack of certainty, a mixing and matching of styles and genres and playfulness in relation to cultural products.  The postmodern encompasses: a new historical epoch, new cultural products, and a new type of theorizing about the social world. Emphasize on the subjective nature of reality and the diversity of human experiences. Criticized metanarratives (functionalism , conflict) Media and Postmodern Culture The relationship between Media and Postmodern is complex and multifaced PM is characterized by (1) a fragmentation of knowledge, (2) simulation, or a blurring of the boundaries between reality and representation, and (3) a scepticism of grand narratives and universal truths  The postmodern fragmentation of knowledge refers to the degree to which members of a society no longer share a single, unified universe of meaning and understanding. The unity of knowledge historically provided by religion and then by science provided certainty and a collective point of reference on which people could rely and generate expectations and hope for the future Reinforced by the social media Information silos, echo chamber and filter bubbles Algorithmic Society Algorithmic sorting reinforces this by limiting users access to diverse individuals and information, producing conditions of polarization and isolation, and perpetuating societal stereotypes (Burrel and Fourcade, 2021). Simulation Baudrillard and hyper reality The coming of the mass media, particularly electronic media such as television, has transformed the very nature of our lives. TV does not just ‘represent’ the world to us; it increasingly defines what the world in which we live actually is.  Postmodern simulation refers to the blurring of the boundaries between reality and representation through the creation, dissemination, and consumption of media product Baudrillard argues that, An an age where the mass media are everywhere, in effect a new reality –hyperreality – is created, composed of the intermingling of people’s behavior and media images. The world of hyper reality is constructed of simulacra images which only get their meaning from other image and hence have no grounding in an ‘external reality’ E.g. Gulf war  Making copies of copies Simulation of simulation  Social life is, after all, shaped by signs and images We are so surrounded by the social media, we are inevitably referencing it when we make new products…. How much of what you know is based on facts, things you know and researched or how much is based on the shows in the media? Parasocial relationship: are essentially one-sided relationships between celebrities and audiences. Unhealthy and obsessive preoccupation with various celebrities Real- it is felt Simulated: there is no actual relationship Scepticism towards grand narratives Postmodern culture is also characterized by Scepticism towards grand narratives and universal truths. incredulity toward meta-narratives meaning that people no longer really believe in the grand (i.e., “meta” or organizing) narratives of social progress.  The discourses of scientific knowledge, universal morality, social emancipation, rational organization and planning, or national destiny provided overarching narratives that unified the modern era. These presented an image of modern society as having a historical direction, a unity, and a universality. If people were still unscientific, religious, irrational, or parochial in their outlook, they would eventually catch up. However, postmodernists seem increasingly sceptical of the claims that scientific knowledge leads to progress, that political change can create human emancipation, or that universal rights, morality, and truth can set people free.  History What have we gained, what have we lost? Is science a solution? Nuclear, war, inequality, pandemics, biological warfare , genocide …  Media’s role in generating scepticism Again, contemporary digital and social media have had a profound role in generating this scepticism towards grand narratives. They amplify the “little” narratives or alternative narratives that had previously been invisible or marginalized. On social media platforms where one-to-one, one-to- many, and many-to-many forms of mediated communication have become possible, everyone has the ability to publish and publicize their own opinions. NO hesitation from most people  Because the business model of social media corporations depends on the number of “clicks” and interactions of posts rather than their quality or factual content, algorithms tend to draw users towards sites of controversy and conflict. This has given “alternative” science, conspiracy theories, disinformation, hate speech and other challengers to the progressive grand narratives of modernity unprecedented publicity and access to audiences. Reality tv shows increasingly define what love is Postmodernism Media is produced in such staggering quantity that it has crossed the boundaries into reality itself and hyperreality prevails.  Implication? As an illustration of the power of media simulation, people stake their identities on taking positions which often appear to have little relationship to their directly lived experiences and more on the fabulated constructs of the media world.  So much ‘reality’ on the media, the audience is confused As a result, collective efforts to address public health emergencies, climate change, Indigenous reconciliation and civil rights increasingly meet with aggressive and entrenched (fatalistic) resistance that seems impervious to factual evidence or moral persuasion. Audiences and media The classical hypodermic model It suggests that: Media messages are presented to members of a mass society, who receive them more or less uniformly These messages are stimuli which influence the individual strongly The stimuli lead individuals to respond in a similar, uniform fashion; The effects of mass communication are powerful, uniform and direct.  THE CLASSICAL … The model is based on the assumption that the audience passively and directly accepts the messages and does not critically engage with it. The War of the worlds (Columbian Broadcasting System Radio network) Sitting ducks Think about Advertising Celebrity endorsement Politician speech Critical remark Overestimation of Media Impact: The theory assumes a direct, immediate, and uniform effect on all audience members, which often isn’t realistic. Lack of Individual Consideration: It overlooks individual differences in perception and interpretation, neglecting how personal experiences and biases shape media reception. Underestimation of Audience Intelligence: The theory implies a passive audience, failing to recognize that people critically engage with media content.  The Use and Gratification Model This is an audience-centered approach to understand media Focus on what do people do with media Is that a paradigm shift? Looks at the ways in which different audiences use the media to meet their own needs…. What needs?  Cognitive needs, affective needs, tension release, diversion, information, integration and social interaction. What people do with the media? USE 1. Cognitive – Refers to acquiring information to aid the thinking and understanding process. People use media such as documentaries and how-to videos to increase their skills or knowledge in a certain area. 2. Affective – Relates to emotions or feelings. People use media to arouse certain emotions within themselves, such as happiness, fear or pleasure. 3. Personal Integrative – Refers to promoting one’s own image, reputation or status. People with this need use media, like Facebook and YouTube, to increase their credibility or social standing or to affirm their sense of self. 4. Social Integrative – Refers to interacting with family and friends. People use media to connect with others. 5. Tension Release – Relates to diversion and stress relief. People use media as catharsis or to escape from reality. Assumptions of the UGT The audience is active and its media use is goal oriented The initiative in linking need gratification to a specific medium choice rests with the audience member The media compete with other resources for need satisfaction People have enough self- awareness of their media use Value judgments of media content can only be assessed by the audience. Critical Questions Source of Needs The problem of measurability Critical questions… Are needs free from Media influence? Critical question Difficult to measure How to measure an active audience?" (Blumler, 1979). Blumler then offered suggestions about the kinds of activity the audiences were engaging with in the different types of media. Utility :Using the media to accomplish specific tasks. Intentionality: Occurs when people's prior motive determine use of media. Selectivity: Audience members' use of media reflect their existing interests Imperviousness to Influence: Refers to audience members' constructing their own meaning from media content. Reception Theory It focuses on the way in which an audience’s class and cultural background affects the way in which it makes sense of different media ‘texts’. Aberrant Decoding ( Umberto Eco) Messages can be interpreted differently from what was intended by their sender. E.g. Black lives matter The Black Lives Matter movement never meant that black lives were more important than other lives. Instead, the movement was trying to show that black lives were being treated as less important than the lives of other racial groups (BlackLivesMatter, 2013). Black lives… Black Lives Matter movement, it is clear that the message was not successfully transmitted to many people because the assigned meaning was not what was understood. It is clear that somewhere in-between the encoding and decoding of the message, the original intent got miscommunicated and misinterpreted. Interpretative model Recent theories focus on the way in which audiences filter information through their own experiences. The interpretative model views audience response as shaping the media through its engagement or rejection output. Recent assumptions give much more emphasis on the active audience Media Representations of Gender and Social Class.  Which social groups should the mass media represent, in what ways? and which groups are absent from our TV screens? What effects might this have on the audiences? Woven throughout our daily lives, media insinuate their messages into our consciousness at every turn. Television, video games, FB/Instagram posts, TikTok videos, movies, advertising, and magazine content Gender Gender includes the social, psychological, cultural and behavioral aspects of being a man, woman or other gender identities. Gender equality Gender equality means that all genders have equal rights, opportunities and access to resources, regardless of their gender.  Structural functionalism It applies the division of labor to predefined gender roles, considering them complementary. Women take care of the home, while men provide for the family. Gender roles contribute to the stability of society as a whole. By prescribing specific roles, society ensures stability and continuity. Conflict theory When sociologists examine gender from this perspective, we can view men as the dominant group and women as the subordinate group.  Symbolic interactionism Gender identities and roles are created, negotiated, and maintained through the meanings individuals attach to symbols and behaviors associated with masculinity and femininity. When people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role assigned to them, they are said to be doing gender. gender is something we do or perform, not something we are. Gender and media Agent of gender socialization Re/underrepresentation of wo/men, depictions of physical appearance, domestic roles, and professional roles. Major themes in gendered Media studies 1. Women are underrepresented misrepresent actual proportions of men and women Falsely implies that men are the cultural standard and women are unimportant or invisible.  2. Men and women are portrayed in stereotypical ways that reflect and sustain socially endorsed views of gender. Men as independent, serious, confident, high status, aggressive, and in charge! Women as nothing but the opposite of the aforementioned characteristics. “Not Feminine enough”  3, Depictions of relationships between men and women emphasize traditional roles and normalize violence against women. Stereotypical Images of Relationships Between Men and Women Women’s dependence/men’s independence Normalize violence against women Media positively portray aggression in males and passivity in females Reviewing the literature Traditional media representation of femininity. Almay et al (1984) argue that media representations of gender are Important Because they enter collective conscience and reinforce culturally dominant ideas about gender which represent males as dominant and females as subordinate.  Gaye Tuchman et at (1978) used the term symbolic annihilation to describe the way in which women’s achievement are often not reported, or are condemned or trivialized by the mass media.  Often Women achievement are presented as less important than their looks and sex appeal Wolfe (1990) suggests that the images of women used by the media present women as sex objects to be consumed by male gaze. According to Killbourne (1995) this media representation presents women as mannequins: tall and thin, often US size zero, with very long legs, perfect teeth and hair, and skin without a blemish in sight.  Wolf notes that the media encourage women to view their bodies as a project in constant need of improvement. We see successful, beautiful, seemingly independent women performing on stage and in the modeling and acting fields, then in the other hand we’re seeing them objectified and portraying “sexy” being subservient and exposed.  Content analysis of teenage magazines in Britain (1999) indicates that almost 90 % of the content and images focus on beauty and fashion compared with only 12% focused on education and careers. Many encourage slimness = happiness and such media imagery creates the potential for eating disorder.  The media as empowering women Sociologists have noted the increasing number of positive female roles emerging, in television dram and films.  Gill (2008) argues that the depiction of women in advertising has changed from women as passive objects of the male gaze, to active, independent and sexually powerful agents.  Female pop stars, like Lady Gaga sings about financial and emotional independence. This set of the media messages from a range of sources suggest that women can be tough and independent whilst being “sexy”. This development can be linked to recent political and economic changes around the globe Traditional media representations of masculinity Easthope (1986) argues that a variety of media especially Hollywood films and computer games, transmit the view that masculinity based on aggression, competition, and violence is biologically determined, and, therefore, a natural goal for boys to achieve. Men are depicted as serious, confident, powerful and competent  However, the media trumpeted the metrosexual male, a type of masculinity that is focused on appearance and fashion and which championed masculine values as caring and generous.  But, there are still some magazines stress images of men as traditionally masculine. Rutherford suggest that these magazines are symbolic of what he calls retributive masculinity-an attempt to reassert traditional masculine authority by celebrating traditionally male concerns in their content.  Stereotypical portrayals of men There have been little effort to show men involved in family and home life. When someone is shown taking care of a child it is usually the mother, not the father. This perpetuates a negative stereotype of men as uncaring and uninvolved in family life.  Recall. Social Class A social class consists of category of people who share similar opportunities, similar economic and vocational positions, similar lifestyles, and similar attitudes and behaviors.  The representation of the upper class Neo-Marxists argue that mass media representations of social class tend to celebrate hierarchy and wealth. The mass media hardly ever portray the upper class in a critical light. The very wealthy generally receive a positive press as celebrities, who are somehow deserving of their position.  Newman assessed how upper-class people are represented in the media and maintains that the media celebrate celebrity culture & its excesses. Newman also notes that the media over focuses on consumers items such as luxury card, costly holiday places and fashion and accessories that only the wealthy can afford.  Newman explains the media devotes much time to examining the lifestyles of the celebrities.  Newman further notes that an enormous time is spent in the print & broadcast media on business & stock market information, again something which is of more concern to the upper classes – not of interest to ordinary working people.  Representation of Working Class The western media generally label working class people as a problem, i.e drug addicts and criminals. Whilst reporting of issues such as poverty, unemployment or single-parent families often suggests that personal inadequacy is the main cause of these social problems rather than government policies or poor business practices. Experts also (Curran and Seaten) note that newspapers aimed at working class audience assume that they are uninterested in serious analysis of political and social organization.  The content of newspaper such as The Sun and Daily Star assumes that audiences want to read about celebrity gossip and lifestyles, trivial human interest stories and sport.  Some dramas sanitized pictures of poverty. Newman argues that when the news media turn attention to the most destitute, the portrayals are often negative and stereotypical often, the poor are portrayed in statistical rather in human terms by news bulletins rather than the individual suffering and personal indignities of poverty. They also portray lower class citizens as always seeking handouts and show videos of them receiving aid. The hard working lower class people are missing from the media coverage while they showcase the less fortunate and the not so industrious.  The media engages in classicism, and lower class citizens are portrayed in a stereotypical and non respectful manner. The media employs the use of lower class citizens as a form of entertainment and continue the fallacy of lower working class citizens as un-intelligent, lazy people who use bad grammar. The media tend to jibe at lower class people ? Does that affect poor people?