The Realm of Communication L10 PDF

Corvinus University of Budapest The Realm of Communication 10th lecture Alexandra Nagy-Béni, PhD  Agenda MASS MEDIA EFFEC TS II. Media effect theories vol.2: Gatekeeping Theory, Agenda-Setting Theory, Spiral of...

Corvinus University of Budapest The Realm of Communication 10th lecture Alexandra Nagy-Béni, PhD  Agenda MASS MEDIA EFFEC TS II. Media effect theories vol.2: Gatekeeping Theory, Agenda-Setting Theory, Spiral of Silence Theory, Framing Theory, Priming Theory, Cultivation Theory, Media Equation Theory  Communication and influence Presentation of group projects CommVille Written test 1. 12 Roadmap 8 6 11 7 9 10 5 Nonverbal Dimensions of 3 Written test 2. 2 communication interpersonal relationships Mass (media) 1 Introduction to communication & 4 mass (media) Mass media Introduction to communication & effects II. interpersonal Mass media Overview communication Interpersonal effects I. of the communication Models and semester and culture theories of interpersonal communication Media effects are those things that occur as a result—either in part or in whole—from media influence They can occur immediately, or they can take a long time to occur after any particular exposure They can last for a few seconds or an entire lifetime They can be positive as well as negative They can show up clearly as changes but they can also reinforce existing patterns They can occur whether the media have an intention for them to occur or not They can affect individual people or all people in the form of the public They can also affect institutions and society R EC AP They can act directly on a target, or they can act indirectly They can be easily observable or they can be latent and therefore much more difficult to observe "ALMI G HTY MEDI A' The time until 1940 "PO W ER LES S MEDI A" The 1940s-1970 "MI G HTY MEDI A" Gripsrud's The 1970s and the time after principle of three eras/ chapters Mighty media  Gatekeeping Theory LEW I N , MCCOMBS, S HAW Origins: Kurt Lewin's studies of human behaviour Media gatekeeping: the process of selecting, and then filtering items of media that can be consumed within the time or space that an individual happens to have Goal: to sort out the relevant items that audiences will see The gatekeeper decides what information should move past, e.g., news editor  Gatekeeping Theory LEW I N , MCCOMBS, S HAW Who can be Mr. Gates? Newspaper editors Blind peer reviewers Casting directors Bouncers Customs agents Immigration officers University admission officers Recruiters Coaches Algorithms Censorship etc.  Agenda-Setting Theory MCCOMBS, SHAW How news content in the media shapes the public’s beliefs about what is important in society Analysis of the 1968 presidential campaign: when the media presented certain issues more saliently than others, those salient issues became the focus of the campaign First-level agenda setting: amount of coverage predicts perception of importance Second-level agenda setting: the media also tell us what to think about  Agenda-Setting Theory MCCOMBS, SHAW Gist: media messages do not just emphasize issues, but they present informational elements about those issues, and those informational elements tell us what to think about the issue E.g., the rise of public opinion against smoking Before the mass media began taking an antismoking stance, smoking was considered a personal health issue The mass media moved smoking into the public arena Source: Ads of the World  Agenda-Setting Theory MCCOMBS, SHAW Potential benefits: generates awareness, structures the discussion, assesses sentiments Potential drawbacks: media bias and distortion of news, no influence on people with specific mindset, may miss out on important information, hard to measure So.... who sets the agenda for the agenda setters? The gatekeepers...  Spiral of Silence Theory N OELLE -NEU MANN Focus: how public beliefs influence public discourse When the media avoid covering an issue, people typically will not express their beliefs on that issue even if those beliefs are very important to them They will remain silent because they think they are in the minority Silence begets more silence As minority opinions are silenced, the illusion of consensus grows, and so does social pressure to adopt the dominant position  Spiral of Silence Theory N OELLE -NEU MANN Some examples: Workplace meetings, when the opinion of a few team members dominates a discussion Differences between what political views people express and how they actually vote - e.g., 2016 EU referendum (Brexit) and 2016 US presidential election (Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton) Social cliques, where the dominant leaders are setting the norms for the group - E.g., "The Plastics" Movieclips. (2011, October 7). Mean Girls (1/10) Movie CLIP - Meeting the Plastics (2004) HD [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re5veV2F7eY&t=1s  Framing theory G OFFMA N , E N T MA N , H E RMA N , C H OMSK Y Main idea: the way in which information is presented, or the perspective taken in the message, influences the responses individuals have to the issue at hand “to frame is to select some aspects of a perceived reality and make them more salient in a communicating text in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition (...) moral evaluation (...)” Entman, 1993, p. 52. Frames may influence individuals’ views of problems and their necessary solutions Source: www.digmedia.lucdh.nl  Framing theory G OFFMA N , E N T MA N , H E RMA N , C H OMSK Y News framing: certain bits of information are selected while others are ignored The frame is the point of view from which the story is told Audiences interpret information through their own frames Frames are reinforced every time they are evoked Frame building is a systematic process Once a person is exposed to a media message (agenda-setting), it is the framing of the message that determines which nodes get primed Which one would you pick? 90% sugar 10% free sugar  DrJulie (2022 April 14). This Tube Buddy. (2023 June 17). Dark Psychology Trick Gets You to Spend psychology trick - The Framing More Money | The Decoy Effect Effect [video]. YouTube [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/53 -O7vUDFaY8A 8tXxxCKkk  Priming theory I YENGAR, PETERS , KENDER You hear a new word and notice that it is popping up everywhere Why? The human brain can be primed to notice things that it ordinarily would completely overlook Once an issue becomes news, it tends to become relevant E.g., when the public begins to view candidates in light of a particular issue - home recycling - can have an impact on the outcome Elizabeh Reid. (2015, December 4). The Effects of Priming [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3JRrvQMaM  Priming theory I YENGAR, PETERS , KENDER A form of “pre-suasion” “Pre-suasion is the practice of getting people sympathetic to your message before they experience it” - Robert Cialdini Occurs outside of conscious awareness Used in advertising to get potential customers to think of a brand’s products E.g., a major brand pushes its colours to ensure brand awareness AsapScience. (2018, May 16). Do you hear Yanny or Laurel? [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiXQl7grPQ A G ENDA - SETTING when increased media coverage of an issue leads to increased perceptions of salience of that issue FR A MING a set of processes by which news content is created and shapes individuals' perceptions and behaviours P R IMING process by which the salience of an idea becomes the basis for judgment and evaluation  Cultivation theory G E RBN E R Focus: long-term effects Argument: television presented messages with consistent themes Main idea: repeated exposure to media, influences individuals’ perception of reality and may cause individuals to develop an illusory perception of reality Heavy users (4+ hours) may form a picture of reality that does not correspond to actual life  Cultivation theory G E RBN E R Major findings: 1) Positive correlation between TV viewing and fear of criminal victimization 2) Perceived activity of police 3) General mistrust of people Mean World Syndrome: a view the world as more violent and dangerous than it actually is The consumer's cultural background and socially stabilizing influences of family and Source: © Punch Limited peer groups also need to be considered Dante Cordova. (2016, November 18). Cultivation theory - The Middle [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6laVvMEso7c&t=1s  Media equation REEVES, NASS Main idea: interactions with computers, television, and new communication technologies are identical to real social relationships and to the navigation of real physical spaces Essentially, people treat computers, television and new media as real people and places Study findings: people are polite to computers, motion on a screen affects physical responses in the same way that real-life motion does Why? The human brain has not evolved quickly enough to assimilate twentieth- century technology  Media equation REEVES, NASS Once we turn a computer, we follow all the rules of interpersonal interaction that we've practiced throughout life Interface: aptly describes the connection between humans and media Griffin's concern: they use a concept of interpersonal communication taken from social psychology rather than from the field of communication One-way communication vs. two-way flow of messages  Which is which? DIRECT EFFECT/MEDIA INDIRECT EFFECT/MEDIA CONSUMPTION USAGE SELECTIVE EXPOSURE THEORY CULTIVATION THEORY TWO-STEP FLOW THEORY AGENDA-SETTING THEORY SPIRAL OF SILENCE FRAMING THEORY MAGIC BULLET THEORY USES AND GRATIFICATIONS  Which is which? DIRECT EFFECT/MEDIA INDIRECT EFFECT/MEDIA CONSUMPTION USAGE MAGIC BULLET THEORY TWO-STEP FLOW THEORY CULTIVATION THEORY SELECTIVE EXPOSURE THEORY FRAMING THEORY AGENDA-SETTING THEORY SPIRAL OF SILENCE USES AND GRATIFICATIONS 1 9 20 S -MI D 1 9 40 S Receivers were viewed as a homogeneous mass audience of passive individuals, vulnerable to the short-term effects of the media bombardment FR O M THE MI D 1 9 40 S The idea of the active receiver: not only a target, but the creator of meaning as well (polysemic nature of content) FR O M THE 1 9 80 S Focus: the degree of activity - Examining Models of the factors that motivate the reception of the given content reception What about now? DIGITAL NE T WO RK T E CH NO L O GY : RE CIPIE NT S ARE VIE WE D AS USE RS, FOR WHO M T H E ME D IA PRO VID E S CLUE S TO PRO SPE R IN L IFE Task PLE ASE CRE AT E A ME D IA E FFE CT THE ORY!  Thank you for the attention! [email protected] Sources: Griffin, E. M. (2006). A first look at communication theory. McGraw-hill. Gripsrud, J. (2017). Understanding media culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. Nabi, R. L., & Oliver, M. B. (2010). Mass media effects. In Berger, C. R., Roloff, M. E., & Ewoldsen, D. R. (Eds.). (2010). The handbook of communication science. Sage. Potter, W. J. (2012). Media effects. Sage Publications.