Written Report (Group 4): The Public and The Media PDF

Written Report of Group 4: The Public and The Media Members: Santiago, Jahzeel Sadie, Rainelle Kelly Timbugan, Ella Tolentino, Christopher Mari Laus, Xamellae Ralianhey Icen Prof. Emmanuel S. Martinez Communication Theory | BAC 1101-4 THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA - Media and the public have a r...

Written Report of Group 4: The Public and The Media Members: Santiago, Jahzeel Sadie, Rainelle Kelly Timbugan, Ella Tolentino, Christopher Mari Laus, Xamellae Ralianhey Icen Prof. Emmanuel S. Martinez Communication Theory | BAC 1101-4 THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA - Media and the public have a reciprocal relationship where media shapes public perception by highlighting specific issues, prompting discourse and action. Conversely, the public influences media by expressing preferences and driving content through social media engagement. This interplay is essential for fostering informed dialogue and a healthy democracy. VII. The Public - the people of a country, state, etc. - "The public" refers to a group of individuals who share common interests, concerns, or identities within a society. It encompasses a diverse range of people and can be defined by geographic, social, or cultural boundaries. Example: - Consider a city council meeting. The attendees-residents discussing local issues like road repairs, school funding, and community safety-constitute "the public." They come together to voice their opinions, influencing decisions that affect their shared community. A. The Rhetoric - language that's carefully constructed to persuade, motivate, or inform the reader or listener about the speaker or writer's position. - Rhetoric is the art of persuasion through language. It involves using effective communication techniques to inform, persuade, or motivate an audience. Rhetoric can be found in speeches, writing, and even visual media. Example: - A classic example of rhetoric is Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. In this powerful address, King employs metaphors, repetition, and emotional appeals to inspire his audience and advocate for civil rights, effectively persuading them to support his vision of equality. B. Dramatism Kenneth Burke (1897-1993) - American literary theorist, philosopher, and rhetorician. - His known works are A Grammar of Motives (1945), A Rhetoric of Motives (1950), Language as Symbolic Action (1966), Language as Symbolic Action (1966), Counter-Statement (1931) What is Dramatism? - A communication theory that uses linguistic and symbolic analysis to understand human behavior and communication. Concept of Dramatism Pentad  - A tool to analyze human action like a drama using five key elements. 1. Act - What was done? 2. Scene - When and where was it done? 3. Agent - Who did it? 4. Agency - How was it done? 5. Purpose - Why was it done? Identification - It is a way for an individual to fundamentally create identification with others and form social bonds. Dramatistic Criticism - A method to analyze texts and speeches by examining the pentad elements. It aims to uncover the motives and persuasive strategies behind communication. Language as Symbolic Action - Language shapes our understanding and influences how we interact with others. C. The Narrative Paradigm D. Cultural Studies RATIONAL WORLD PARADIGM - Storytelling in the pre-modern world - A world that can be resolved by analysis and application of reason. It does not take into account the value system of the speaker nor the sender, as it is not a part of the field of science. This means that true knowledge of whether a story is true or not can only be obtained by studying universal laws or truths. PARADIGM SHIFT - A major change in the worldview, concepts, and practices of how something works or is accomplished NARRATIVE PARADIGM THEORY ( Walter Fisher ) - The narrative paradigm is a concept that helps explain how we can understand complex information through narrative. - The concept is adopted from the oldest form of communication – storytelling. He stated that all meaningful communication is in the form of storytelling. - It suggests that individuals rely on stories, anecdotes, and narratives rather than formal logic or empirical evidence to shape their beliefs, attitudes, and decisions. - Human beings are natural born storytellers. Examples: - Bagong chismis ni kumare - Yung tatay ni kumpare kapag lasing na ang barkada. - Kapag sinimulan ang usapan sa “So eto nanga” CULTURAL STUDIES  Culture - way of life shared by a group of people, includes ideas and things passed down from one generation to the next in a society. - Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines how culture shapes and is shaped by social, political, and economic contexts. It explores a wide range of topics, including media, identity, representation, power dynamics, and consumer culture. Scholars in this field often draw from sociology, anthropology, literary theory, and critical theory to analyze cultural artifacts and practices. E. Social Learning Theory SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (by Albert Bandura) - explains that people learn by observing and imitating others' behaviors, especially when those behaviors are rewarded. It highlights the role of modeling and imitation in learning within a social context. - This theory explains that people learn by observing and imitating others, especially when the behavior is rewarded. For example, in Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment, children imitated aggressive behavior after watching adults. This theory highlights the importance of role models in shaping behavior Examples: Children imitate aggression after watching adults People adopt trends from social media influencers. Students copying behaviors that are positively reinforced in class. VIII. The Media THE MEDIA - refers to various platforms and channels, such as television, radio, newspapers, social media, and the internet, used to communicate information and messages to the public. It plays a critical role in shaping public opinion, providing news, and entertainment, and influencing societal norms. - The media includes platforms like TV, radio, newspapers, and social media, which are used to communicate information to the public. The media plays a significant role in influencing public opinion, shaping societal norms, and spreading information. Examples: News outlets like CNN or BBC deliver global updates. Social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter spread information and trends. Newspapers or online news sites covering local and international events. A. Cultivation Analysis Theory (sadie) CULTIVATION ANALYSIS THEORY  - suggests that long-term exposure to media, particularly television, shapes viewers' perceptions of reality. It argues that people who consume large amounts of media are more likely to view the world in ways consistent with the media's portrayals, often leading to distorted or exaggerated beliefs about reality. - Cultivation Analysis Theory, developed by George Gerbner, suggests that long-term exposure to media, especially television, influences how people perceive reality. For instance, viewers who watch a lot of crime shows may believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is, a concept known as ‘Mean World Syndrome.’ This theory emphasizes the media's power in shaping distorted views of reality. Examples: Frequent crime shows viewers believing the world is more dangerous than it is ("Mean World Syndrome"). Media glamorizing wealth, causing people to overestimate societal affluence. B. Uses and Gratifications Theory C. Spiral of Silence Theory - Developed by Elihu Katz, Jay Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch in 1970’s What is Uses and Gratification Theory? - The theory focuses on the concept that individuals intently choose and utilize media to satisfy personal wants and desires. Basic Assumption of Uses and Gratification Theory ❖ Active Audience: Audiences are not passive; they actively choose media to fulfill specific needs. ❖ Goal-Oriented Media Use: People have various reasons for consuming media, often goal-oriented (e.g., entertainment, learning, social interaction). ❖ Media Competes with Other Sources: Media competes with other forms of non-media activities for gratification. People weigh different options to meet their needs. ❖ Users Know Their Needs: Audience members are self-aware of their media usage and motivations, even if unconsciously at times. ❖ Media Effects Vary: The effects of media vary from person to person. Types of Gratifications  - Cognitive Needs: Media is consumed to acquire knowledge, information, and understanding. - Affective Needs: This refers to using media for emotional satisfaction, pleasure, or escapism. Movies, TV shows, and music often fulfill this role. - Personal Integrative Needs: Media can reinforce credibility, status, and self-esteem. - Social Integrative Needs: Media consumption helps people maintain and enhance social relationships, such as using social media to connect with friends and family. - Tension Release: This refers to using media as a form of escapism or to relax and unwind, such as playing video games or watching comedies. Spiral of Silence Theory - Developed by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974 What is Spiral Silence Theory? - The spiral of silence theory is a model of communication that explains the dynamic process by which individuals’ willingness to express their opinions publicly may change in response to the perceived majority or minority viewpoints (Noelle-Neumann, 1974). D. Media Ecology Theory - Media ecology theory is the study of media, technology, and communication and how they affect human environments. The theoretical concepts were proposed by Marshall McLuhan in 1964, while the term media ecology was first formally introduced by Neil Postman in 1968. Ecology in this context refers to the environment in which the medium is used – what they are and how they affect society. Neil Postman states, "if in biology a 'medium' is something in which a bacterial culture grows (as in a Petri dish), in media ecology, the medium is 'a technology within which a [human] culture grows.'" In other words, "Media ecology looks into the matter of how media of communication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value; and how our interaction with media  facilitates or impedes our chances of survival. The word ecology implies the study of environments: their structure, content, and impact on people. An environment is, after all, a complex message system which imposes on human beings certain ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving." Media ecology argues that media act as extensions of the human senses in each era, and communication technology is the primary cause of social change. - Examples: 1. Social Media: A Landscape of Media Ecology Social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are quintessential embodiments of Media Ecology Theory. These platforms are not mere channels for information dissemination; they are complex environments that shape and are shaped by human interactions. Here’s how they reflect key aspects of Media Ecology Theory: 2. Transforming Communication Patterns Social media revolutionized the way information is shared and consumed. It transitioned communication from traditional mass media models to interactive, user-centered platforms. This shift exemplifies the theory’s assertion that media alters communication forms and structures. 3. Influencing Perceptions and Behaviors Social media platforms influence users’ perceptions and behaviors. The content people engage with on these platforms shapes their understanding of the world, aligning with the theory’s view that media can alter cognitive and behavioral patterns. 4. Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles The personalized nature of social media, through algorithms, creates echo chambers and filter bubbles. Users often encounter information that reinforces their existing beliefs, a phenomenon that aligns with the theory’s perspective on how media environments can limit exposure to diverse viewpoints. 5. Shaping Cultural and Social Norms Social media platforms play a significant role in setting cultural and social norms. Viral trends, popular hashtags, and widely shared content on these platforms often dictate societal conversations, demonstrating the theory’s insight into media’s role in cultural conditioning. E. Agenda-setting Model - Agenda Setting Model/Theory is a theory that claims that the manner of presentation of news in media affects how the public views such news. For example, news that is given more focus and attention will automatically be seen by the public as more important than  other news, thus, the media decides which news must be prioritized based on how people think and how much it will influence the audience. - According to the Indeed Editorial Team, there are two levels to agenda-setting theory, which are: 1. The first level involves the study of how media uses content to influence the audiences’ opinions. 2. The second level involves how the media presents different issues, such as how various media channels capture the audience’s attention and how the media themselves present said information. - Also from the Indeed Editorial Team, there are three types of agenda setting, which are: - Public - When the public decides the importance of a particular news, it can decide the agenda for an amount of time. - Media - When the media decides the importance of a certain news or a set of stories, such as deciding which news they should include on the evening news or in the newspaper headline. - Policy - When the public and the media affect the agenda of the news, it may influence the agenda and decisions of the policymakers. - There are also several factors that can affect Agenda-setting, such as: - Accessibility - The frequency and prominence of a particular issue, which makes it more or less accessible for the public based on how easy it is to hear/read about. - Gatekeeping - Gatekeeping is the idea that news must pass through several “gates” or professionals before it enters publication. These professionals may give revisions and reviews, which will affect the article’s contents upon publication. - Industry - Multiple industries use agenda-setting to decide which topic the audience sees as the most important. - Priming - Priming occurs when a piece of news promotes a set of values or standards via the stories they decide to prioritize. - This can influence how viewers perceive certain stories as they highlight key stories or issues that are essential. - Framing - Framing is how a firm or a news outlet presents and contextualizes a topic, story, or event. Each publisher's framing of news varies based on its values, standards, and audience. - It can also refer to how the audience perceives a story on their own. - Non-media sources - Non-media sources are figures and organizations that are involved in a certain topic, which include political and corporate figures, who may  release statements and information to clarify and contextualize their stances and actions regarding a certain topic. - Examples: - Media on the Gaza-Israel Conflict - According to Middle East Eye, western media has been criticized for its stance on the Gaza-Israel Conflict, often being scrutinized for its usage of passive voice, vague language, and inaccurate terminology in reports regarding casualties on the Palestinian side, which downplays the effects of Israel’s campaign on Gaza’s civilian population as well as Israel’s own actions against them. F. Elaboration Likelihood Theory - The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), developed by psychologists Richard E. Petty and John T. Cacioppo in the early 1980s, is a dual-process model that explains differences in persuasion and how these differences affect attitudes and value judgments. The term "elaboration" refers to the cognitive act of analyzing a persuasive argument, highlighting the fundamental processes and variables involved in persuasive communication. According to ELM, any feature of a persuasive message can influence how a person perceives various objects, issues, and people. The Two Routes of Elm 1. The Central Route - Audience: Motivated and analytical. - Processing: High effort; evaluate the message. - Persuasion: Lasting change in attitude. 2. The Peripheral Route - Audience: Not motivated and not analytical. - Processing: Low effort; persuaded by cues outside of the message. - Persuasion: Temporary change in attitude. Elaboration Likelihood Continuum - The Elaboration Likelihood Model acknowledges a continuum of elaboration likelihood, meaning individuals may fall anywhere between high and low effort in evaluating messages. Depending on their motivation and ability, people may employ a combination of both routes. This flexibility allows people to navigate various decision-making scenarios, freeing up mental space for more complex evaluations when necessary. References: (APA Format) Media Ecology. (n.d.). Encyclopedia.pub. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/30728 Media Ecology Theory in Mass Communication Examples, PDF. (n.d.). Examples.com. https://www.examples.com/english/media-ecology-theory-in-mass-communication.html Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, August 16.). What is Agenda Setting Theory? (Plus Levels and Types). https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/agenda-setting-theory Osman, N. (2023, December 25). War on Gaza: How language used by media outlets downplays Palestinian suffering. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-how-media-language-manipulated-justify-killi ng-palestinians-and-used-dehumanise-them Nordquist, R. (2020a, November 28). Get the definition and see examples of Kenneth Burke’s Pentad. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pentad-rhetoric-and-composition-1691602 Media Theory. (2024, March 31). Uses & Gratifications Theory: Understanding Media Consumption. https://mediatheory.net/uses-and-gratifications-theory/ chris.drew.98031506. (2024, June 2). Uses and gratifications theory: Examples and definition. Helpful Professor. https://helpfulprofessor.com/uses-and-gratifications-theory-examples/ Vinney, C. (2024a, July 29). What is uses and gratifications theory? definition and examples. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/uses-and-gratifications-theory-4628333 Spiral of silence. Mass Communication Theory. (2014a, May 21). https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/spiral-of-silence/