Sociology GCSE mass media notes Essay Example for Free

Sociology GCSE mass media notes EssayNew media anything that use of goods and servicess new technology that usu on the wholey involves some process of lap e.g. phones as they shag now access the network. New media is promising to be digital, interactive and dispersed (not controlled by a single source of professionals). Democracy rule by the people for the peopleConsumer society builds as it is cheaper and quicker for companies to advertise on the internet Exploits WC and MEGs through word of honor, stereotypes, folk devils and media ampflication Faster for legion(predicate) functions much(prenominal) as advertising and research etc Reinforces digital divide as the RC be more(prenominal) likely to posses new media The internet enables us to be democratic as it whollyows us to see and research development Increases social isolation as those without new media feel less involved. Allows us to own more knowledge and enhances us intellectu completelyy Higher put on the line of criminal behavior happening e.g. fraud, illegal downloads and paedophiles of childrens websites Widens taker preferenceLack of regulation many things go uncensored and undiscoveredInfotainment the replacing of give-and-take data by entertainmentEnhances the world-beater of the powerful, risking democracy as we hardly see knowledge from the stance of those in powerTheoretical viewsFunctiona disputation media reinforces social order through the NVs clay red ink divider of labour is kept as WC johnnot become socially mobile due to poor access to learning feminist dislike how women argon portrayed women that go against portrayal ar seen as deviant Functionalist socialises us with NVs, gender roles etc Marxist selective as it exploits the WC it is perpetually from the point of view of the RC and those in power Feminist dislike how women are portrayed women that go against portrayal are seen as deviant Functionalist no puzzle with it as it provides i nformation Marxist dislike as it benefits the RC and reinforces the digital divide Feminist dislike as it pre move women in a derogatory way e.g. pornographyThe barrack buck privately owned media that originally communicates the intelligence service they are profitable organisations Broadcasting lots is financed privately PBS is not profit making, CSB is private and the BBC make profit through TV licenses with prices decided by the government.Media affect on doingsThe hyperdermic spray model The media has power over its hearing it bath control and persuade people. The auditory sense receives its daily injections of information from the media and this determines demeanour. It has an agile effect o the audience as the media controls us. Evidence to support the HSMLab experiments were conducted by Bandura Ross and Ross Liebert and Baron. Bandura children who watched personnel were more likely to hit the doll with a mallet. However, in that respect were no other toys t o play with and the children were cognisant this was wanted from them. Liebert and Baron Children that watched vehemence were given the option to help or hurt someone when airheaded came on, indicating a child in another room needed help with a game.Many clicked hurt, which sent an electric shock. However, lab experiments do not measure long term affects and we notifynot isolate media as a variable. The uses and gratification model is used to lay out against the HSM. The uses and gratification model The media does not use us we use the media. This theory is how the media is used to actively satisfy peoples needs based on their ability to exercise choice and control. Audiences actively seek media for specific gratifications and this theory deals with why media is chosen, what purpose media serves, and how media competes with other media sources to meet satisfaction. We retain information from the media based on five factorsInformation e.g. wildlife programmesPersonal Identity e .g. religious TVPersonal relationships e.g. Jeremy Kyle fun e.g. Big BrotherDiversion/Escapism e.g. soapsThe decoding approach We use the media to support the determine we al conveyy start out, not give us new ones. McQuall suggests that the audiences are active decoders of the content of the media and cod distinguishable interpretations in terms of Selective memory board remembering certain information if it has signifi tince to you Selective vulnerability but exposing yourself to what you want or need well only watch things if they support our values Selective perception we all understand parts of the media in different ways and use it in different ways The media has an immediate effect on the audienceThe media does not choose an immediate effect on the audienceMarxist it has a invalidating immediate effect on the audience as they control us to have particular behaviour e.g. hierarchy Decoding approach we expose ourselves to what we chose so only learn what we bese ech to learn Hyperdermic syringe model the media controls our behaviour as we are given daily injections Selective retention we only remember the information that means something to us Imitation we copy what we seeSelective exposure we only expose ourselves to the media that interests us Functionalists believe values are learnt through the mediaSelective perception we all interpret the media in different ways, so our behaviour is not immediately or directly change in the same wayMedia can also be to blame for deviant and criminal behaviour Media affectsExplanationImitationThe audience are mouldd by what they see to the extent that they copy the images and messages they are unresolved to. Children in particular are prone to imitation and often engage in violent and irrelevant behaviour as a result. SensitisationThe audience hears and sees a lot of images in the media that makes them more alert of the consequences of the behaviour. They are less likely to engage in the behav iour and instead are likely to composing to the police or intervene if the behaviour is witnessed. For example, child abuse reports went up due to coverage in soaps DesensitisationIf an audience is exposed to violence in most of the media output, they begin to believe what they see is familiar and are therefore no longer shocked by it in real life physic effectSex and violence in the media helps the audience to release inbuilt tensions and anxieties. By watching the behaviour there is no need to engage in it. Sex offenders are treated with pornography Disinhibition furious and sexual images become so common that the audience no longer feels embarrassed or embarrassed to behave in this way as they think it is normalMoral panic the false sound at active people and deviance/crime in society Deviance amplification model1) A small group of people commit some act of deviance2) The media pick up on the interesting story a problem group is identified3) The media sensationalise the n ews to grab the attention of the audience4) Causes of the deviant behaviour are simplified for easy explanation e.g. bad parenting5) The group is labelled as folk devils and stereotyping occurs other incidents of this deviant behaviour are made into news and it seems more common than it rightfully is6) A moral panic develops and the exoterics concern is aroused at the real or imaginary terror posed to society the media campaign for action to be fruitn against the perceived curse7) More social control politicians, police and magistrates respond to semi in the public eye(predicate) demands as shown in the media, and law-and-order campaigns are begun to muller down on the deviantsThe impact of media on society todayPrimary socialisation the first lay out to learn the norms and values of society the familySecondary socialisation other areas of your life in which the value system is reinforced or, in some cases, contradictedFunctionalists believe the media is beneficial as it reinforces social order Marxists dislike the media as they reinforce the hierarchy of the RC over the WC and false class consciousness Feminists dislike the media as it reinforces gender roles and patriarchyWhat the media reinforcesThroughGender rolesChildrens programmes advertsPatriarchySoaps music videosPolitical socialisationDebates the newsGlamorisation of violenceSoaps video gamesHegemonic masculinityCompetition between men soapsStereotypesSoapsGlobal tillage when the culture of one fellowship turn outs foundingwide through media and, globally, people are exposed to this culture. It is also known as media imperialism. Mass culture the culture shared by the majority of society due to a general interest in certain things the media presents Media dominates family life whereas before families were hardworking, hierarchical and communicative around the hearth, families today have their living rooms organised around the TV (the substitute hearth) and other media devices dominate leisure time.Identity who you are as a person this can be checkd by what we see in the media as, nowadays, people use the media to assert and explore their identities. The media shapes our views on what we should be consuming and what we should be like.The medias representation of age, gender ethnicityChildrenRogers argues that children are presented as either angels or devils. The impact of this is that children are not held accountable for their actions if they are angles. However, it they are devils, they experience negative interaction as they are to blame. These stereotypes lead to labelling YouthsThe news amplifies stories on youths to make their devious and criminal behaviour appear more common. Teens become folk devils as they are all believed to be delinquent. Cohen says that the young as used as scape goats for societys own issues and this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. matureAs children are easily manipulated, gender stereotypes are reinforced throu gh TV programmes. This is known as age patriarchy. ElderlyGrumpy conservative, stubborn and resistant to social change Mentally challenged deteriorating health strung-out burden on the younger contemporariess as they are weakElderly women grey hair, old vestments being different is being mutton Men have higher status as world leaders, politicians etcWe are an age denying societyEthnicityPeople are free to upload on the internet as they desire so racism can happen on the internet or dangerous cults can start online YouTube is not moderated so various videos can be uploadedImpact of media on society1) socializing2) Mass culture3) Effects family life4) Reinforces and causes stereotypes on age gender and ethnicity 5) Effects behaviour and can create violence audience effect models 6) Politically socialises usPolitical socialisation your learning of governmental values, beliefs and preferences Whipping system when an MP is told they need to vote in favour of their party or t hey forget no longer be a part of it Rebel MPs Mps that do not vote the way of their party Political spin (spin doctors) write speeches with sound bites that can be used as newspaper headlines Curtis and Mair (2008) believe thatThe wishure has too much process on how people vote nix coverage of politicians and politics has discouraged people from voting If readership of newspapers declines then newspaper publishers ability to influence the outcomes of general elections pass oning also have declined Fewer people will be exposed to the press supposedly negative coverage of politics and politicians that discourages people from voting at allThe media promote democracyThe media restrict democracyBecause the media in Britain are not controlled by the state, the risk of censorship by governments is reduced, and free speech is protected. Journalists are free to report as they wish deep down legal limits The media reflect the conservative views of their blotto owners. While journa lists are often critical and expose wrongdoing, they will frequently avoid issues which might cost them their jobs by upsetting newspaper owners or TV send out bases The wide variety of privately owned media means a set out of opinions are considered and public debates take place.By criticizing the actions of governments, the mass media can play an important watch-dog role and keep governments in touch with public opinion The variety of opinion presented is limited. Working-class policy-making views such as strikes are rarely reported. The ideas and actions of the least(prenominal) powerful groups are the most likely to be excluded. Those who in some way present a challenge or threat to the existing way society is organised are presented as haughty or unreasonable extremists The media give an unbiased account of news. TV news has to be impartial intelligence operation values, agenda-setting, norm-setting and other sources of bias mean only some issues are covered, and these are not presented in inert ways.The media choose what to report and how to report it, and therefore provide a biased view of the world The media accurately reflect public opinions that already exist in society rather than creating new ones. People wouldnt read newspapers or view TV and websites unless they were providing what their audiences wanted The media do not simply reflect public opinion, but actively form and manipulate it. People can only form opinions on the understructure of the knowledge they have, and the media are primarily responsible for providing this knowledge.The owners of the mass media hold overwhelmingly conservative views, and their self-possession gives them the power to defend their position by forming favourable public opinion Anyone can put his or her views onto the internet via blogs, social networking sites etc Only the rich have the resources necessary to publish and distribute a newspaper on a large scale, or to set up a television or radio station, and it is the wealthy that own and control the main means of electronic communication. The concentration of will power of the mass media is a threat to democracy, as a small powerful group of media owners can control access to ideas, information and knowledge. Those who wish to put forward alternative views to that presented in the mass media may not be allowed access to the media b their owners, and will therefore be denied any real opportunity to persuade public opinion of their ideas assiduousness of press ownershipFunctionalists take the pluralist approach and they believe that the media isnt used by owners to control the audience but is available for secondary socialisation. Marxists take the encounter approach as they believe that the media is used by its owners to control the audience. Pluralist approachConflict approachA range of interests exist in society and no single group dominates Society is based on conflicting interests between different groups Media represents a r ange of different interests within society e.g. Womans Weekly, The Pink Paper and the Financial times Owners of the media are part of a minority who use their power to influence opinions in their own best interests Newspapers only give the audience what they want to receive i.e. the Sun does not have much international news because readers of the Sun do not want to read it, not because Rupert Murdoch does not want them to know Press owners have intervened directly to control content e.g. Harry Evans was hired as editor of the Sunday measure and was then allegedly fired from his post by Rupert Murdoch as a result of Evans political indemnity If owners of the media tried to give us something we did not want, consumerism would decrease this is known as consumer power and would cause a decrease in companies profit marginThe Big Six the few companies that own a broad majority of the press and world media. This is problematic as these companies can promote their own political beliefs and values through everything they own, meaning we are exposed to the owners own beliefs and values. They have the power to influence our views and beliefs. Consequences of press ownershipPolitical socialisation influences us to believe certain things and therefore affects the voting pattern and behaviour Negative portrayal of MEGsSupport those in power and authority to reinforce capitalism Presentations of different groups within society age, gender, ethnicity Ethnic presentations in the mediaBlack populations are presented as criminals. Cottle (1994) believes that this representation effectively hides racism and, through the hyperdermic syringe model, they believe they are criminal and this leads to self-fulfilling prophecy Sociologists argue that people from the groups internalise from the media that their lives are restricted and so they live the lives shown to them by the mediaAgenda setting the media can focus attention on some issues and ignoreothers. They dont tell us w hat to think but what to think about. This can affect political views and voting habits. Those who decide what makes the news are called gatekeepers as they have the power to influence what we think about. Norm referencing the media reinforces norms and values so we conform. Those who conform are viewed and shown in a positive roost and those who dont in a negative light.This causes us to label people, leading to stereotypes. The cameras are always from the point of view of those in authority, giving a very selective view on what is happening. defining New Values News doesnt happen journalists make news and have a list of things that make news. These are news values and, the more that are satisfied, the better the news is. This affects our reason of events. Profit motive Media is about money owners and companies get this from advertisers.The advertisers must be satisfied with what goes on the news and the media listen because they want the money. Laws there are laws in place saying what the media can and cant share, so laws have a large impact on what goes on the news and how the news is presented. digital natives have grown up in the digital world using new media to communicate there is a digital divide between digital natives and novices. Digital novices have been born into a generation that used old media to communicate and new media has been introduced within their lifetime, meaning they have to learn how to use it and have not grown up with it.The mass media and powerPress ownershipIn Britain, press ownership is concentrated in a few hands this could give some individuals in the media the ability to influence mass opinion. Some argue that, in order to keep democracy, press ownership should be spread between larger numbers of individuals. The pluralist approach to press ownershipAccording to the pluralist approach, a range of views and interests exists in society and no single group dominates. This range of views is reflected in the wide variety o f newspapers and magazines available, so all political viewpoints are represented within the various publications that consumers can choose to profane.The pluralist approach rejects the idea that press owners control content. Instead, it suggests that newspapers simply give people what they want to read as, companies that fail to do so, are tall(a) to succeed in competitive grocery store and are more likely to go bankrupt. So, this view states that consumers are the ones who influence content through their market power. The conflict approach to press ownershipAccording to the conflict approach, press owners are in a strong position to put their own political views across. This is because, as owners, they are able to control content and they do so in favour of their own political and economic interests. Supporters of this approach point to several developments within the media to support their position. These include the increase concentration of press ownership in the hands of a few companies and individuals and the emergence of multimedia (or cross-media) conglomerates (such as News Corporation) that keep in line on a global, rather than national, scale. As a result of such developments, much of what people read comes from a few multinational media empires. The exercise of power within the mediaThe media have the power to select which issues are ignored and exploited. In doing so, they direct public discussion and therefore affect what people think about it. This could give the media influence over peoples political views and their voting behaviour. The news media also have power in relation to norm referencing they are able to outline the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. The views and behaviour of some groups and organisations are presented positively, whilst others are presented negatively. Through nor referencing, positive images of some groups ad negative images of others are created, and this helps to shape public opinion. The internet and the dis tribution of powerSome sociologists argue that digital technology will lead to a reduction in power and influence of media power as it allows everyone to produce media content, rather than just consume it. For this reason, the internet could help to safeguard democracy by spreading the power to communicate and to exert influence more widely among different individuals and groups. Because anyone can upload information, comment on information given, contactpoliticians etc, they can exert influence.They can also find out about pressure groups (such as Greenpeace) or issues such as global warming. In this way, the internet could empower people and provide them with more opportunities to participate in politics. Other approaches, however, question how far the internet has increased political participation and empowered people as most people use the internet for things like shopping rather than for political reasons. Critics also argue that e-democracy requires expensive technology and fu nding to start up and maintain so not everyone can get involved.The press is free becauseThe press isnt free becauseMembers of the public exercise control through our market power. We can easily switch newspapers if we are unhappy with what we read. Hence, the market controls content and the consumer is sovereign there has been an increasing concentration of press ownership in the hands of a few companies and individuals meaning smaller companies have been swallowed by media giants Owners cannot simply dictate content but have to give us what we want to buy multimedia conglomerates operate on a global rather than a national scale so a small number of multinational companies now have interests in media across the globe There is freedom to set up new newspapers if existing ones do not meet market demands Multimedia conglomerates such as News Corporation have emerged as a result of other companies conflux togetherThe media is an ISA used to teach us the norms and values of a capitali st society. The media is controlling us.