SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 38
Downloaden Sie, um offline zu lesen
Communications
and New Media
March 2014
Early in life I had noticed that no
event is ever correctly reported in
a newspaper. George Orwell
In the long history of humankind those who
learned to collaborate and improvise most
effectively have prevailed.
~ Charles Darwin
Focus Topics
• How have communications changed in recent
decades?
• What role do the media play in shaping our
culture?
• How far are the media able to shape what we
think?
• How does sociology approach the media?
• Who controls the media and does this matter?
• How might bias be a problem for our
understanding of society?
Towers of Babel and the World Wide Web
3
Men in their
arrogance built
a tower into the
heavens.
God destroyed
it and created
all the
languages of the
world so man
would never
again attempt to
do the same
thing.
Theoretical Perspectives on Media
• Functionalism: Wright, C (1960); the media helps to
integrate and bind society. McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing
functions
• Political Economy: Chomsky (1991); Philo & Berry (
2004); Frankfurt School (Horkheimer & Adorno 1947)
• Jürgen Habermas (1962): the Public Sphere
• Jean Baudrillard (1983;1991): Hyperreality
• John Thompson (1990; 1995): 3 kinds of
communication
Functionalism
Wright, C (1960); the media helps to integrate
and bind society.
McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing functions:
• Information: lets us know what is happening in the world
• Correlation: interprets information around established social
norms and values
• Continuity: expresses common culture whilst recognizing
and incorporating new developments
• Entertainment: amusement and diversion reducing social
tensions
• Mobilization: encourage action to meet social and economic
goals
Conflict theory: Political Economy
Who owns the media and what influence does
that give them in society?
How does the media act to protect the interests
of those with wealth and power and to silence
critical voices and the voices of the powerless?
Two approaches:
Chomsky
Frankfurt School
Communications and new media 2014
Political Economy I: Chomsky
Chomsky, N. (1991) Media Control: The Spectacular
Achievement of Propoganda
Large media corporations:
• Control the information made available to the public
• Create a climate of fear from external threats
• Do not question the unaccountability of powerful
corporations
• Do not question the relationship between big business
and the state
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMStCHtUNeY
Ideology
• Destutt De Tracy (1700s) ‘a science of ideas’
– Implies neutrality
• Marx sees ideology as important in the reproduction of the
relations of class domination:
– Powerful groups circulate their ideas
– Justify their own position
• Discourse analysis; ‘text analysis is an essential part of
discourse analysis, but discourse analysis is not merely the
linguistic analysis of texts’ (Fairclough 2000:3)
• The Glasgow University Media Group: Bad News (1976)
– Words chosen reflected bias: ‘trouble’, ‘radical’, ‘pointless strike’
– Videos: focus on confrontations
– Bad News from Israel (Philo & Berry 2004) ( - 3.40)
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnJEYVxLXbY
Political Economy II:
The Frankfurt School
• ‘The Culture Industry: the tyranny of mass
consumption’ (Horkheimer and Adorno 1947)
• Cultural goods are mass produced in the same
way as other goods
• Film, pop music and so on become bland and
empty and dull the recipient
• Art and ‘high culture’ become debased and
lose their power to transform and challenge
Jürgen Habermas (1962)
• The public sphere
– arena of public debate; general issues can be discussed,opinions
can be formed
• The public sphere first developed as part of enlightened
philosophical and political transformations to enable
informed, democratic, public debate
• The media has the potential to extend and deepen the public
sphere
• The media actually promotes entertainment and spectacle
• Politics becomes reduced to photo opportunities and sound
bites – debasing the public sphere
• Habermas remains optimistic; it is still possible to have a
political community where issues can be openly debated
In 2006, George Galloway participated in
Celebrity Big Brother because, he claimed, it
was a way of reaching out to younger people
and engaging them in political ideas…
Jean Baudrillard (1983; 1991)
It used to be possible to think of a distinction
between the social world and the media which
represented and reported on it. Now:
• Modern media are everywhere and increasingly
define and constitute the social world: reality is
what is on TV
• Rolling news channels report on events before
and while they happen and therefore shape them
in real time
• In this ‘hyperreality’ images are constructed with
reference to other images – they are not
grounded in any external social reality
• This may be an explanation for ‘celebrity culture’;
success is appearing in Hello.
Jean Baudrillard (1983; 1991)
• Baudrillard :
– mass media is the most
profound change in
modernity
– TV does not merely
represent
– it also defines our world
• Baudrillard: the border
between reality and
representation has
collapsed.
• Media representation is
now part of a hyper-reality.
The Gulf War Did Not Take Place
(Baudrillard, J. 1991)
• George Bush and Saddam
Hussein both had to watch
CNN to see what was actually
happening. The war wasn’t real
until it was on TV.
• Hyper-reality
– the world is created from
simulacra
– images that get their reality from
other images and hence have no
grounding in external reality.
• Criticism:
– events fall outside the interest of
western media
– Darfour- there is still a world
outside post-modern hyper-
reality.
US THEM
We have...
Army, Navy and Air Force
Press briefings
They have...
A war machine
Propaganda
Our boys are...
Cautious
Dare-devils
Loyal
Brave
Theirs are...
Cowardly
Cannon fodder
Blindly obedient
Fanatical
Our missiles cause...
Collateral damage
Their missiles cause...
Civilian casualties
We…
Precision bomb
They…
Fire wildly at anything in the skiesAll the expressions above were used by the
British press during the 1991 Gulf War
Two authors, two visions of the
future…
• George Orwell 1984
• Aldous Huxley A Brave New World
• Themes in both:
– Media, the control of information, ideas and
ideologies
Two Visions of the Future:
• A brave new world (Huxley, A.,
1932)
• London Hatching Centre: Alpha,
Beta, Gamma, Delta or Epsilon
• Soma – drug; pain relief
• Reproductive rights controlled
through sterilization. Promiscuity
encouraged.
• Use of science and technology to
create a happy, superficial world
• Technology makes the citizens so
happy, they do not care about their
personal freedom
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
WuiaT0nX9ls
• 2.40
• 1984 (Orwell, G., 1949)
• Oceania; London
• Winston, member of The Party
• Everywhere he goes, he is
monitored; filmed
• Works at Ministry of Truth: altering
papers
• Newspeak- language
• Oceania has always been at war with
Eurasia, and allied with Eastasia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rB
DUJTnNU
Amusing Ourselves to Death Postman,
N (1986)
• Orwell fears:
– Those who ban books
– Those who would deprive
us of information
– The concealment of truth
– We will become captured/
captive
– People are controlled by
pain or by fear
– What we hate will ruin us
• Huxley fears:
• Those who give us so
much information we
become passive
• That there is no one who
wants to read a book
• The truth will be drowned
in a sea of irrelevance
• What we love will ruin us
Amusing Ourselves to Death Postman,
N (1986)
• Postman argues that Huxley, rather
than Orwell, is correct in their
interpretation of the future
• TV trivialises, politics, education,
news, are all reduced to
entertainment.
• This is because TV as ‘the form’ is
incapable of sustaining serious
‘content’
• Printed word is capable of sustaining
complex and serious content
• Print creates a rational population
• TV creates an entertained
population
Bowling Alone Putnam, R (1995;
2000)
• Social capital: ‘ the social knowledge and connections that enable people to
accomplish their goals and extend their influence’ (Giddens 2009:817)
Example question:
Which, if any, of these things have you done in the past week? Discussed politics
– Had dinner in a restaurant
– Had friends in for the evening
– Went to the home of friends
– Saw a movie
• Bridging Social Capital (Outward-looking; inclusive, e.g. civil rights;
blacks/whites) Bonding Social Capital (Inward-looking; exclusive, e.g. church-
based women’s group)
• TV viewing is strongly negatively correlated to social trust and group
membership
– 1950 – 10% of Americans had a TV set
– 1959 – 90% had a TV set
• Heavy watchers of TV are unusually sceptical about the benevolence of other
people
Controlling the global media
• Held et al (1999) Global Transformations: Politics,
Economics and Culture:
– Increasing concentration of ownership:
• dominated by a small number of powerful corporations
– A shift from public to private ownership:
• Liberalization of the business environment; privatization
and commercialization of many media companies
– Transnational corporate structures:
• Media ownership rules loosened; cross-border investment
and acquisition
– Diversification over a variety of media products:
• Diversification and less segmentation (Time Warner – mix
media, music, news, print, TV programming)
– A growing number of corporate media mergers:
• Media becomes increasingly integrated
The question: whose vision of the
future is right?
• Orwell, or Huxley?
• Discuss with your partner, referring to:
– Putnam (1995; 2000)
– Held et al (1999)
– Postman (1986)
– Functionalism: Wright, C (1960); the media helps to integrate
and bind society. McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing functions
– Political Economy: Chomsky (1991); Philo & Berry ( 2004);
Frankfurt School (Horkheimer & Adorno 1947)
– Jürgen Habermas (1962): the Public Sphere
– Jean Baudrillard (1983;1991): Hyperreality
– John Thompson (1990; 1995): 3 kinds of communication
THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET AND
THE MEDIA
The Impact of the internet
• Virtual Communities
• Control and Surveillance
• The Network Society
The Virtual Community Rheingold, H
(2000)
• Virtual communities: social aggregations that emerge from
the Net when enough people carry on… public discussions
long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of
personal relationships in cyberspace’ (2000:5)
• Being part of the WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) is a
disembodied form of the real world:
– Argue
– Gossip
– Make plans
– Fall in love
– Make friends
– Lose friends
– In other words, we do the same, but leave our bodies behind
The Virtual Community Rheingold, H
(2000)
• There are positive sides to computer-
mediated communications:
– Supplement existing relationships
– Maintain contact with friends and relatives when
abroad
– Increased toleration of distance and separation
– New types of relationships; annonymous chat
– Expansion and enrichment of social networks
The Virtual Community Rheingold, H
(2000)
• There are negative sides to computer-mediated
communications:
– Commodity fetishism: gathering details and selling
detials
– Intensified surveillance; state monitoring:
– This last point is of course strongly related to Michel
Foucault’s thesis regarding power and surveillance…
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTKHI5ovyc&feature=re
sults_video&playnext=1&list=PLCA2759BD95C139E4
Discipline & Punish Foucault, M (1975)
• ‘Is it surprising that prisons resemble
factories, schools, barracks, hospitals,
which all resemble prisons?’
(1975:228)
• Principles of surveillance, observation
and correcting unwanted behaviour do
not stop at the prison gates:
– These are part of modernity itself
– Prisoners are compelled to behave
well, as they never know when they
are being observed
– This makes for a ‘carceral society’,
placing citizens under a managerial
gaze
• We now live in a ‘surveillance society’
(Lyon 1994)
State Cyber Control
• Likewise it offers new
opportunities for invasion of
personal privacy- vast
amounts of data are
collated, on things like
shopping –Amazon sending
you lists of similar types of
books to those you have
placed in your basket.
• Consider- US government’s
demand that ISPs keep all e-
mails for 2 years, so they
can be accessed by law
enforcement agencies.
30
Communications and new media 2014
Lull, J (1997) cited in Hogge (2005)
• 100 Chinese families:
– ‘Masters of interpretation’; reading between the lines
– Viewers were skilled at imagining the true situation,
knowing the government reports were bent or
exaggerated
– Access to TV and films showed images contrary to their
own way of life
• Google agreed to censor sensitive results for China
(2006):
– Tiananmen Square massacre (1989)
– Promotion of Taiwan independence
– Tibet
– This supports Hackett and Zhao (2005) (last week) profit
making rather than American values drives US media
companies
The rise of the Network Society
Castells, M (1996; 2001)
• It is impossible for organizations to survice without
being part of a network
• IT enables growth
• Organizational networking represents disintegration of
traditional, rational bureacracy (challenging Weber’s
thesis)
• For individuals, the Internet is:
– New combinations of work and self-employment
– Individual expression
– Collaboration and sociability
– Possibility of political activism
• ‘The network is the message’ not ‘The medium is the
message’
Media Imperialism (Herman &
McChesney 2003)
• The paramount position of the industrialized
countries (above all US) in the production and
diffusion of media:
– A cultural empire has been established.
– Less developed countries especially vulnerable
because they lack the resources to maintain their
own cultural independence.
Media Imperialism
• ‘hypodermic needle’ model
which tends to assume that
Western cultural products carry
Western values that are
‘injected’ into passive
consumers around the globe.
• Audience studies:
– consumers are active, not passive,
watchers and listeners
– may reject, modify or reinterpret the
messages in media products. Ien Ang’s
(1985) study of Dallas
• Glocalisation – Robertson, R (1995)
John Thompson (1990; 1995)
Three Types of Interaction:
1. face-to-face,
2. mediated,
3. quasi-mediated
The Frankfurt School underestimate the extent to
which the consumers of media messages (mediated
quasi-interaction) actively make sense of them
through other forms of interaction
Baudrillard overemphasises the dominance of
mediated quasi-interaction on social life
Conclusion
• To what extent is contemporary society is a
combination of an Orwellian/Huxley nightmare?
– To what extent doesmedia imperialism, especially
ownership, spreads the ideologies of the powerful, ensure
the public remain ‘entertained’ and dull to real situations.
• Or, new media has the potential for a Habermasian
public sphere of debate. As Thompson argues, face-to-
face communication and quasi-mediated interaction
enable criticism.
• You decide!
Set reading
• Crime:
– Giddens, Ch. 21.
– Macionis & Plummer, Ch. 17.

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

International Relations: Constructivism pt1
International Relations:  Constructivism pt1International Relations:  Constructivism pt1
International Relations: Constructivism pt1Timothy Lim
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2John Paul Tabakian
 
Lecture notes week_3
Lecture notes week_3Lecture notes week_3
Lecture notes week_3stephcas94
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10John Paul Tabakian
 
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10John Paul Tabakian
 
International Relations Conflict Theories
International Relations Conflict TheoriesInternational Relations Conflict Theories
International Relations Conflict Theoriesbrennanikns
 
Communism then and now
Communism then and nowCommunism then and now
Communism then and nowWilliam Haines
 
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbean
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbeanInternational Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbean
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbeanUniversity of West Indies
 
Liberalism and Marxism
Liberalism and MarxismLiberalism and Marxism
Liberalism and Marxismanimation0118
 
Theories of International Relations-Introduction
Theories of International Relations-IntroductionTheories of International Relations-Introduction
Theories of International Relations-IntroductionKeshab Giri
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5John Paul Tabakian
 
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.RBG Communiversity
 
International relations part 1
International relations part 1International relations part 1
International relations part 1Amin Sadeghi
 
TheoriesofInternationalRelations
TheoriesofInternationalRelationsTheoriesofInternationalRelations
TheoriesofInternationalRelationsSpencer Peak
 
427 lecture realism-rev (small)
427 lecture realism-rev (small)427 lecture realism-rev (small)
427 lecture realism-rev (small)Timothy Lim
 
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and society
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and societyWk4 – Ideology and news - News and society
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and societyCarolina Matos
 
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966RBG Communiversity
 
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black Liberation
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black LiberationAluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black Liberation
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black LiberationRBG Communiversity
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3John Paul Tabakian
 

Was ist angesagt? (20)

International Relations: Constructivism pt1
International Relations:  Constructivism pt1International Relations:  Constructivism pt1
International Relations: Constructivism pt1
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #2
 
Lecture notes week_3
Lecture notes week_3Lecture notes week_3
Lecture notes week_3
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #10
 
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought - Power Point #10
 
International Relations Conflict Theories
International Relations Conflict TheoriesInternational Relations Conflict Theories
International Relations Conflict Theories
 
Communism then and now
Communism then and nowCommunism then and now
Communism then and now
 
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbean
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbeanInternational Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbean
International Relations Theory and Approaches for the caribbean
 
Liberalism and Marxism
Liberalism and MarxismLiberalism and Marxism
Liberalism and Marxism
 
Theories of International Relations-Introduction
Theories of International Relations-IntroductionTheories of International Relations-Introduction
Theories of International Relations-Introduction
 
DG2 Neo-Neo Debate
DG2 Neo-Neo DebateDG2 Neo-Neo Debate
DG2 Neo-Neo Debate
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #5
 
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.
The Black Power Movement, A State of the Field. Joseph PE, 2009.
 
International relations part 1
International relations part 1International relations part 1
International relations part 1
 
TheoriesofInternationalRelations
TheoriesofInternationalRelationsTheoriesofInternationalRelations
TheoriesofInternationalRelations
 
427 lecture realism-rev (small)
427 lecture realism-rev (small)427 lecture realism-rev (small)
427 lecture realism-rev (small)
 
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and society
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and societyWk4 – Ideology and news - News and society
Wk4 – Ideology and news - News and society
 
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966
Towards Black Liberation, Carmichael, 1966
 
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black Liberation
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black LiberationAluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black Liberation
Aluta Continua From Jim Crow to Civil Rights to Black Liberation
 
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3
Political Science 7 – International Relations - Power Point #3
 

Andere mochten auch

Crime new 2012
Crime new 2012Crime new 2012
Crime new 2012fatima d
 
16 development assistance
16 development assistance16 development assistance
16 development assistancefatima d
 
17 china and the developing world
17 china and the developing world17 china and the developing world
17 china and the developing worldfatima d
 
New religion
New religionNew religion
New religionfatima d
 
Race, ethnicity, and migration
Race, ethnicity, and migrationRace, ethnicity, and migration
Race, ethnicity, and migrationfatima d
 
Families households
Families householdsFamilies households
Families householdsfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 6 handout
C2 st lecture 6 handoutC2 st lecture 6 handout
C2 st lecture 6 handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 5 handout
C2 st lecture 5 handoutC2 st lecture 5 handout
C2 st lecture 5 handoutfatima d
 
15 development issues
15 development issues15 development issues
15 development issuesfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 2 handout
C2 st lecture 2 handoutC2 st lecture 2 handout
C2 st lecture 2 handoutfatima d
 
12a beyond bipolarity fukuyama and huntington
12a  beyond bipolarity   fukuyama and huntington12a  beyond bipolarity   fukuyama and huntington
12a beyond bipolarity fukuyama and huntingtonfatima d
 
Lecture 12 contract law
Lecture 12 contract lawLecture 12 contract law
Lecture 12 contract lawfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 9 probability handout
C2 st lecture 9   probability handoutC2 st lecture 9   probability handout
C2 st lecture 9 probability handoutfatima d
 
Lecture 5 the_united_nations
Lecture 5 the_united_nationsLecture 5 the_united_nations
Lecture 5 the_united_nationsfatima d
 
Lecture 16 introduction to equity
Lecture 16 introduction to equityLecture 16 introduction to equity
Lecture 16 introduction to equityfatima d
 
12b beyond unipolarity
12b beyond unipolarity12b beyond unipolarity
12b beyond unipolarityfatima d
 
09 non governmental organisations
09  non governmental organisations09  non governmental organisations
09 non governmental organisationsfatima d
 
Lecture 14 misrepresentations
Lecture 14 misrepresentationsLecture 14 misrepresentations
Lecture 14 misrepresentationsfatima d
 
08 multinational corporations
08 multinational corporations08 multinational corporations
08 multinational corporationsfatima d
 
10 terrorism
10 terrorism10 terrorism
10 terrorismfatima d
 

Andere mochten auch (20)

Crime new 2012
Crime new 2012Crime new 2012
Crime new 2012
 
16 development assistance
16 development assistance16 development assistance
16 development assistance
 
17 china and the developing world
17 china and the developing world17 china and the developing world
17 china and the developing world
 
New religion
New religionNew religion
New religion
 
Race, ethnicity, and migration
Race, ethnicity, and migrationRace, ethnicity, and migration
Race, ethnicity, and migration
 
Families households
Families householdsFamilies households
Families households
 
C2 st lecture 6 handout
C2 st lecture 6 handoutC2 st lecture 6 handout
C2 st lecture 6 handout
 
C2 st lecture 5 handout
C2 st lecture 5 handoutC2 st lecture 5 handout
C2 st lecture 5 handout
 
15 development issues
15 development issues15 development issues
15 development issues
 
C2 st lecture 2 handout
C2 st lecture 2 handoutC2 st lecture 2 handout
C2 st lecture 2 handout
 
12a beyond bipolarity fukuyama and huntington
12a  beyond bipolarity   fukuyama and huntington12a  beyond bipolarity   fukuyama and huntington
12a beyond bipolarity fukuyama and huntington
 
Lecture 12 contract law
Lecture 12 contract lawLecture 12 contract law
Lecture 12 contract law
 
C2 st lecture 9 probability handout
C2 st lecture 9   probability handoutC2 st lecture 9   probability handout
C2 st lecture 9 probability handout
 
Lecture 5 the_united_nations
Lecture 5 the_united_nationsLecture 5 the_united_nations
Lecture 5 the_united_nations
 
Lecture 16 introduction to equity
Lecture 16 introduction to equityLecture 16 introduction to equity
Lecture 16 introduction to equity
 
12b beyond unipolarity
12b beyond unipolarity12b beyond unipolarity
12b beyond unipolarity
 
09 non governmental organisations
09  non governmental organisations09  non governmental organisations
09 non governmental organisations
 
Lecture 14 misrepresentations
Lecture 14 misrepresentationsLecture 14 misrepresentations
Lecture 14 misrepresentations
 
08 multinational corporations
08 multinational corporations08 multinational corporations
08 multinational corporations
 
10 terrorism
10 terrorism10 terrorism
10 terrorism
 

Ähnlich wie Communications and new media 2014

Ähnlich wie Communications and new media 2014 (20)

CPI: Persuading a Nation to War
CPI: Persuading a Nation to WarCPI: Persuading a Nation to War
CPI: Persuading a Nation to War
 
Critical media
Critical mediaCritical media
Critical media
 
Bullet theory
Bullet theoryBullet theory
Bullet theory
 
new media.ppt
new media.pptnew media.ppt
new media.ppt
 
Khan sabith power and policy in the us
Khan sabith power and policy in the usKhan sabith power and policy in the us
Khan sabith power and policy in the us
 
Theory cads
Theory cadsTheory cads
Theory cads
 
Journalism and democracy
Journalism and democracyJournalism and democracy
Journalism and democracy
 
Media and Globalization.pptx
Media and Globalization.pptxMedia and Globalization.pptx
Media and Globalization.pptx
 
Invasion from Mars: A Psychology of Panic
Invasion from Mars: A Psychology of PanicInvasion from Mars: A Psychology of Panic
Invasion from Mars: A Psychology of Panic
 
The Role Of Media And Mass Media
The Role Of Media And Mass MediaThe Role Of Media And Mass Media
The Role Of Media And Mass Media
 
MediaFilmExchange.co.uk Powerpoint
MediaFilmExchange.co.uk PowerpointMediaFilmExchange.co.uk Powerpoint
MediaFilmExchange.co.uk Powerpoint
 
Five paradoxes of soft power in a post globalization era
Five paradoxes of soft power in a post globalization eraFive paradoxes of soft power in a post globalization era
Five paradoxes of soft power in a post globalization era
 
Propaganda
PropagandaPropaganda
Propaganda
 
Spiral of Silence
Spiral of SilenceSpiral of Silence
Spiral of Silence
 
communication theories
communication theories communication theories
communication theories
 
Pros And Cons Of Propaganda
Pros And Cons Of PropagandaPros And Cons Of Propaganda
Pros And Cons Of Propaganda
 
Propaganda vs plurality
Propaganda vs plurality Propaganda vs plurality
Propaganda vs plurality
 
Pomo lesson 3
Pomo lesson 3Pomo lesson 3
Pomo lesson 3
 
All notes from art301_m&m
All notes from art301_m&mAll notes from art301_m&m
All notes from art301_m&m
 
Propoganda
PropogandaPropoganda
Propoganda
 

Mehr von fatima d

Un covenant economioc social cultural
Un covenant economioc social culturalUn covenant economioc social cultural
Un covenant economioc social culturalfatima d
 
Un covenant civil political rights
Un covenant civil political rightsUn covenant civil political rights
Un covenant civil political rightsfatima d
 
Cairo declaration 1990
Cairo declaration 1990Cairo declaration 1990
Cairo declaration 1990fatima d
 
Un declaration of human rights
Un declaration of human rightsUn declaration of human rights
Un declaration of human rightsfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 4 handout
C2 st lecture 4 handoutC2 st lecture 4 handout
C2 st lecture 4 handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 3 handout
C2 st lecture 3 handoutC2 st lecture 3 handout
C2 st lecture 3 handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 8 pythagoras and trigonometry handout
C2 st lecture 8   pythagoras and trigonometry handoutC2 st lecture 8   pythagoras and trigonometry handout
C2 st lecture 8 pythagoras and trigonometry handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 10 basic statistics and the z test handout
C2 st lecture 10   basic statistics and the z test handoutC2 st lecture 10   basic statistics and the z test handout
C2 st lecture 10 basic statistics and the z test handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 11 the t-test handout
C2 st lecture 11   the t-test handoutC2 st lecture 11   the t-test handout
C2 st lecture 11 the t-test handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 12 the chi squared-test handout
C2 st lecture 12   the chi squared-test handoutC2 st lecture 12   the chi squared-test handout
C2 st lecture 12 the chi squared-test handoutfatima d
 
C2 st lecture 13 revision for test b handout
C2 st lecture 13   revision for test b handoutC2 st lecture 13   revision for test b handout
C2 st lecture 13 revision for test b handoutfatima d
 
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 solsFoundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 solsfatima d
 
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 sols
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 solsFoundation c2 exam may 2013 sols
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 solsfatima d
 
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit solsFoundation c2 exam june 2013 resit sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit solsfatima d
 
Ft test b jan 2012 sols
Ft test b jan 2012 solsFt test b jan 2012 sols
Ft test b jan 2012 solsfatima d
 
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 sols
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 solsFoundation c2 exam august 2012 sols
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 solsfatima d
 
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacy
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacySeminar activity 3 the search for intimacy
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacyfatima d
 
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformation
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformationReligion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformation
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformationfatima d
 
Homework reading task government and politics
Homework reading task government and politicsHomework reading task government and politics
Homework reading task government and politicsfatima d
 

Mehr von fatima d (19)

Un covenant economioc social cultural
Un covenant economioc social culturalUn covenant economioc social cultural
Un covenant economioc social cultural
 
Un covenant civil political rights
Un covenant civil political rightsUn covenant civil political rights
Un covenant civil political rights
 
Cairo declaration 1990
Cairo declaration 1990Cairo declaration 1990
Cairo declaration 1990
 
Un declaration of human rights
Un declaration of human rightsUn declaration of human rights
Un declaration of human rights
 
C2 st lecture 4 handout
C2 st lecture 4 handoutC2 st lecture 4 handout
C2 st lecture 4 handout
 
C2 st lecture 3 handout
C2 st lecture 3 handoutC2 st lecture 3 handout
C2 st lecture 3 handout
 
C2 st lecture 8 pythagoras and trigonometry handout
C2 st lecture 8   pythagoras and trigonometry handoutC2 st lecture 8   pythagoras and trigonometry handout
C2 st lecture 8 pythagoras and trigonometry handout
 
C2 st lecture 10 basic statistics and the z test handout
C2 st lecture 10   basic statistics and the z test handoutC2 st lecture 10   basic statistics and the z test handout
C2 st lecture 10 basic statistics and the z test handout
 
C2 st lecture 11 the t-test handout
C2 st lecture 11   the t-test handoutC2 st lecture 11   the t-test handout
C2 st lecture 11 the t-test handout
 
C2 st lecture 12 the chi squared-test handout
C2 st lecture 12   the chi squared-test handoutC2 st lecture 12   the chi squared-test handout
C2 st lecture 12 the chi squared-test handout
 
C2 st lecture 13 revision for test b handout
C2 st lecture 13   revision for test b handoutC2 st lecture 13   revision for test b handout
C2 st lecture 13 revision for test b handout
 
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 solsFoundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit 2 sols
 
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 sols
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 solsFoundation c2 exam may 2013 sols
Foundation c2 exam may 2013 sols
 
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit solsFoundation c2 exam june 2013 resit sols
Foundation c2 exam june 2013 resit sols
 
Ft test b jan 2012 sols
Ft test b jan 2012 solsFt test b jan 2012 sols
Ft test b jan 2012 sols
 
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 sols
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 solsFoundation c2 exam august 2012 sols
Foundation c2 exam august 2012 sols
 
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacy
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacySeminar activity 3 the search for intimacy
Seminar activity 3 the search for intimacy
 
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformation
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformationReligion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformation
Religion seminar activity_group_1_religion_oppression_and_transformation
 
Homework reading task government and politics
Homework reading task government and politicsHomework reading task government and politics
Homework reading task government and politics
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdf
Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdfMaximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdf
Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdfTechSoup
 
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education  and Educational PhilosophyPhilosophy of Education  and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education and Educational PhilosophyShuvankar Madhu
 
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...raviapr7
 
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfDiploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfMohonDas
 
The Singapore Teaching Practice document
The Singapore Teaching Practice documentThe Singapore Teaching Practice document
The Singapore Teaching Practice documentXsasf Sfdfasd
 
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdf
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdfHED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdf
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdfMohonDas
 
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptx
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptxPISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptx
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptxEduSkills OECD
 
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptx
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptxEducation and training program in the hospital APR.pptx
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptxraviapr7
 
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE
 
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17Celine George
 
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17Celine George
 
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptxPractical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptxKatherine Villaluna
 
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?TechSoup
 
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...CaraSkikne1
 
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17Celine George
 
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.EnglishCEIPdeSigeiro
 
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17Celine George
 
General views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepGeneral views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepobaje godwin sunday
 
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxM-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxDr. Santhosh Kumar. N
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdf
Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdfMaximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdf
Maximizing Impact_ Nonprofit Website Planning, Budgeting, and Design.pdf
 
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education  and Educational PhilosophyPhilosophy of Education  and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
 
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
 
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfDiploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
 
The Singapore Teaching Practice document
The Singapore Teaching Practice documentThe Singapore Teaching Practice document
The Singapore Teaching Practice document
 
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdfPersonal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
 
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdf
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdfHED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdf
HED Office Sohayok Exam Question Solution 2023.pdf
 
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptx
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptxPISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptx
PISA-VET launch_El Iza Mohamedou_19 March 2024.pptx
 
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptx
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptxEducation and training program in the hospital APR.pptx
Education and training program in the hospital APR.pptx
 
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
 
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17
How to Make a Field read-only in Odoo 17
 
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
 
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptxPractical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
 
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
 
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...
5 charts on South Africa as a source country for international student recrui...
 
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
 
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
 
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17
How to Add a many2many Relational Field in Odoo 17
 
General views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepGeneral views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and step
 
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxM-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
 

Communications and new media 2014

  • 1. Communications and New Media March 2014 Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper. George Orwell In the long history of humankind those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. ~ Charles Darwin
  • 2. Focus Topics • How have communications changed in recent decades? • What role do the media play in shaping our culture? • How far are the media able to shape what we think? • How does sociology approach the media? • Who controls the media and does this matter? • How might bias be a problem for our understanding of society?
  • 3. Towers of Babel and the World Wide Web 3 Men in their arrogance built a tower into the heavens. God destroyed it and created all the languages of the world so man would never again attempt to do the same thing.
  • 4. Theoretical Perspectives on Media • Functionalism: Wright, C (1960); the media helps to integrate and bind society. McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing functions • Political Economy: Chomsky (1991); Philo & Berry ( 2004); Frankfurt School (Horkheimer & Adorno 1947) • Jürgen Habermas (1962): the Public Sphere • Jean Baudrillard (1983;1991): Hyperreality • John Thompson (1990; 1995): 3 kinds of communication
  • 5. Functionalism Wright, C (1960); the media helps to integrate and bind society. McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing functions: • Information: lets us know what is happening in the world • Correlation: interprets information around established social norms and values • Continuity: expresses common culture whilst recognizing and incorporating new developments • Entertainment: amusement and diversion reducing social tensions • Mobilization: encourage action to meet social and economic goals
  • 6. Conflict theory: Political Economy Who owns the media and what influence does that give them in society? How does the media act to protect the interests of those with wealth and power and to silence critical voices and the voices of the powerless? Two approaches: Chomsky Frankfurt School
  • 8. Political Economy I: Chomsky Chomsky, N. (1991) Media Control: The Spectacular Achievement of Propoganda Large media corporations: • Control the information made available to the public • Create a climate of fear from external threats • Do not question the unaccountability of powerful corporations • Do not question the relationship between big business and the state • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMStCHtUNeY
  • 9. Ideology • Destutt De Tracy (1700s) ‘a science of ideas’ – Implies neutrality • Marx sees ideology as important in the reproduction of the relations of class domination: – Powerful groups circulate their ideas – Justify their own position • Discourse analysis; ‘text analysis is an essential part of discourse analysis, but discourse analysis is not merely the linguistic analysis of texts’ (Fairclough 2000:3) • The Glasgow University Media Group: Bad News (1976) – Words chosen reflected bias: ‘trouble’, ‘radical’, ‘pointless strike’ – Videos: focus on confrontations – Bad News from Israel (Philo & Berry 2004) ( - 3.40) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnJEYVxLXbY
  • 10. Political Economy II: The Frankfurt School • ‘The Culture Industry: the tyranny of mass consumption’ (Horkheimer and Adorno 1947) • Cultural goods are mass produced in the same way as other goods • Film, pop music and so on become bland and empty and dull the recipient • Art and ‘high culture’ become debased and lose their power to transform and challenge
  • 11. Jürgen Habermas (1962) • The public sphere – arena of public debate; general issues can be discussed,opinions can be formed • The public sphere first developed as part of enlightened philosophical and political transformations to enable informed, democratic, public debate • The media has the potential to extend and deepen the public sphere • The media actually promotes entertainment and spectacle • Politics becomes reduced to photo opportunities and sound bites – debasing the public sphere • Habermas remains optimistic; it is still possible to have a political community where issues can be openly debated
  • 12. In 2006, George Galloway participated in Celebrity Big Brother because, he claimed, it was a way of reaching out to younger people and engaging them in political ideas…
  • 13. Jean Baudrillard (1983; 1991) It used to be possible to think of a distinction between the social world and the media which represented and reported on it. Now: • Modern media are everywhere and increasingly define and constitute the social world: reality is what is on TV • Rolling news channels report on events before and while they happen and therefore shape them in real time • In this ‘hyperreality’ images are constructed with reference to other images – they are not grounded in any external social reality • This may be an explanation for ‘celebrity culture’; success is appearing in Hello.
  • 14. Jean Baudrillard (1983; 1991) • Baudrillard : – mass media is the most profound change in modernity – TV does not merely represent – it also defines our world • Baudrillard: the border between reality and representation has collapsed. • Media representation is now part of a hyper-reality.
  • 15. The Gulf War Did Not Take Place (Baudrillard, J. 1991) • George Bush and Saddam Hussein both had to watch CNN to see what was actually happening. The war wasn’t real until it was on TV. • Hyper-reality – the world is created from simulacra – images that get their reality from other images and hence have no grounding in external reality. • Criticism: – events fall outside the interest of western media – Darfour- there is still a world outside post-modern hyper- reality.
  • 16. US THEM We have... Army, Navy and Air Force Press briefings They have... A war machine Propaganda Our boys are... Cautious Dare-devils Loyal Brave Theirs are... Cowardly Cannon fodder Blindly obedient Fanatical Our missiles cause... Collateral damage Their missiles cause... Civilian casualties We… Precision bomb They… Fire wildly at anything in the skiesAll the expressions above were used by the British press during the 1991 Gulf War
  • 17. Two authors, two visions of the future… • George Orwell 1984 • Aldous Huxley A Brave New World • Themes in both: – Media, the control of information, ideas and ideologies
  • 18. Two Visions of the Future: • A brave new world (Huxley, A., 1932) • London Hatching Centre: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta or Epsilon • Soma – drug; pain relief • Reproductive rights controlled through sterilization. Promiscuity encouraged. • Use of science and technology to create a happy, superficial world • Technology makes the citizens so happy, they do not care about their personal freedom • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= WuiaT0nX9ls • 2.40 • 1984 (Orwell, G., 1949) • Oceania; London • Winston, member of The Party • Everywhere he goes, he is monitored; filmed • Works at Ministry of Truth: altering papers • Newspeak- language • Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia, and allied with Eastasia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rB DUJTnNU
  • 19. Amusing Ourselves to Death Postman, N (1986) • Orwell fears: – Those who ban books – Those who would deprive us of information – The concealment of truth – We will become captured/ captive – People are controlled by pain or by fear – What we hate will ruin us • Huxley fears: • Those who give us so much information we become passive • That there is no one who wants to read a book • The truth will be drowned in a sea of irrelevance • What we love will ruin us
  • 20. Amusing Ourselves to Death Postman, N (1986) • Postman argues that Huxley, rather than Orwell, is correct in their interpretation of the future • TV trivialises, politics, education, news, are all reduced to entertainment. • This is because TV as ‘the form’ is incapable of sustaining serious ‘content’ • Printed word is capable of sustaining complex and serious content • Print creates a rational population • TV creates an entertained population
  • 21. Bowling Alone Putnam, R (1995; 2000) • Social capital: ‘ the social knowledge and connections that enable people to accomplish their goals and extend their influence’ (Giddens 2009:817) Example question: Which, if any, of these things have you done in the past week? Discussed politics – Had dinner in a restaurant – Had friends in for the evening – Went to the home of friends – Saw a movie • Bridging Social Capital (Outward-looking; inclusive, e.g. civil rights; blacks/whites) Bonding Social Capital (Inward-looking; exclusive, e.g. church- based women’s group) • TV viewing is strongly negatively correlated to social trust and group membership – 1950 – 10% of Americans had a TV set – 1959 – 90% had a TV set • Heavy watchers of TV are unusually sceptical about the benevolence of other people
  • 22. Controlling the global media • Held et al (1999) Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture: – Increasing concentration of ownership: • dominated by a small number of powerful corporations – A shift from public to private ownership: • Liberalization of the business environment; privatization and commercialization of many media companies – Transnational corporate structures: • Media ownership rules loosened; cross-border investment and acquisition – Diversification over a variety of media products: • Diversification and less segmentation (Time Warner – mix media, music, news, print, TV programming) – A growing number of corporate media mergers: • Media becomes increasingly integrated
  • 23. The question: whose vision of the future is right? • Orwell, or Huxley? • Discuss with your partner, referring to: – Putnam (1995; 2000) – Held et al (1999) – Postman (1986) – Functionalism: Wright, C (1960); the media helps to integrate and bind society. McQuail, D (2000) five stabilizing functions – Political Economy: Chomsky (1991); Philo & Berry ( 2004); Frankfurt School (Horkheimer & Adorno 1947) – Jürgen Habermas (1962): the Public Sphere – Jean Baudrillard (1983;1991): Hyperreality – John Thompson (1990; 1995): 3 kinds of communication
  • 24. THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET AND THE MEDIA
  • 25. The Impact of the internet • Virtual Communities • Control and Surveillance • The Network Society
  • 26. The Virtual Community Rheingold, H (2000) • Virtual communities: social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on… public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace’ (2000:5) • Being part of the WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) is a disembodied form of the real world: – Argue – Gossip – Make plans – Fall in love – Make friends – Lose friends – In other words, we do the same, but leave our bodies behind
  • 27. The Virtual Community Rheingold, H (2000) • There are positive sides to computer- mediated communications: – Supplement existing relationships – Maintain contact with friends and relatives when abroad – Increased toleration of distance and separation – New types of relationships; annonymous chat – Expansion and enrichment of social networks
  • 28. The Virtual Community Rheingold, H (2000) • There are negative sides to computer-mediated communications: – Commodity fetishism: gathering details and selling detials – Intensified surveillance; state monitoring: – This last point is of course strongly related to Michel Foucault’s thesis regarding power and surveillance… – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTKHI5ovyc&feature=re sults_video&playnext=1&list=PLCA2759BD95C139E4
  • 29. Discipline & Punish Foucault, M (1975) • ‘Is it surprising that prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, which all resemble prisons?’ (1975:228) • Principles of surveillance, observation and correcting unwanted behaviour do not stop at the prison gates: – These are part of modernity itself – Prisoners are compelled to behave well, as they never know when they are being observed – This makes for a ‘carceral society’, placing citizens under a managerial gaze • We now live in a ‘surveillance society’ (Lyon 1994)
  • 30. State Cyber Control • Likewise it offers new opportunities for invasion of personal privacy- vast amounts of data are collated, on things like shopping –Amazon sending you lists of similar types of books to those you have placed in your basket. • Consider- US government’s demand that ISPs keep all e- mails for 2 years, so they can be accessed by law enforcement agencies. 30
  • 32. Lull, J (1997) cited in Hogge (2005) • 100 Chinese families: – ‘Masters of interpretation’; reading between the lines – Viewers were skilled at imagining the true situation, knowing the government reports were bent or exaggerated – Access to TV and films showed images contrary to their own way of life • Google agreed to censor sensitive results for China (2006): – Tiananmen Square massacre (1989) – Promotion of Taiwan independence – Tibet – This supports Hackett and Zhao (2005) (last week) profit making rather than American values drives US media companies
  • 33. The rise of the Network Society Castells, M (1996; 2001) • It is impossible for organizations to survice without being part of a network • IT enables growth • Organizational networking represents disintegration of traditional, rational bureacracy (challenging Weber’s thesis) • For individuals, the Internet is: – New combinations of work and self-employment – Individual expression – Collaboration and sociability – Possibility of political activism • ‘The network is the message’ not ‘The medium is the message’
  • 34. Media Imperialism (Herman & McChesney 2003) • The paramount position of the industrialized countries (above all US) in the production and diffusion of media: – A cultural empire has been established. – Less developed countries especially vulnerable because they lack the resources to maintain their own cultural independence.
  • 35. Media Imperialism • ‘hypodermic needle’ model which tends to assume that Western cultural products carry Western values that are ‘injected’ into passive consumers around the globe. • Audience studies: – consumers are active, not passive, watchers and listeners – may reject, modify or reinterpret the messages in media products. Ien Ang’s (1985) study of Dallas • Glocalisation – Robertson, R (1995)
  • 36. John Thompson (1990; 1995) Three Types of Interaction: 1. face-to-face, 2. mediated, 3. quasi-mediated The Frankfurt School underestimate the extent to which the consumers of media messages (mediated quasi-interaction) actively make sense of them through other forms of interaction Baudrillard overemphasises the dominance of mediated quasi-interaction on social life
  • 37. Conclusion • To what extent is contemporary society is a combination of an Orwellian/Huxley nightmare? – To what extent doesmedia imperialism, especially ownership, spreads the ideologies of the powerful, ensure the public remain ‘entertained’ and dull to real situations. • Or, new media has the potential for a Habermasian public sphere of debate. As Thompson argues, face-to- face communication and quasi-mediated interaction enable criticism. • You decide!
  • 38. Set reading • Crime: – Giddens, Ch. 21. – Macionis & Plummer, Ch. 17.