This chapter discusses media as a social institution and how it functions. It covers media economics and how commercials and content are crafted to appeal to audiences. It also examines how media exerts power over social norms and influences identities and behaviors. The chapter explores how media both maintains traditional gender norms but also breaks barriers by portraying more diverse representations. It provides examples of television shows, movies, and magazines that depict non-traditional gender roles and sexual preferences.
2. Table of Contents
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Media as a Social Institution
• 3. Media Economics
• 4. Media Economics cont.
• 5. Media Economics cont.
• 6. Media and Power
• 7. Media and Power cont.
• 8. Media, Power, and Hegemony
• 9. Interlocking Institutions
• 10. Media Content and Breaking Barriers
• 11. Media Content and Breaking Barriers cont.
• 12. Media Content and Breaking Barriers cont.
• 13. Conclusion
3. Introduction
• Media is the mass form of communication and understanding
• Types of media: television, movies, newspapers, radio,
magazines, etc.
• Talking about media not the media; media is too complex to
be portrayed as a singular term
• “We mention all forms of media because all media
communicated understandings of gender, and gender
influences all forms of mediated communication.”(235)
4. Media as a Social Institution
• Mass media as an institution is a recent conception
• Because of media’s youth it is not always easy to see it as an
institution
• Media are concerned with the construction of both content
and the audience viewing the content
5. Media Economics
• The economics when dealing with media are constantly
portrayed throughout the media programs
• A perfect example of a way to think about the portrayal and
explanation for economics in media are when you think of
and watch television
• With the viewing of television comes the inescapable viewing
of commercials and ads
6. Media Economics continued…
• Commercials are strategically placed in between the breaks of
programs that will appeal to the general audience viewing the
program
• Another role of economics is that it is crafted within the show
to appeal to the audience
• Example: Pretty Little Liars
7. Media Economics continued…
• Pretty Little Liars: show on ABC Family
• Appealing primarily to the teen and young adult audience
• Plot: Four friends battle together against an anonymous foe who
threatens to reveal their darkest secrets while uncovering the
mystery of the murder of their best friend
• The show has economic value based upon its success as it enters its
4th season but also in dealing with advertisements, commercials,
and in show content
• Economic possibilities: DVD sales, advertisements of other ABC
Family shows and movies, fashion, etc.
9. Media and Power
• We live in a consumer culture
• Power as an element of media is one that describes media as
an institution really well
• “Media exert power over how people do gender.” (238)
• Media forms such as magazines influence social norms
concerning gender, beauty, race, etc.
10. Media and Power continued…
• Media has the power to give people certain views on their
own identities
• Female example: magazines such as Cosmopolitan or Glamour
have the power to influence women to dress the way they
dress, style their hair accordingly, try celebrity diets, etc. to be
more feminine
• Male example: commercials such as Axe body spray or Old
Spice have the power to influence men to use their products
so they can be viewed and perceived as a masculine man
12. Media, Power, and Hegemony
• Media has the power to be extremely persuasive
• When dealing with media hegemony several types of media try and break
the barrier for the social norm
• For example: the show, Lost Girl, depicts the life and adventures of a crime
fighting, supernatural woman named Bo
• Bo is a tough, strong-willed, and ambitious character who although
appears to be masculine in her lifestyle, meets the feminine standards of
attractiveness
• “Media, as a central institution of civil society, maintain hegemonic
understandings of gender even as they create gaps and fissures in
representations of gender.” (239)
13. Interlocking Institutions
• Media is possibly the most interconnected institution
• Other institutions are portrayed and represented through media
institution
• The book discusses the institution of family being depicted in media, other
institutions such as work and education are also portrayed in media
14. Media Content and Breaking Barriers
• Media has come a long way as an institution
• The content within media is no longer the old fashioned views
of life
• Nowadays media is figuring out new ways of breaking down
the barriers of the social norm
• In various television shows, movies, magazines, music videos,
etc. the content has changed and includes the new social
norms of the 21st century
15. Media Content and Breaking Barriers
continued…
• In the various platforms of media different situations, problems,
romances, etc. are created to reflect the real world
• The way in which media is doing so can be a great influence to the
audience
• An great example of how things have changed is shown in the film
Pleasantville
• Many of the differences that media tries to portray happen in this
film; it’s not just about rescuing a cat from a tree anymore, there
are bigger problems, as in the tree is on fire
17. Media Content and Breaking Barriers
continued…
• A major update in media has been the role of sexual preference
• So many television shows, movies, books, etc. have reached out to
make a change and have had characters who prefer the same sex
rather than the social norm of a male-female relationship
• I think that because media is willing to portray these types of
characters, it is influencing people in similar situations that it is okay
to like who you like
• The message is positive
18.
19. Conclusion
• Media is everywhere
• Media as an institution has its good sides and bad sides of
influencing its viewers
• As long as media is making the effort and the strides to be a
positive and worthwhile institution than the more it will
benefit its audiences
20. Works Cited
• www.google.com/images "Google Images." Google Images.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
• Communicating Gender Diversity: A Critical Approach by
Victoria Pruin DeFrancisco and Catherine Helen Palczewski,
Sage Publishers, 2007.
• www.imdb.com "Pretty Little Liars." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d.
Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
