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MEDIA/SOCIETY
Study Guide
Chapter One: Media and the Social World
Purpose and Goals
This chapter introduces the theoretical approach which underlies Media/Society. It examines
the social implications of mass media and explores how a sociology of media approach is
distinctive. It also provides students with some basic information on the history of media
development and the pervasiveness of media in contemporary society. This chapter sets the
stage for the rest of the book. It provides some basic media background for students and gets
students thinking about the media as a social system.
Chapter Outline
The Importance of Media
The Rise of Media
The Print Medium
Sound Recording and the Film Medium
Broadcast Media
“New” Media
Media and Society
Mass Media in Socialization
Mass Media in Social Relations
A Sociology of Media
The Importance of Social Relations
Structural Constraint and Human Agency
Structure
Agency
Structure and Agency in the Media
Relationships Between the Media and Other Social Institutions
Relationships Within the Media Industry
Relationships Between the Media and the Public
A Model of Media and the Social World
Applying the Model: The Civil Rights Movement
Conclusion
Key Themes
 Mass media are pervasive in contemporary society
 A brief overview of the history of mass media development shows it to be a relatively
recent phenomenon
 Media are a central socializing influence in contemporary society
 The sociology of media involves seeing media as a social process
 One key sociological concern is the tension between structural constraint and human
agency
 Three types of social relations are key to understanding the media: the relationship
between the media and other social institutions, the relationships within the media
industry, and relationships between the media and the public
 The “media and the social world” model highlights both the media as a process and
also the relationships between various elements of this process
Key Concepts and Terms
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Agency: independent, intelligent, creative human action
Agents of socialization: individuals, groups or organizations that provide structured
situations in which socialization can occur
Broadcasting: the dissemination of electronic media (radio, TV) from a sender to a
large audience
Compact disk (CD): technology used for digital sound recordings
Culture: the sum total way of life of a group of people
Culture shock: the disorientation that outsiders feel when entering a foreign culture;
useful for developing a sociological perspective, making the familiar strange
Digital video disk (DVD): technology used for digital image recordings
Digitization: converting media products (print, image, sound) into digital format for
use on computers and the through the internet
Home videos: the ability for individuals to tape their own videos using consumer
equipment
Information superhighway: the World Wide Web, internet
Internet: computer network linking computers worldwide
Leisure: time free from the demands of work or duty where people can enjoy
recreation, entertainment and rest
Long-playing record (LP): vinyl record, also called an “album”
Macro level: analysis of large scale social patterns (social structure, social
institutions, inequalities)
Magnetic tape: technology used for audio and video taping
Media: plural form of medium (meaning “middle”)
Micro level: analysis of small scale social patterns (the self, identity, interaction,
groups)
Multi-tasking: using more than one form of media at a time
Narrowcasting: new media aimed at niche audiences
New media: digital media and the internet
Norms: the rules, guidelines and expectations for behavior (based on values)
Old media: print, sound and broadcast media
Phonograph: also called record player
Radio: early broadcast medium featuring sound and using airwaves
Reader: term used instead of “receiver” or “audience”, implies active interpretation
of media
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Social institutions: relatively stable social structures that provide for the needs of
society (for example, the family, economy, politics, or media)
Socialization: the process whereby people learn and internalize the values and norms
of their culture
Sociological perspective: how sociologists look at the social world, seeking the link
between the macro and micro levels of analysis
Structure: implies constraint to human agency
Talking pictures: movies
Technology: the application of science to create material products, especially toward
commercial or industrial purposes
Telegraph: device for transmitting messages across wire; first technology that freed
communication from physical transportation (horse, train, boat)
Television: early broadcast medium featuring sound and image; uses electromagnetic
spectrum or airwaves for dissemination
Texts: media messages or products
The media industry: complex of corporations in the business of media production and
distribution
The social construction of reality: people must negotiate the definition of reality by
assigning meaning to it
The sociological imagination: C. Wright Mills’ concept of seeing the connection
between the individual and the social (related to the sociological perspective)
Values: ideas and beliefs about what is valuable in society, good and bad, right and
wrong, normal and abnormal
Videocassette recorder (VCR): a magnetic tape recorder for recording (and playing
back) television programs
Essay or Discussion Questions
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How does the presence of media affect your life? How would it be different without
the mass media?
What are the key defining characteristics of “mass media”?
What do sociologists mean by the terms structure and agency? Show how the two are
related to each other by providing a concrete example related to the media process.
Explain how the influence of mass media extend beyond what we know to include
how we relate to the social world.
Explain how the elements of the “media and the social world” model relate to each
other.
Overall, do you think the growing presence of mass media in our lives is a positive or
negative development? Why?
How is watching a politician make a speech on television different than watching
them make a speech in person? What does this suggest about the capabilities and
limitations of mass media?
How do you think the presence of television has changed family life? Do you think
the spread of the internet will have similar effects? Why or why not?
What do you think is the most significant media development in your lifetime? Why?