Download Change over time

MEDIA: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF
THIS INSTITUTION AND HOW HAS
IT CHANGED OVER TIME?
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Defining “media”
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First and second media age
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The networked society
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Popular culture
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Media ownership
DEFINING “MEDIA”

How would you define the media?
WHAT IS THE MEDIA?

“The media (or the mass media) refers to all
forms of written communications to the public,
such as newspapers, magazines and books and to
all forms of transmitted communication, such as
radio, television, cinema and the Internet. The
term now included the new generation of mobile
phones, linked to the Internet” (Moore 2001,
p.194).
WHAT IS THE MEDIA?
The media is a window on the world
 The media is an interactive link
 The media is a provider of information
 The media is a filter, choosing what audiences should
see
 The media is an interpreter, making sense of the
world for audiences
 The media is a mirror, where audiences observe
society and figure out their place in it
 The media is a controller, socialising audiences to
understand what is the norm and what is deviant in a
society
(Moore 2001, p.195).

FIRST AND SECOND MEDIA AGE
FIRST AND SECOND MEDIA AGE
The second media age emerged in the final
decade of the 20th Century.
 Exemplified by the Internet, the second media
age transformed the nature and scope of
communication mediums (Holmes 2005 , p. 4).

FIRST AND SECOND MEDIA AGE
First Media Age
Second Media Age
Centred (few speak to many)
One-way communication
Predisposed to state control
An instrument of regimes of
stratification and inequality
Participants are fragmented and
constituted as a mass
Influences consciousness
Decentred (many speak to many)
Two-way communication
Evades state control
Democratizing: facilitates
universal citizenship
Participants are seen to retain
their indiduality
Influences individual experience
of space and time
Newspapers
Radio
Television
The rise of interactive media,
most especially the Internet
(Holmes 2005, pp.4-10)
THE NETWORKED SOCIETY
THE NETWORKED SOCIETY
“A modern type of society with an infrastructure
of social and media networks that characterizes
its mode of organisation at every level:
individual, group/organisational and societal.
 Increasingly, these networks link every unit or
part of this society (individuals, group and
organisations).
 In western societies, the individual linked by
networks is becoming the basic unit of the
network society.
 In eastern societies, this might still be the group
(family, community, work team) linked by
networks.”
(Dijk 2012, p.24)

THE NETWORKED SOCIETY
“In a networked society, boundaries are more
permeable, interactions are with diverse others,
links switch among multiple networks, and
hierarchies are flatter and more complex.
 People in networked societies live and work in
multiple sets of overlapping relationships. They
cycle among different networks. Many of the
people they deal with are physically dispersed
and do not know one other (i.e., the social
networks are “sparsely-knit”).”
(Wellman 2002, p.1)

THE NETWORKED SOCIETY

What do you perceive may be the benefits of the
networked society?
(Cake 2013)
THE NETWORKED SOCIETY

What do you perceive may be the disadvantages
of the networked society?
Opens up the possibility for hackers to commit
fraud and launch spam and virus attacks.
 Increases the risk of people falling prey to online
scams that seem genuine, resulting in data or
identity theft.
 Potentially results in negative comments from
employees about the company or potential legal
consequences if employees use these sites to view
objectionable, illicit or offensive material.
 Potentially results in lost productivity, especially
if employees are busy updating profiles, etc.
 Loss of personalised communication
 Isolation of individuals from the real world
(Society for Human Resource Management 2012:
Charusmita 2012)

POPULAR CULTURE
POPULAR CULTURE
Popular culture consists of activities, products,
and services that are assumed to appeal
primarily to members of the middle and working
classes.
 These include rock concerts, spectator sports,
movies and television shows.
 The three most prevalent forms of popular
culture are fads, fashions and leisure activities.
(Kendall 2016, p.62).

POPULAR CULTURE
Culture is produced within families,
neighbourhoods, schools, and churches – and it is
produced by the entertainment industry.
 Theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer,
refer to the mass media as the culture industry.
 The culture industry generates a wide array of
social meanings through the production, content,
and reception of commercial culture objects that,
taken as a whole, are consumed by the mass of
society.
(Kidd 2014, pp.6-10)

POPULAR CULTURE
“Because the mass media pervade the whole
society, the media influence such things as
popular styles, language, and value systems.”
 “Although popular culture may be widely
available and relatively cheap for consumers,
some groups derive their cultural experiences
from expensive theatre shows or opera
performances where tickets may cost hundreds of
dollars. Meanwhile, millions of “ordinary”
citizens get their primary cultural experience
from television and, increasingly, the Internet.”
(Anderson & Taylor 2015, p.46)

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
“The democratic ideal of a media which is
impartial, and designed to inform citizens, is
inevitably compromised as media ownership
becomes more concentrated.”
 “This is due to a reduction in the number of
perspectives that are available to citizens on any
given issue, at any given time; and this interferes
with an individual’s ability to formulate an
opinion, as access to information presented in an
unbiased and balanced fashion becomes more
and more restricted.”
(The Australian Independent Media Network 2014)

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
“An International Media Concentration Research
Project, led by Professor Eli Noam of Columbia
University, found that Australian newspaper
ownership was the most concentrated of 26
countries surveyed, and among the most
concentrated in the democratic world.
 For example, News Corp titles account for 59% of
all sales of daily newspapers, with sales of 17.3
million papers per week in Australia, making
News Corp Australia’s most influential
newspaper publisher by a considerable margin.”
(The Australian Independent Media Network 2014)

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
What does News Corp own?:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owne
d_by_News_Corp
MEDIA OWNERSHIP

In what specific situations is concentrated media
ownership dangerous?
HERE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY MEDIA
DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT:
Decision making. We make important decisions
about issues based on information obtained from
the mass media. We need a diversity of views and
opinions so we are informed and make the right
decisions.
(Lamb n.d.)

Democratic process. In democratic societies like
Australia, we use the news media to make decisions
about who will represent us in parliament and pass
laws on our behalf. A diverse and objective news
media is crucial to help us make the right decision.
According to the Centre for Democracy and
Governance, the media is essential to a healthy
democracy for two key reasons: “First, it ensures that
citizens make responsible, informed choices rather
than acting out of ignorance or misinformation.
Second, information serves a “checking function”by
ensuring that elected representatives uphold their
oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who
elected them. In some societies, an antagonistic
relationship between media and government
represents a vital and healthy element of fully
functioning democracies.”
(Lamb n.d.)

Political influence. Having a diverse media
means that it is less likely that media moguls,
like Rupert Murdoch, will be able to have too
much influence over the electoral process.
(Lamb n.d.)

Political accountability. The news media also
helps to keep our politicians accountable,
scrutinising their decisions and policies. A
diverse and tenacious news media helps to keep
our leaders honest and ensures that they act in
the public interest.
(Lamb n.d.)

Corporate accountability. Large
multinational corporations play an important
role in our lives. Unfortunately, they don’t always
act in the public interest, doing what is best for
their shareholders and the profitability of the
company. The news media helps to monitor the
behaviour of big business and ensure that they
act in an ethical and responsible manner.
(Lamb n.d.)

Community voice. Having a diversity of media
organisations means that the media will better
reflect the needs of our community and culture.
In Australia, for example, it is more cost effective
for media organisations to have fewer newsrooms
and source content from overseas. This could
potentially reduce our access to Australian
content. Similarly, smaller regional media outlets
provide a voice for people living in rural and
remote areas.
(Lamb n.d.)

CURRENT MEDIA OWNERSHIP LAWS

(Dwyer 2016)
The Government has announced the most
significant reforms to Australia's media laws in a
generation, supporting the viability of our local
organisations as they face increasing global
competition in a rapidly changing digital
landscape
 The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Media
Reform Bill) 2016 (the Bill) was introduced into
the House of Representatives on 2 March 2016.
 Suggested reforms include:

commercial television licences that collectively reach
in excess of 75 per cent of the Australian population
(the '75 per cent audience reach rule'); and
 more than two of the three regulated forms of media
(commercial radio, commercial TV and associated
newspapers) in the one commercial radio licence area
(the '2 out of 3 rule').

(Department of Communication and the Arts 2016)
REFERENCES:

Department of Communications and the Arts, 2016, ‘Updating Australia’s media laws,’ Australian Government, viewed 4 July 2016,
from <https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/television/media/updating-australias-media-laws>

Anderson, L. & Taylor, H. 2015, Sociology: The Essentials, Cengage Learning, Boston, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=l7oaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&dq=media%27s+influence+on+popular+culture+sociology&hl=en
&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQzqzEztnNAhWMpZQKHStjCscQ6AEINTAB#v=onepage&q=media's%20influence%20on%20popular%20cu
lture%20sociology&f=false>.

Cake, M. 2013, ‘The Shift from Information Age to Network Society,’ Youtube, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChEEJ92InM>.

Charusmita, 2012, ‘Castells’ “Network Society” and its assessment,’ Media and Development: Bringing together ideas of media iwth
the issues concerning Development, viewed 4 July 2016, from <http://formediaanddevelopment.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/castellsnetwork-society-and-its.html>.

Dijk, J. 2012, The Network Society, 3rd Edition, Sage Publications, London, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=7KEkMhWbpsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Sociology+the+networked+society&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZgfrlptnNAhVJmJQKHaZAARE
Q6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

Dwyer, T. 2016, ‘Explainer: what changes to Australia’s media ownership laws are being proposed?’ The Conversation, viewed 4 July
2016, from < http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-changes-to-australias-media-ownership-laws-are-being-proposed-55509>

Holmes, D. 2005, Communication Theory: Media Technology and Society, Sage Publications, London, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=JUzyNa78V3QC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=first+and+second+media+age+sociology&source=bl
&ots=TQBLY3hd0n&sig=bcynPZuCqgMLCMK_hU4CDC2oeSk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo8iDlNnNAhUGp5QKHeYmBXgQ6AEIUTAJ#v=onepage&q=first%20and%20second%20media%20age%20sociology&f=false>.

Kendall, D. 2016, Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, 10th Edition, Cengage Learning, Boston, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=d52aBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT89&dq=popular+culture+sociology&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI
8o3yxdnNAhVHtJQKHQcaA1sQ6AEIIjAB#v=onepage&q=popular%20culture%20sociology&f=false>.

Kidd, D. 2014, Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society, Westview Press, Boulder, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=SaV_AQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=medias+influence+on+popular+culture+sociology
&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfuNzAyNnNAhUBwJQKHZeMCVQQ6AEIUTAF#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

Lamb, B. n.d. ‘Australian Media Ownership,’ Lesson Bucket, viewed 4 July 2016, from <http://lessonbucket.com/vce-media/unit2/australian-media/australian-media-ownership/>.

Moore, S. 2001, Sociology Alive, Nelson Thornes Ltd, Cheltenham, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://books.google.com.au/books?id=YFoEJByucGcC&pg=PA193&dq=how+do+sociologists+define+the+media&hl=en&sa=X&ved
=0ahUKEwj_4LiSotnNAhXTNpQKHdPXDiAQ6AEIVTAJ#v=onepage&q=how%20do%20sociologists%20define%20the%20media&f=
false>.

Society for Human Resource Management, 2012, Social Media: What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking
sites? What should we include in a policy?, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<https://www.shrm.org/templatestools/hrqa/pages/socialnetworkingsitespolicy.aspx>.

The Australian Independent Media Network, 2014, Democracy and diversity: media ownership in Australia, viewed July 4 2016,
from <http://theaimn.com/democracy-diversity-media-ownership-australia/>.

Wellman, B. 2002, ‘Designing the Internet for a Networked Society: Little Boxes, Glocalization, and Networked Individualism,’
Communications of the ACM, viewed 4 July 2016, from
<http://www.itu.dk/people/khhp/speciale/artikler/Wellman_2001%20Designing%20the%20internet%20for%20a%20networked%20so
ciety.pdf>.