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A2 Sociology
The significance of the media –
Optimistic Vs Pessimistic view
Optimistic Vs Pessimistic
Pessimism
Optimism
Views on the media
There is a lot of debate about the new media
and its significance in contemporary society.
• Some have an optimistic view seeing the
media as playing a positive role in society
• Others have a pessimistic view seeing the
media as playing a negative role in society.
Optimist view of the Media
• What would an optimist say about the Media?
Widening consumer choice
• There now hundreds of digital cables and
satellite TV channels, websites and online
newspapers for people to choose from
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkWViQL
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More media user participation
• Interactive digital TV, blogging and citizen
journalism, video and photo sharing websites
like YouTube, and social networking sites like
MySpace are all giving consumers more
opportunities to participate in using and
producing media content.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0VOM7e
5Hug
Greater democracy
• There is now a wide range of news sources
and a vast ocean of information available to
all. More people not just large media
corporation have the opportunity to
communicate with waste numbers of people.
• Social movement and campaigns through
blogging, email and website to spread their
ideas and build up support.
Access to all kinds of information and a
global village
• Everyone has access to huge amounts of
information and high culture which were
formerly limited to educated elites.
World as a global village
• McLuhan (1962) - global village can be used to describe
how the electronic mass media collapse space and
time barriers in human communications (satellite
technology and time barriers in communications)
• New media promotes cultural diversity reducing
national barriers between local and global which
effectively allow people from different cultures to
connect.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=backsHLqsIk
Social life and social interaction
• The media have opened up new channels for
communication and interaction , enhancing or
supplementing face to face interaction.
Social life and social interaction
• Factors such as gender, age, ethnicity and
social class might mean that once in the “real
world” those conversation might have been
avoided can now take place in the virtual
world.
• Why do you think that might be ?
Some figures .... Users per month
MySpace:
• 109 million
Facebook:
• 86 million,
Bebo:
• 21 million
Alloy Marketing Firm (2007)
• Use of Bebo, MySpace, Facebook:
– 96% of teens (8-12),
– 70% of young adults (16-24),
– 40% of adults (24 and above).
North Africa
• Use of Twitter & Facebook to co-ordinate
demonstrations in North Africa
Wiki leeks?
What’s your opinion about the
topic covered ?
Extension activity
• Create revision notes of what you have
learned in the last two sessions.
Mass Media
Pessimistic views of the new media
Pessimistic views of the new media
What are some of the negative views
sociologists have when looking at the
concept of mass media ?
Boyle (2007)
• Argues that the media for young people has
been a cultural and symbolic battlefield over
image, identity, difference, and being cool.
• What aspects of the media do you think
influence young people according to Boyle?
Boyle (2007)
• Media specifically the internet has changed
the consumption among young people (1624),
• Internet is an integral part of their
entertainment and social networking through
various user generated sites and online
communities.
Media imperialism
• The suggestion that the new media
particularly satellite television and global
advertising have led to the Westernisation of
other cultures, Western (especially American)
cultural values are forced on non Western
cultures leading to the undermining of local
cultures.
Media imperialism task
• You will be shown three videos which depict
the concept of media imperialism,
• Make notes of examples picked up in the
videos which depict the concept of
imperialism.
Visual images....
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gbw6m2
hX60
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmXUmdr
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Threat to democracy
• Transnational corporations like Microsoft,
Google, Yahoo, Vodafone, and New
Corporations control the internet technology,
the satellite channels and mobile networks.
• This poses a threat to democracy and enhances
power of the already powerful as more and
more of what we know is dominated and
controlled by global corporation.
• EG –Google China, government censorship
Lack of regulation
• The global nature of the new media such as
the internet and satellite broadcasting means
that there is a lack of regulation by national
bodies like Ofcom.
• This means that undesirable things such as
internet crime, paedophilia, pornography,
violence and racism can thrive virtually
unchecked.
OFCom
• The regulating body who is in charge of
ensuring that no offensive materials are
broadcast or published through new media.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUnfvr57u
ck&feature=related
No real increase in consumer choice
• Poorer quality of media content which is
dumbed down in order to attract large
audiences, much of the same content on
different channels and endless repeats,
• replacement of hard news by infotainment
(information wrapped up to entertain) such as
celebrity based programmes.
Worst TV show on tv?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivreJNB_5
k0&NR=1
Undermining of human relationships
and communities
• Increase in social isolation due to solitary
electronic media
• Loss of social capital (social networks of
influence and support people have)
Addicted to the internet
• http://www.netaddiction.com/index.php?opti
on=com_bfquiz&view=onepage&catid=46&Ite
mid=106
Digital divide
• Not everyone has access to all new media,
there is digital divide between those who can
and those who cant afford it,
• This creates national and global inequalities
and a new digital underclass whose members
are excluded from the alleged benefit of the
new media.
Complete your worksheet
• Read the digital divide box and write a
summary the information in the box on your
worksheet
Articulate cards
• Create your set of articulate cards by writing
down key terminology