Sociology: Mass Media

Access and Interactivity

Audience demand and

market mechanism

Old media always gave people the opportunity to comment

E.g. they could write in positive/negative comments and some shows/radio stations would even read them out

Market mechanism: media content is controlled by audiences through supply and demand

Size and diversity of companies means owners cant control all content

With new media this is instant, e.g. polls online or by text, email...

Legislation

Audiences won't buy or watch something if they don't like it

Media companies compete to satisfy needs of the audiences

Ensures that broadcasting media has to be fair

e.g. bbc royal charter

Pluralists

Supporting arguments

Functionalist

There is a free media, anyone can set up a newspaper or magazine theoretically

By the 1970's the functionalist argument seemed to simplistic, society was changing

New technology e.g. internet and social networking sites

See the media as an agency of socialistation

Pluralists see the relationship between audiences and mass media as being more complex

Pluralists agree that mass media reflect common values

See that it performs complementary functions to the family and education

Ensure that everybodies opinions are heard

Society is more diverse and complex; media has changed to reflect this

The media reflects and reinforces the society's general consensus

E.g radio and tv channels aimed at specific audiences, e4, cbbc etc

Individualism, competition and financial success are all emphasised and encouraged

Jean Blondel: 'the mass media is competitive and diverse and therefore no single group controls it

Levesson Enquiry

A public, judge-led inquiry set up by David Cameron, examing the culture, practise and ethics of the press

Marxist

Set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal

Those who own the media also control it's content

examining the relationship between the press and the public and the press and politicians

This is hegenomy

Mass media is a form of social control: where dominant social classes perpetuate their dominant ideas

Neo Marxist

Dominant ideas = capitalist ideology

in 2007 Murdoch admitted that he had taken political control of the sun and and the news of the world but not the times and the sunday times, is this because he felt he could manipulate working classes?

Mass media makes the working class have

a false consciousness

Adapted version of traditional marxist view: agree the media puts across an ideology that supports capitalism

They have a false understanding of their true position in a capitalist society

Louis Althusser believes that the mass media is a part of the ISA like education, family and religion - people eventually accept the ideology

Watching a constant diet of soap operas and games shows dupes them into a passive acceptance of their own exploitation within the capitalist system = manipulative/instrumentalist approach

Legitimation = the process of the ideology being accepted by the masses, hegenomy

Herbert Marcusse: 'consumerism becomes the meaning of life'

Key Definitions

Ideology = a set of ideas/beliefs that reflect the needs and aspirations of a system/individual/group

Criticisms

Operationalisation = how sociologists define concepts in order to measure them

Old media = analogue media e.g. newspaper, radio

Marxist theory ignores rules and regulations that restrict media control

New media = digital media e.g. internet, pcs, ipads

Traditional Marxists

official secrets act/uk libel laws

Pluralism = a theory that society is made up of many different groups, all have more or less equal power

Powerful, capitalist people tend to own the media

and control it's content

size and complexity of organisations mean direct control is impossible

Transnational Corporation TNC = a large company with operations/outlets in various countries

Some argue these people have also influenced politicians

Cross media ownership = when a company owns a range of media forms

1997 General Election

Leaders of the labour party spent a great deal of time seeking Murdoch's support

Media conglomerate = a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media outlets

It is argued he censored news coverage to then favour the labour party

Vertical integration = when a company owns every means of media production

Synergy = integration of different media forms

Market mechanism = media content controlled by audiences through supply and demand

Ownership and Control

of the Media