History of Media Effects Research- media consumers often assume the media have large, negative effects on them.Rise of Mass Society- The rise of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century we see massive migration from rural areas into the cities.- With this, people went from a small close knit community knowing everyone to a mass society where they learned mass media sources.Propaganda and the Direct Effects Model- Critics feared that mass media would become a powerful source in society- This viewed audience members as passive targets who would be hit or injected with the messagemedia effects on individuals vs whole society- Direct effects approach: viewed media messages as a stimulus that would lead to a predictable attitudinal or behavioral response with nothing intervening between sender and audience.- Magic bullet/hypodermic needle: basically the same as direct effects, direct effect on someone- Indirect effects approach: still looks at the effects messages have on individuals, but it accounts for the fact that the audience members perceive and interpret messages selectively.- Propaganda: direct message to public, very forcefulVoter Studies and Limited Effects Model- The People’s Choice1940’s US presidential election between Roosevelt and Wilkie- Opinion leadersInfluential community members, friends, family members, and co workers who spend a significant amount of time with the media.Information flows from the media to opinion leadersOrdinary people who are very interested and involved in a topic- People’s choice study found that few people changed their minds about who they were going to vote for because:voters who start off with a strong opinion are unlikey to change themthe most easily persuaded voters are not likely to pay attention to political communication because they aren’t strongly influencedImportance of Meaning and the Critical/Cultural model- how people use media to construct their view of the world rather than looking at how media changes people’s behaviors.- examination of the social structure- considers how meaning is created within society- looks at how people use and construct messagesMessage EffectsCognitive effects: the most common and observable message effects is on the short-term learning of informationPeople who want to talk more intelligently from media pay more attention to mediaAttitudinal effects: people can develop feelings about a product, individual, or an idea on the basis of media contentBehavioral effects: include actions such as clipping a coupon from a newspaper, buying a product, making a phone call, or voting for a candidatePsychological effects: media content can inspire fear, joy, revulsion, happiness, or amusement among other feelings.Major affect = arousalTheories of Media EffectsProvide guidance for predicting how and when the media will have effectsAgenda setting function of the news (McComb & Shaw, 1972)(Agenda = what we think are important)The media don’t tell us what to think, but what to think about.Persuasive effect, can influence electionPossible agenda items:Politics, economics, foreign policy, education, etc* Media Effects & NewsGan’s Journalistic Values (there are 8):1. Ethnocentrism:2. Altruistic democracy: Choosing the public3. Individualism: Standing out, it is important to be uniqueNegative media effects:1. Advertisement: for example, frosted flakes or cereal,obesity2. ViolenceSocial learning theory – albert bandura (1961 Bobo doll experiment)Cultivation and Mean World Syndrome – George GerbnerCultivation example: “watching one episode of breaking bad wont change you that much but watching multiple seasons, and playing halo, and reading about violence, will.”Mean world syndrome: we think that the world is a really mean and scary place because we consume so much media, the actual media effectCrime and violent based dramas are very popularDo the media have positive effects on us?- there are some positive media effectsWhat does Prosocial mean?Socially desirable and which in some way benefits the infividual or society as a whole.Pro-social effects and childrenActions are likely to be imitated if the character is:Realistic, similar to the child, receives positive reinforcement, carries out an action that is imitable by the childPro-social effects and AdolescentsMedia EnjoymentElevation & appreciationWitnessing Moral BeautyStudies of media and elevation by Mary Beth OliverWhat is News?News Criteria:Timeliness – is it new? Is it recent?Proximity – how close a story is to where your at, for example two people die in a car crash in Bloomington, Indiana wont make news in Bloomington, IllinoisProminence – how important is the eventConsequence – what are the outcomes of this event (heavily populated area vs. not)Rarity – If it is a rare event you will probably see it, (an eclipse)Human Interest – makes us feel something, emotion, connects with viewerEarly NewspapersIn Ancient Rome, officials distributed Acta DiurnaDaily act of distributing informationGovernment officials in China produced news sheets1618: Curanto (Amsterdam)First English-language newspaperNewspapers distributed throughout European coffee housesChurch reformers John Calvin and Martin Luther were among the earliest publishersColonial Publishing1690: Publick Occurrences: First American paper?Clicker question: Public occurrences went out of business because of: Government Intervention1721: New England CourantPublished by James FranklinFirst paper published without “By Authority” noticeJames was sent to prison and his little brother took over, he was the first to produce political cartoons & weather reportsEarly American NewspapersFor the elites, not for the massesFor people who could afford it, published by political partiesFocused on opinionExpensive, small circulationsEverything changed with the Penny PressClicker question: What was the first popular and successful penny press paper? The New York Sun.Penny Press RevolutionBenjamin Days “The New York Sun”- “It shines for all”Sold on the street for one or two centsSupported primarily by advertisingNewspapers started to focus on the “News” – had to be newJournalistic objectivity developed as a way to appeal to larger audiencesClicker question: What is objectivity in a news content? Idea that showing multiple sides of an issue and avoiding the appearance of a biasA Modern Democratic SocietyMore newspapers now than everMore people working for wagesUs was
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