Internet/WWW TrendsNew technology: utopia v. dystopiaUtopiaMcLuhan’s “global village” – new technology might bring us closer together (through discussion)Virtual democracy – people truly being involved in governmentAccess to information is empoweringDystopiaIssues with access/digital divide – access is not universal = divide between technology haves and have-notsTechnology gap information gap1st Amendment issuesCitizen journalists as the 4th estate truthfulness? credibility?Freedom of expression hate speech? children’s access to porn?User-generated content happy slapping: attacking people for viral videos)Privacy issuesPrivacy of communication e-mail privacy? (anything on state-supported system is public, e.g. FSU e-mail) social media?Privacy of information dataveillance: surveillance of personal data to project what a consumer’s next purchase might beOpt-in/Opt-out: consumer decides when the information-collecting stopsNet neutrality: all information on the Internet is equally accessible – nothing is given priority (as created by scientists)Since the Internet was taken over by corporations, this concept has become a ? – cable companies want to charge individual HH more than others for using more bandwidthSupreme Court ruled that the FCC does not have the right to regulate the Internet or enforce net neutralityCopyright/intellectual propertyDigital natives: people who have never known a world without the InternetEffects DebateDo media affect individuals/society? (And is that bad?)Common misconceptions about the media“It is not real and people know that it is not real.”“It is only play/entertainment.”“It is just a reflection of society, not a change agent in it.”“It only reinforces existing beliefs/values.”“If it impacts anything, they are just trivial things (like fads/fashion).”Media effects?They are not a matter of opinion, but a subject of (social) science researchThe ? is really:In what ways?How much (relative to other factors)?Under what conditions?With what consequences?Why should we worry about this?Scientific study of media effects3 types of possible effects1) Cognitive2) Emotional3) BehavioralThere is no single theory of effectsSocial-scientific theory of effects“hard” v. “soft” science – social (soft) science deals with peopleEarly window: media give children a window on the world before they have the critical/intellectual ability to judge what they seeWillingly suspend disbelief: willingly accept as real what is put before usMicro level: personal level (media have few direct effects at this level)Macro level: cultural level (hidden impact of media)Administrative research: asks ?s about the immediate, observable influence of mass comm (direct causes & effects)Critical research: asking larger ?s about what kind of nation we are building/what kind of people we are becoming (more significant cultural ?s)Transmissional perspective: sees media as senders of information for the purpose of control (either media have effects on our behavior or they do not)Ritual perspective: views media not as a means of transmitting “messages in space” but as central to “the maintenance of society in time”Defining Mass Communication TheoryMass comm theories: explanations/predictions of social phenomena that attempt to relate mass comm to various aspects of our personal/cultural lives or social systemsCultivation analysis: people’s ideas of themselves, their world, and their place in it are shaped/maintained primarily through TVAttitude change theory: explains how people’s attitudes are formed, shaped, changed, and how those attitudes influence behaviorMiddle-range theories: explain/predict specific, limited aspects of the mass comm processIdeas of mass comm theory1) There is no one mass comm theory2) They are often borrowed from other fields of science3) They are human constructions4) They are dynamic (undergo frequent recasting, acceptance, and rejection)HistoryEarliest studies looked at behavior (1920s – when motion pictures emerged)Payne Fund studies1960s – specific effects assumedBehavioral cognitiveMedia violenceIncreased social interest in late 1960sAssumption was that viewing media violence increased aggressionCatharsis: watching violence in the media reduces people’s innate aggressive drive (deflated by social cognitive theory)Social cognitive theory of mass comm: explains how we can learn behaviors by watching others perform them in mediaModeling: learning through imitation and identification – in order to model, you must pay attention, retain the information, be physically capable of the behavior, and be motivated to perform the behaviorImitation: direct replication of observed behaviorIdentification: special form of imitation in which observers do not copy exactly what they have seen but make a more generalized but related responseImitation and identification are products of 3 processes1) Observational learning: observers acquire new behaviors simply by seeing them performed2) Inhibitory effects: seeing a model punished for a behavior reduces the likelihood that the observer will perform it3) Disinhibitory effects: seeing a model rewarded for prohibited/threatening behavior increases the likelihood that the observer will perform itConsensus = we can learn violent behavior through media, but we are motivated to not perform those behaviors due to moral code, punishment, etc.4 major eras of mass comm theory1) Era of Mass Society TheoryMedia needed to be controlled to prevent abuses of power (like the Nazis)Mass society theory: media are corrupting influences that undermine social order and “average” people are defenseless against themHypodermic needle theory/magic bullet theory: media are a dangerous drug/killing force against which “average” people are defenselessGrand theory: designed to describe/explain all aspects of a given phenomenon2) Era of the Limited Effects PerspectiveHalloween 1938 – The War of the WorldsLimited effects theories: media’s influence is limited by people’s individual differences, social categories, and personal relationships2-step flow theory: media’s influence on people’s behavior is limited by opinion leaders: people who initially consume media content, interpret it in light of their own values/beliefs, and pass it on to opinion followers, who have less frequent contact with mediaDissonance theory: when confronted by new or conflicting
View Full Document
Unlocking...