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What is the news?
- information the public uses to connect to their community (local or national) or make informed decisions to better their lives -any type of mass media focused on presenting info to the masses with a purpose of educating and informing the public
hard news
heavily reported, serious and important news which help create informed citizens ex)politics, economy, war
soft news
information and entertainment, non- serious issues covered ex) art and culture, human interest-buzzfeed
types of nontraditional news
1. comedy talk shows (late and tonight show) 2. cable opinion news programs (persons commentary, O'reily factor) 3. satirical news (daily show, colbert report)
why should we care about the news?
-shape our understanding of society -inform us as to what others think - inform us as to what issues we should focus on - a necessary component of democracy
public opinion
- aggregate (overall outlook) of publics attitude toward an issue or object - formally measured by opinion polls, surveys and votes or referendum -reflects on average of all responses, not extremes, doesn't account for 'no opinion', positive or negative opinion and behavior in WWII
conformity
why do people go along with the crowd? group pressure more likely to agree with majority
spiral of science theory
people who believe their opinion is not in the majority, will not speak out on a topic because they fear rejection -today: like on fb- more likely to check it out and like it too
2014 Pew study
- in both personal and online settings, people were more willing to share their views if they thought their audience agreed with them -1 People were less willing to discuss the Snowden-NSA story in social media than they were in person. -2 Social media users were also less likely to s…
Framing
a central organizing idea for news content that supplies a context and suggests what the issues are ~journalistic tool ~does this through use of selection, emphasis, exclusion, and elaboration of words, phrases or visual images ~small changes in words can shift the frame of a mes…
Gatekeeping
news media chooses which stories will be reported over another
why is framing important?
-can influence how we see the world - what we deam to be important - how we answer questions (should we go to war?) - how we form attitudes
frames come from?
journalists and editors ~news producers may favor 1 side or other due to bias or time restrictions lobbyists/ public relations pros ~ job means creating favorable image for an organization and its products
gain frame
PSAS -emphasizes benefits of a behavior or news story, positive ex: # of lives saves, you will benefit demo something ~stop smoking
loss frame
emphasizes the cost of behavior or news story, negative, disadvantages ~# of lives lost, risk you take by not performing some behavior
results of media framing?
-students prefer to get news form daily show - frames help audiences understand better
more effective? gain or loss frame?
loss- more powerful, shows fear
Interpersonal contact
discussion with others, seeing fliers or bumper stickers, overhearing, etc.
Selective exposure
– Choosing media channels that agree with your views & ignoring those that don’t.
Selective perception
– Perceiving information through your own desires and attitudes.
Selective attention
– Viewing messages that fit your worldview & ignoring those that don’t.
Selective retention
– Remembering information that fits your worldview & forgetting what doesn’t.
Agenda setting
- more coverage of an issue= more importance in the minds of the public ex: malasia flight =HOW MUCH
cognitive misers
we consume just enough info to get through our daily life
Chapel hill study (McCombs/Shaw 1968)
-tested nc voters on views of issues (civil rights) for 1968 pres race - found media emphasis=public perception - horse-race coverage= false perceptions of candidates (leader must be best) - if media didn't cover it= no big deal, not important
unobtrusive issues
- those we have little or no experience with ~climate change, chinese population
obtrusive issues
- those that public can experience daily ~ unemployment, crime, taxes
news messages
focus on objective info to inform the public
marketing message
focus on persuasive info to influence public decisions and behaviors
demographics
variables used to categorize people by life characteristics ~age, gender, educational level, income, race/ethnicity -marketers match demographics of desired audience to the demographics of particular media
targeting public
-to sell advertising, media conduct research on audiences ~mags, newspaper reader surveys ~internet pop up surveys ~facebook, netflix, amazon, expedia
psychographics
- variables used to reflect attitudes, beliefs, and behavior - measured through surveys or focus groups ~now measured via online behavior - better way to target than demographics
nelsen TV ratings
how many people are watching a certain program? who are they?
rating
percent of TV homes tuned into television
viewing estimate
number of people watching based on live viewing and dvd playback the same day
two methods of agenda setting
surveys- to see what people think content analysis- see whats actually being reported and frequency of coverage
entertainment education
- inserting health messages into entertainment programming - program needs to be entertainment based with health messages being added to it
persuasion
- a method using rational rational and or emotional arguments to convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs or behaviors - NOT coercive and NOT manipulative - doesn't FORCE people to change
Attitude
- general and enduring positive or negative feeling about a person, object, or issue ~persuader asks: - what do i want people to feel positive or negative towards?
belief
- description of what an individual assumes to be true or false -sometime that we assume to be fact -persuader asks: ~ what are relevant beliefs that i want others to hold?
behavior
- the way in which a person acts in response to a particular situation to stimulus - a basic human action - persuader asks: ~ how do i want to influence an individuals behavior
3 behavioral responses to persuasion
1. response shaping 2. response reinforcing 3. response changing
response shaping
- new products - similar to learning ~persuader is the teacher, audience is a student - persuader attempts to shape the response of an audience by teaching individuals how to behave EX) microsoft surface tablet ad- everyone can use it, shows how to easily attach the keyboard
response reinforcing
- currently-held convictions are strengthened to be more resistant to change - makes people feel more strongly by demonstrating their attitudes toward specific behaviors EX) Ford- keeps customers, reinforces you to keep buying
response changing
- new behaviors to replace old ones as a result of persuasion - MOST DIFFICULT KIND of persuasion because we are reluctant to change EX) spaghetti sauce commercials- pin against each other, Coke VS pepsi, Bing it on- change from google
common forms of persuasion
- debate- what attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors we should hold? - expert opinion- doctors, professors, opinion leaders- change attitudes - letters to the editor ~ between 15-30 products inserted in every 1/2 hr of tv EX) castle- demonstrate new phone, american idol- coke cups
less common forms of communication
- buzz/stealth marketing ~ word of mouth endorsement EX) victoria secret/pink: find opinion leaders on campus to get people to wear clothes ~relies on opinion leaders and early adopters EX) Ford Focus- given keys to drive one hoping tell friends
central route persuasion
- persuasion that occurs when audience... ~is interested ~pays attention ~ is intellectually involved EX) political ads- already have firm beleifs
peripheral route of persuasion
- persuasion that occurs when people are influenced by secondary cues like... ~ attractiveness ~ sex status ~ humor -more likely when were watching programs that are designed to entertain us -not motivated to think about the topic EX) Taco Bell
3 things persuasion is meant to influence?
attitudes, beliefs and behaviors
What are the 6 principals of persuasion?
Reciprocity Scarcity Authority Consistency Liking Consensus
reciprocity
- obligation to give when receive EX) waitress gives mints at end of meal= increase in tip, Netflix free monthly trial ad
scarcity
- people want more things they can have less of EX) promotion emails- black friday, get it before its gone
authority
- people will follow the lead of credible knowledgable experts EX) dentists, doctors- lab coats, plaque ad- trust cause dentist in lab coat
consistency
- looking and asking for commitments that can be made - voluntary, active, and public commitments in writing EX) take a survey, make a donation for human rights EX) asking patients to write down future appointments= reduced missed appt by 18%
liking
- people say yes to the people they like like people who... 1. people that are similar to us 2. people who pay us compliments 3. people who cooperate with us EX) tupperware parties
consensus
- people look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own EX) hotel guests reusing towels, because other guests are doing it EX) amazon reviews
Third person effect
An individual’s perception that the media have a stronger impact on others than on the self ~ persuasive messages (e.g. commercials) ~ the news ~ the entertainment media (music, TV violence, porn)
self-enhancement
human tendency to perceive the self in ways that make us look good or at least better than other people
The theory of planned behavior
-helps to predict and explain whether a persuasive message (e.g. anti-smoking ad) would persuade a media consumer (e.g. smoker) to change his/her behavior (e.g. quit smoking) ~ attitude towards behavior, felt social pressure to act, belief in own ability to complete a task (self-efficacy…
Why we use media
1. learning 2. habit 3. companionship 4. arousal 5. relaxation 6. escape 7. social interaction enhancer 8. passing time 9. social dangers 10. spending too much time with media
learning
-daily news - commonwealth of ideas
habit
- part of our daily routine - reward for week EX) tv shows on certain days
companionship
- social connections- FB - parasocial relationships ~feel connection to fictional characters ~can lead to emotional connections- love to hate characters EX) who shot JR= 2nd all time rated show, 50%+ viewers
arousal
- sensation seeking ~looking for thrilling emotion triggering content EX) SAW, the ring ~ social desirability= desire to look good to others
social desirability
- desire to look good to others - Ex) when a stranger calls in class ~how many people watched to look strong to others around them? or actually curious?
escape
- offers more exciting reality
social interaction enhancer
- gives us common content with friends and co workers ex) twin peaks- least watched show, more talked about
passing time
- addiction (men more likely) - threshold effect: up to 10 hrs/week= you're good
spending too much time with media
- displacement hypothesis: time that we spend with media is displacing time we could spend on more important activities
social dangers
- learned behaviors ~characters more likely to be sarcastic and aggressive ~ situations more dramatic ~ both = higher ratings - personal dangers EX) hills characters faked having arguments with each other to increase ratings
every 2 hours of tv watching makes us.. (compared to doing something more active)
- 23% more likely = Obese. - 15% more likely = heart disease. - 13% more likely to die (of anything).
why?
- Media Ads promote unhealthy food. ~How many ads for sweet potatoes have you seen? - Media watching promotes snacking ~ Viewers ate 2x more snack foods (habit= less likely to pay attention and eat when full).
Criticisms of Uses and Gratifications
- Assumes that media consumption is rational and individualistic. - Relies on self-reported descriptions of reason for media use ~We are inclined to give socially desirable responses + Conclusion: ~We need to approach media with these considerations in mind
Choose your Media Carefully
- Know your Purpose for Using Media - Understand the Benefits - Weigh the Potential Harms

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