Five Eras of Media Theories

1. Five Eras of Media Theories Baran & Davis Chapter 2

2. At the end of this lesson you should be able to learn the following topics: • Five eras of media theories. • The Mass Society Theory • Mass Culture Theory • Scientific Perspectives on Mass Communication • Limited Effects Paradigm • Cultural Criticism • Moderate Effects Perspective

3. Society ------------ Media Mass Society ----- Rise of Media Theory Industries

4. A. Mass Society & Mass Culture • That the new industrial technology disrupt peaceful rural communities forcing people to live in urban areas merely to serve the workforce in large factories / bureaucracies etc. • Mass media symbolized everything that was wrong with 19th century urban life. • Mass media is responsible for changing the cultural norms – the old social order based on landed aristocracy was crumbling so as its cultures & politics.

5. The dominant perspective during this period is the Mass Society Theory. Mass society theory deals with ideas that held strong appeal for any social elites whose power was threatened by change. E.g. the ‘Penny Press’ were a convenient target for elites’ criticism.

6. The essential argument of mass society theory is that media undermining the traditional social order. • They favored all forms of technological development including that of mass media. Technology was good. It facilitate control over the physical environment, expand human productivity & generate new form of material wealth. • While on one hand this is encouraging but industrialization brought about other

7. other problems such as exploitation of workers, pollution & social unrest (These arguments is captured in chpt. 3,4,5).

8. B. Scientific Perspective of mass Communication • This is the view that the media is not as powerful as previously imagined. But rather audience had numerous ways resisting media influence. • This perspective view that media is reinforcing existing social trends & strengthening rather than threatening the status quo. • Lazarsfeld, Berelson, Gaudet (1940’s)

9. C. Limited Effects Paradigm • The mass society theories was again under attack as ‘unscientific’ or ‘irrational’. • Mass communication scholars stopped at looking at the powerful media effects but rather look into the ‘limited effects theories.’ Such as the ‘elite pluralism theories – that the theory asserting that the media use by sophisticated audiences enriches the process of democracy.

10. D. Cultural Criticism • This is the notion that the media enable the dominant social elites to secure their power. Media provide the ruling elite with a convenient, subtle, yet highly effective means of promoting worldviews favorable to their interest.

11. e.g. The British cultural studies focus heavily on mass media in their role promoting a hegemonic (dominant ideas that is imposed on society) worldview and dominant culture among various subgroups in the society.

12. E. Moderate Effects Perspective • The moderate media effects perspectives support the idea of communication science, social semiotics & media literacy. • That is research that integrates all research approaches grounded in qualitative, empirical & behavioral research methods.

13. Social Semiotics theory attempted to integrate communication science, critical & cultural studies focusing on audience activity to understand how audience members make sense of media messages. • Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze evaluate & communicate media messages.

14. PART I

15. The Mass Society Theory • Background: • That the new industrial technology disrupt peaceful rural communities forcing people to live in urban areas merely to serve the workforce in large factories / bureaucracies etc. • Mass society theory deals with a review about the media in particular the roles of newspapers. • For many social thinkers at that time (19th century- 1840’s-1850’s) mass media symbolized everything that was wrong in the 19th century urban life. • Media was singled out for providing severe criticism and was charged with supporting the lower class taste, instigating political unrest, or violating important cultural norms of that time.

16. The social order at that time were controlled by landed aristocracy (land owners) who were experiencing decay & crumbling including their culture and their politics. • That dominant thinking emerged during this period is referred to as the Mass Society Theory

17. The social order present at that time was that the aristocracy is crumbling including their culture & politics. • The monarchy at that time wanted to maintain the old political order by which the monarch controls the society. But the revolutionaries wanted to impose radical changes & reject the control by monarchy.

18. The mass society ideas held strong appeal for any social elites whose power was threatened by new change of the social order in the society. • Media industries like the Penny Press (1840s & 1850s) were the target for elite's criticism. The press were supporting the revolutionary's movement and not the elite.

19. Note: • 1. Elite referred to people occupying or in the privileged positions in a social system whose power was based on the industrial revolution. • 2. Penny Press (1840 & 1850) is the newspaper that sold for one penny (cent) & earned sale through the sale increased numbers of readers to advertisers.

20. yellow journalism (the use of sensationalism 1880’s & 1890’s). • This is the era where newspapers were monopolistic and employed unethical practices like sensationalism to instigate mass audience (readers) to sell newspapers.

21. The Theory: • The argument of Mass Society Theory is based on the idea that the media undermine the traditional social order (aristocracy) of the time. • Proponents of this theory supports the drastic social order of change must takes place. The debate - who should do these changes was an interesting one? The aristocrats or the urban elites?

22. The media were viewed as having the power to shape people’s perceptions of the social world and to manipulate our actions in subtle but effective ways. This theory assumed that media influence must be controlled. • This theory appear in the late 19th century as various social elites are struggling to make sense of the whole idea on modernization. The monarchy, the clergy and the upper class politicians lost power to the revolutionaries.

23. For the monarchy, clergy & upper class politicians, considered the media as ‘symbolic’ of what was wrong with modern society. Mass newspapers of yellow journalism (the use of sensationalism 1880’s & 1890’s) era was gigantic, monopolistic, that employed unethical practices to instigate mass audience. E.g. leaders in education and religion resented media’s power using contents they considered objectionable & sinful. • The rise of the mass press posed a direct threat to the political & business establishment.

24. The perceptions of the Media • 1. That the media is malignant for criticizing the aristocracy & supporting the revolutionary therefore it must be structured (Marcuse 1969, 1978) • 2. Media have the power to reach out & directly influence the minds of average people (Davis 1978). This was debated since 1940s. Average citizen is helpless & can be manipulated by media. • 3. Once people’s mind were corrupted by the media it creates social problems (Marcuse 1941) Social problems often were link with the media.

25. 4. Average people are vulnerable to media because they have been cut off from traditional social institutions that previously protect them from manipulation. The theory idealized the past & romantic visions of what life must be like in the medieval Europe. • 5. The social chaos initiated by the media will inevitably resolved by establishing a totalitarian order. • 6. That mass media brings higher forms of culture, bringing about general decline in civilization.

26. Mass Society Theory in Early Times • Among the early originators of the Mass Society Theory was Ferdinand Tonnies (German sociologist) • He attempted to explain the critical differences between social organization & European society existed in the late 19th century. • He proposed a simple dichotomy between folk community & modern or industrial society.

27. In a folk community people were bound together by institutions / traditional folk cultures such as strong family ties, traditions, marriage and social roles.

28. Norms are largely unwritten and individuals were bound to one another as mutual interdependence (Fukyyama,1999). • N the case of marriage were defined as lifelong commitments that ended with the death of spouses. • Marriage partners were chosen by heads of the families using criteria determined by tradition & family needs. If you violated the marriage vows the couple will be ostracized by the community. • They often find life in modern society to troublesome and without meaning.

29. Durkheim (French sociologist) offered the same dichotomy like Tonnies with a different interpretation of modern social order. • According to Durkheim folk community are like machines forced by collective consensus to perform traditional social roles. People are bounded by this consensus known as ‘mechanical solidarity’.

30. Durkheim compared modern society to animals rather than machines. As they grow, animals undergo profound changes in their physical form. They begin life as babies and progress through several developmental stages of adulthood & old age. • In modern life people perform specialized tasks for their personal survival and are capable of using mental processes to anticipate threats & cope with them known as ‘organic solidarity’ referring to culturally negotiated social ties that bound modern social order together.

31. Social orders in ‘organic solidarity’ are characterized by specialization, division of labor and interdependence. • With this Durkheim’s also introduce the concept of ‘Information Superhighway’ referring to to the idea that worldwide are connected with digital data network where to certain extend people can directly able to decide what they want government to do for them.

32. Mass Social Theory in Contemporary Times • In our modern life the basic assumptions that the corrupting media & helpless audience have never completely disappeared. • Attacks on pervasive, dysfunctional power of the media have persisted as long as the dominant elites find their power being challenged by the media & we see this every day in ‘news’.

33. The ongoing concern of the erosion of ‘traditional values’ of the average people comes from new communication technologies. • First, rapid diffusion of Internet & World Wide Web. New form of media means new form of communication which means the development of new relationship and the creation of new centers of power & influence.

34. Second, the media industries when facing challenges from new technologies the media undergo rapid restructuring. E.g merger & acquisition of media industries to ensure their survival in competition like telephones, cellular communication, cable TV & internet markets. That the concentration of ownerships are in the as hands of the few as what happens in US today.

35. Summary • The dominant perspective during this period (late 19th century) is the period of Mass Society Theory. Mass society ideas held strong appeal for any social elites whose power was threatened by change. E.g. the ‘Penny Press’ were a convenient target for elites’ criticism.

36. And that the media are corrupting the influences that undermine the social order through their influence over ‘defenseless average people’.

37. The essential argument of mass society theory is that media undermining the traditional social order. • They favored all forms of technological development including that of mass media. Technology was good. It facilitate control over the physical environment, expand human productivity & generate new form of material wealth.

38. While on one hand this is encouraging but industrialization brought about other problems such as exploitation of workers, pollution & social unrest (These arguments is captured in chpt. 3,4,5).

39. Strength & weaknesses of Mass Society Theory • STRENGTH • 1. Speculates about important effects of mass media • 2. Newspapers were to highlights important structural changes & conflicts in modern cultures. • 3.Draws attention to issues of media ownership & ethics

40. WEAKNESSES • 1. Is unscientific • 2.Is unsystematic • 3. Concentrate on elites interest in preserving power over society • 4. Underestimate intelligence & competence of the average people (readers).

41. 5. Underestimate personal, social & cultural barriers to direct media influence.

42. PART 11

43. The Rise of Media Industries • For more than a century now, the role of the media has been continuously debated. • Both conservatives & liberals fear the power of the media system into our society of all sorts (e.g. freedom of expression, advertising, ownerships, new technology, protecting software, impact, etc.)

44. Controversy over media influence can have far reaching consequences. • Mass Society Theory propagate the idea that media are corrupting influences that undermine the social order through their influences over defenseless average people. • Media are viewed as having the power to shape our perceptions of social world & to manipulate our actions in subtle but highly effective ways. • This the theory assumes that the media influence must be controlled.

45. Media entrepreneurs embraced the press freedom as stated in the First Amendment to the constitution of America as the road to democracy. • First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, press, assembly & religion. This amendment led an aggressive catalyst for the development of mass media.

46. This constitutional freedom they argued is fundamental to democracy.

47. BACKGROUND: • Media was among many technologies that shaped the modern era. • An industrial social order needed fast & efficient distribution for information. • During the 1860’s telegraph (wire services) was badly needed for sending information.

48. In the middle & late 19th century popular demand for cheap media content drove the development of new media such as – the Penny Press ( 1 cent), the Nickel Magazine (5 cents) & the Dime novel (book sold at 10 cents). • High speed printing press & Linotype machines made it practical to mass produce printing word at low cost.

49. Urban newspapers boomed. • When war broke out –Yellow Journalism (sensationalism often related to irresponsible journalism) was created. This was the irresponsible side of the penny press. • By increasing accessibility through lower prices, new mass newspapers were able to serve the people who had never before had easy access to print media.

50. The rise of the Yellow Journalism causes credibility problem for the media such as reporting inaccuracy, over-dramatized, stories were over coverage etc. Sensationalism journalism (irresponsible) widely used. • These papers were successful because they attracted large numbers of readers in urban areas & it is cheap. • Intense competition resulted in the growth of many small-circulation newspapers and more specialized print media were created.