Journalism 614: Sociological Approaches: Social conflict and structure

1. Journalism 614:Sociological Approaches: Social conflict and structure

2. What are your social norms? • What would spur a negative reaction? • from your peers? • from your family? • What behaviors are taboo? • Social sanctions or isolation for adopting • Serious threat to social status

3. Sociological Approaches: • Social Control • Social Norms

4. 1. Social Control • Present in all social systems • Mechanisms for: • Establishing conformity, compliance, authority • Discouraging/punishing deviance • Applies pressure on individuals through: • Incentives (rewards for conformity) • Sanctions (punishments for deviance)

5. Social Control  Opinion • Media as a system of social control • Public opinion as the outcome • Opinion shaped by message environment • E.g., Current events • Fear and social control (high alert, global warming, economic collapse)

6. Opinion  Social Control • Public opinion as the causal force • Opinion as force that shapes mass behavior • Public opinion as a form of social control • Ex. Massive support for Bush post 9/11 limits citizens ability to speak out.

7. 2. Social Norms • Norm: Expected pattern of behavior • Stereotypes of behavioral expectations • Shared norms: characteristic of all groups • Norms (positive and negative aspects): • Maintain order (e.g., stopping at red lights) • Enforce conformity (e.g., keeping promises) • Reduce diversity (e.g., clothing trends)

8. Enforcing Social Norms • Social control: • Examples of social norm agents: • Parents - prescribed actions • Peers - peer pressure • Teachers - enforced expectations • Religious institutions - moral guidelines • Mass media - suggested exemplars • Perceived opinion - acceptable lattitude

9. Norms are Situation-specific • Jumping up and down shrieking • Yes: At a football game • No: In class • Drinking beer • Yes: At a party • No: In class • Walking around naked • Yes: In a locker room • No: In class

10. Violation of Social Norms • What about individuals that behave in ways that violate social norms? • Cognitive value • Attention-seeking • Ego-enhancement • Social value • Sub-group bonding • Conflict with larger group builds solidarity

11. Media, Social Control, and Social Norms • Media convey social control/norm messages • Depictions of public opinion as social control/norm messages: • 1. Public opinion polls • 2. Sweeping generalizations • 3. Ridiculing “abnormal” behavior • 4. Penalties for legal violations

12. Mass Society Theory • Social transition from: • Homogeneous communities • Small, rural, tightly-knit, cohesive, personal • Gemeinschaft • To Heterogeneous communities • Large, urban, chaotic, transient, impersonal • Gesellschaft

13. Concerns about Mass Society • Breakdown social ties, social order • Anonymity, isolation, anomie, polarization • Decline in public responsibility • Potential for mass manipulation of publics • Isolation from others increases media power • Concerns about media reinforcing norms that maintain economic/political institutions

14. Capitalism and Democracy • Economic norms: • Self-reliance, competition, material acquisition, pursuit of profit, private property/ownership • Free markets as supreme economic guide • Legitimacy of business institutions • Political norms: • Representative democracy, free speech, civil liberties, limited government, equality • Constitution as supreme political document • Legitimacy of political institutions

15. Conflict in Beliefs - Media • Sometimes norms are in conflict • E.g., Equality and capitalism • System based on inequity of outcomes • Equal opportunity, but not necessarily results • Problems admitting unequal opportunities • Media can play an important role is setting the terms of the conflict, highlighting social divisions, and fostering consensus beliefs

16. Ex. Consensus Beliefs: American Dream • Four tenets of the American Dream: • 1. American Dream should be open to all • 2. Belief in the probability of success • 3. Success and failure are a function of effort • 4. Pursuit of material acquisition is a virtue

17. Battle Lines of Opinion Conflict • Divisions within the consensus: • Social class • Political parties • Race/ethnicity • Gender

18. Social Class Divisions • Most Americans think of themselves as middle class • Social class as a concept is relatively taboo • Public support for income redistribution: • U relationship: Major difference: -Hi SES Liberals vs. Conservatives SES Lo Med Hi

19. Another Class Division • Support for Civil Liberties • Hi SES: Greater support for individual liberties • Lo SES: Greater levels of authoritarianism • This finding may be more a function of education than social class • Research also shows that education contributes to more liberal orientations in high SES individuals

20. Political Party Divisions • Democrats: • Liberal positions on social/economic issues • Support for reducing social and income disparities • Republicans: • Conservative positions on social/economic issues • Support for free market and “law and order”

21. Racial/Ethnic Divisions • America’s most salient divide • Contrasting views on racial equality • Large differences in support for: • Affirmative action • Anti-discrimination policies • Support for the president?

22. QUESTIONS WHITES BLACKS Justice system biased against blacks 33% 54% Racist police widespread problem 52% 68% Unfairly treated by police because of race 9% 34% Police testify truthfully 70% 33% Blacks treated more harshly by justice system 45% 77% White juries more likely to convict blacks than whites 40% 59% Black juries more likely to convict whites than blacks 36% 18% Jury reached correct verdict in O.J. trial 42% 78% Racial/Ethnic Divisions

23. Gender Divisions • The Gender Gap • In the 1980’s, political gap between men and women widens • Women more likely to vote Democratic • Women less supportive of wars • Women less supportive of capital punishment • Women more supportive of gun control • Difference in motivations for participation: • Women more socially-motivated, men more economically-motivated

24. One thing brings all these groups together… AN EXTERNAL THREAT/ INTERNATIONAL CRISIS

25. Rallying around the Flag • The propensity for theAmerican public to put aside political differences and social cleavages to supportthe president, his policies, and the country during international crises

26. What is the rally effect? • Robust phenomenon in public opinion • Recurrent phenomenon in public opinion • Occurs across political parties • Occurs across a range of topics • The public rallies behind leadership, roots for the nation, in times of crisis, attack, war

27. Traumatic Event: 9/11

28. The Start of War

29. Rallies Bolster Approval War begins War begins

30. Comparable to Other Rally Events Terror Attacks Gulf War I Victory in WWII Pearl Harbor Cuban Missile Crisis

31. General Mood Also Rallies • In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?

32. Rallying Around the EconomyPublic expresses confidence in economy in spite of attacksAnother rally effect, paralleling the other trendsRight now, do you think that economic conditions in the country as a whole are getting better or getting worse?

33. Bush job approval by Party ID

34. Support for the war and Party ID

35. Satisfaction with U.S. by Party

36. But Rallies Fade….

37. Is Iraq War Worth It? March, 2004

38. Explanations of Rally Effects • Psychologists • The Bandwagon Effect (Trotter) • Sociology: • Conflict Functionalism theory (Coser)

39. The Bandwagon Effect • Deep roots in Asch’s study of conformity • “following the lead of others” • Herd instinct • Original concept from voting studies • Concern about bandwagon voting • “Going with the winner” • Initial leaders gain momentum • Primary elections as example

40. Obama as a Bandwagon Effect?

41. Conflict Functionalism • Elaborate theory of: • Conflict dynamics • Functions • Core principle: • Conflict with an external group increases internal solidarity • Principle applies at many levels: • From roommates to nations

42. Conditions for Rally Effects • International conflict • Vilified enemy • Decisive action taken by the President • Short Duration • Successful Resolution • Substantial media attention • High public interest • Official control of info flow

43. War, Media, & Rallies • War changes importance of media roles: • Providing information (decreases) • Explaining significance (decreases) • Building solidarity (increases) • Reducing tension (increases)

44. Identifying the Enemy • Conflict Functionalism relies on enemy • Vilified enemy - External source of conflict • Power of rally enhanced by demonized enemy • Governments also recognize this power: • Leads to use of propaganda

45. Propaganda Techniques • Classic techniques of demonization • Lee & Lee (1939) and (1952) • identify 9 common techniques • First book analyzed Father Coughlin speeches • Second is systematic study of propaganda • Function: • Induce motivation to fight • Frame issue and parties to conflict • Stimulate and manage opinion formation • Enhance rally effects