The Dynamics of Mass Communication

1. The Dynamics ofMass Communication SeventhEdition Joseph R. Dominick

2. Part 5 Regulating the Mass Media Industry

3. Chapter 18 Social Effects of Mass Communication

4. There are several ways to study the media’s effect on individuals and society. Our studies will focus on two methodologies: SurveysLarge groups of people answering questionnaires; surveys can’t prove cause and effect relationships, but they can suggest associations. Panel studies, more reliable,study the same groups over long time periods. Experiments Done in the lab or in the field, designed to manipulate experimental factors to determine impact on other factors to better help establish causality. INVESTIGATING MASS MEDIA EFFECTS

5. Media and Socialization Socialization is the ways in which an individual comes to adopt the behavior and values of the group over time. These groups, or agencies of socialization, contribute to the socialization process. The Media as a Primary Source of Information Learning is an important part of the socialization process, and the media (primarily TV) serve as important sources of information, if not the prime sources, for a wide range of topics such as politics, crime, health, and the environment. Effects on Knowledge and Attitudes

6. Creating Stereotypes The Effects of Heavy Viewing The Absence of Alternative Information Shaping Attitudes,Perceptions, and Beliefs

7. Cultivation analysis says that heavy TV viewing “cultivates” perceptions of reality consistent with the view of the world presented in TV programs. Cultivation analysis concentrates on the long-term effects of exposure rather than the short-term impact on attitudes and opinions. Cultivation Analysis

8. Methodology Step 1: Identify predominant themes and messages Step 2: Examine what viewers absorb from heavy exposure to TV. Viewers respond to questionnaires with “real world” or “TV world” answers Cultivation Analysis(Con’t)

9. Research Findings Most findings suggest that, among some people, TV cultivated distorted perceptions of the real world. Though promising, CA studies are enveloped by three problems: it’s difficult to determine cause and effect people differ in ways other than their TV habits The mainstreaming factor The resonance factor measurement variables can impact findings Cultivation Analysis(Con’t)

10. Since the 1980s, it’s been generally acknowledged that children deserve special consideration from advertisers for the following reasons: Children are a vulnerable audience, subject to exploitation. Children, especially the younger ones, might be easily deceived by sophisticated TV ad techniques. Long-term effects of exposure to TV ads could negatively affect a child’s socialization as a future consumer. Children and TV Advertising

11. By saying the media have an impact on agenda setting, we mean that they have the ability to choose and emphasize certain topics which can cause the public to perceive these issues as important. So far, the research suggests: Cause and effect relationships are still unclear. The results can hinge on the medium being studied. Topic covered can influence agenda setting. A person’s experience with topic will influence results. An agenda-setting effect can also be influenced by other factors, such as a person’s interest in and experience with the topic, his age, education, and political involvement Agenda Setting

12. Agenda research has two general fields of study: Framing, how topics are treated by the media Agenda building, examines how media build their agenda of newsworthy items Agenda Setting (Con’t)

13. Television and Cognitive Skills Studies on how, or if, heavy TV viewing adversely affects a child’s IQ are so far inconclusive. Other environmental factors seem to weigh into the ultimate effect much more heavily. Heavy TV viewing, has however, been linked with decreased intellectual performance.

14. Short History of Media Effects on Behavior • 1930s: media effects studies begin with gangster movies • 1940s: concerns mount over political influence when Huey Long, President Roosevelt take to air waves • 1950s: concern over how TV might influence children rises • 1960s: concerns focus on excessive media violence • 1970s: studies look at TV violence and media pornography • 1980s: focus expands to sexual content, strong language • 1990s: studies on media violence continue; inconclusive results, but Congress mandates new TV rating system and use of “V” chip

15. Impact of Televised Violence A representative summary of research findings might conclude: Evidence indicates that there’s a significant correlation between viewing violent TV shows and day-to-day aggressive behavior. Nevertheless, a relationship is not necessarily evidence of a cause and effect. In 1986, a five-country panel study research project came to two conclusions about TV violence, children, and aggressive behavior: • relationship between viewing violence and aggression is weak • there’s a circularity in causation. Viewing violent TV caused some children to become more aggressive, and being aggressive caused them to watch more violent TV

16. Experimental Results • Catharsis Theory (Aristotle) watching violence purges the urge to be violent • Stimulation Theory watching violence stimulates you to be more violent • Bandura’s Experiment watching violence may not cause violent behavior, but it may well encourage it

17. Experimental Results (Con’t) Factors that could complicate lab and field research • age, sex • length and type of violent media content • people with whom the subject watches the media • social class, family history, economic background • real-world influences (field experiments) What Can We Conclude? Study threads suggest that watching television violence does increase aggressive tendencies; but while the effects may be small, they’re not necessarily trivial

18. Encouraging Prosocial Behavior Prosocial Behavior:cooperation, sharing, self-control, etc. Developing Self-Control:data shows films, TV shows can affect child’s self-control Cooperation, Sharing, and Helping:data shows kids willing to imitate cooperative, generous, and helping behavior they see portrayed in films or TV Survey Data:data suggests children do perceive prosocial messages within a film or TV show, but two studies found little relationship between viewing prosocial messages and actually transferring those actions into everyday behavior

19. Other Behavioral Effects • Political Behavior • voter turn out studies • negative political advertising • effects on voter choices • the difficulty of candidate conversion • reinforcement • crystallization

20. Other Behavioral Effects • Political Behavior • Presidential debates and public impact • TV and political behavior of politicians

21. Obscenity and Pornography Studies here vary widely, often more because of the prevailing political climate rather than the empirical evidence itself. A 1960s study suggested pornography was more or less limited to middle-age, middle-class men, no evidence that it resulted in antisocial behavior, was actually a “healthy” pursuit, and that all laws against distributing pornography be repealed. By contrast, a 1980s study concluded pornography should be curtailed, that it was linked to aggressive behavior, and that there was a link between it and a growing callousness toward women.

22. Research on the Social Effectsof the Internet • Does Internet use have an effect on other media? • Is there a link between heavy Internet use and a user’s social involvement? • Can heavy Internet use turn into an addiction?

23. The Future of Communication and Its Impact on Society Any discussion about the future is, by definition, speculative. But that said, careful observers can already recognize a few likely problems and social issues that the mass media may bring us. Privacy Information Fragmentation Communication Overload Escapism

24. End of Chapter 18Social Effects of Mass Communication