Trends in the Mass

Media
 Quiz
Which is better: Abercrombie &
Fitch/Banana Republic/American
Eagle/Other? Why?
Name a favorite Real World star.
Who is Paris Hilton?
Which breast did Janet Jackson
expose?
 Quiz
Who is the U.S. Secretary of Defense?
Donald Rumsfeld
Who is George Bushs White House
spokesperson?
Tony Snow
Who is the governor of California?
Arnold Schwarzeneggar
Who is the governor of NC?
Mike Easley
 Quiz

What do the Budweiser frogs have in

common with Augustus Caesar, the Roman
emperor?
 Media vs. Medium

Media are plural

Medium is singular
 Mass Media as a Subject of
Study?
1. Pervasive
2. Persuasive
3. Source of information
4. Entertainment value
5. Socialization function
6. The Media are a unique entity
not just a product
 Brief Historical Context
Media in U.S. and
British Colonies

Regulation of the
Media general
 Brief Historical Context
Creation and
Regulation of
Electronic Media
in the 1920s

Trusteeship
(Social
Responsibility)
Theory -
underlying
principles
 Important Trends
1. Demassification
narrower audience
and content focus
Audience
Fragmentation
Less mass
audiences
Focused content
 Important Trends
2. Deregulation
Reduced
government
control & oversight
regarding content,
ownership, etc
Different
regulation, say
critics, in favor of
media elite
 Important Trends
3. Convergence
Media overlap in form
& content.
Brands available in
multiple media.
TV, magazine, web,
radio
ESPN brand: TV
(4+channels, mag.,
radio, web, movies)
 Important Trends
4. Conglomerization
Media properties part
of large international
corporations
Link to diagram
 Important Trends
5. Consolidation - fewer owners
Oligopoly

Few companies control industry

Dominant media ownership model

Monopoly
One company controls market or industry
 Important Trends
6. Commodification &
(Hyper-)Commercialization

All content is a brand to be sold

Sole purpose to make profit
off of products sold
Everything is a brand

Examples: Extreme Make-

over: Home Edition; 40-Year
Old
 Important Trends
7. Globalization
Media corporations
globalized.
Messages and ownership
cross borders
US exports most
entertainment/news media
in the world
We are influenced also, but
we can pick and choose
most marketable programs
(BBC)
 Global Mass Media Systems
Globalization affecting media
everywhere
Democratic media obliterate
borders
Small media & web enable
democratization (also subversive
communication)
Rich countries dominate industry
Fear loss of national sovereignty
Global Mass Media Systems
Four mass media systems in the world
1. State-run (Government
Ownership)
Media are a tool of the state.
Typical of dictatorships & communist
countries.
Soviet model, North Korea, Cuba
 Global Mass Media Systems

2. Authoritarian model
Generally free market economic model
(advertising)
Tight government control over
content, sedition illegal
Journalism a risky career
Typical in dictatorships (Iraq under
Saddam)
 Global Mass Media Systems

3. Libertarian
U.S. model (generally)
Great freedom of speech, right to
criticize government
Funded mainly through advertising
True libertarian model is rare
 Global Mass Media Systems

4. State-funded Independent
Independent of government but
funded through taxes (CBC, BBC,
PBS)
Free to report, criticize government
 Global Mass Media Systems

5. Mixed Model
Some government control
Some level of freedom
Some advertising economic support
Some government economic support
China, US, Britain
 Summary of Media Trends
Oligopolistic corporate owned
Larger, less connected w/audience
Profit, stockholder satisfaction are primary
goals
Demassification of audiences and
messages
Less regulation regarding content and
ownership
Little to no social responsibility
 So What? In the media
marketplace
1. You are a demographic to be sold.
2. They want you to believe they have your
best interest at heart.
3. They are shirking their social
responsibility.
4. Consumption rules. Media corps and
advertisers want your money and brand
loyalty.
5. You are a consumer, not a citizen.
6. They are earning a great deal of money
via items 1-5.
 Do you care?
Are you/we being used?
By whom? Who are the communicators?
To what end?
What are some legitimate responses to
the current media environment?
What are the implications of NO
response?
 Bread and Circuses
Roman satirist in
the time of
Caesar Augustus
Juvenal wrote of
bread and
circuses.
 Beer and Circus

Murray Sperber
of Indiana U.
wrote of beer &
circus
Original reference
was to college
athletics but also
applies to modern
media
 Media Literacy - Elements
Awareness of impact of media
Understanding of the mass
communication process
Strategies for analyzing and discussing
media messages
Understanding media content as a text
that provides insight into our culture
 Media Literacy - Elements
Enjoy, understand and appreciate media
content
Understanding of ethical and moral
obligations of media practitioners
Development of appropriate and effective
production skills
 Media Literacy - Skills
summarized
Knowledge of genre conventions - ability
to deconstruct them
Respect power of media
Ability to think critically about media
messages - regardless of source (credible
or not)
Knowledge of the internal language
(production values) and conventions of
various media
Heighten expectations
 Assignment
Link to course home page.

Media Literacy Link

 Theoretical Constructs
Marketplace vs. Trusteeship (Social
Responsibility)

Status Conferral and Agenda Setting

Audience Effects? Socialization cues?

View of the mass audience?