Reviewing McQuail, Tuchman and the Mattelarts  May 16, 2007

What is a Media Institution  Last Week’s Last Question  Example: Beatles  Definition: kind of like a brand?  Example would be the Beatles  In Japan: designer like Georgi Yamamoto  Can painters become institutions?  Yes, for example, Munch  As institutions media are intermediate and mediating  Between what and what?  Last Week’s Last Question  Example: Beatles  Definition: kind of like a brand?  Example would be the Beatles  In Japan: designer like Georgi Yamamoto  Can painters become institutions?  Yes, for example, Munch  As institutions media are intermediate and mediating  Between what and what?

What do Media Institutions come in between?  Between the audience (receivers) and organizations, persons  Example: the people of a country and their government. Who/what is the media institution?  Formal media like a newspaper  Tiananmen Square: one person from a minority group in China burned a small part of Chairman Mao’s painting  The portrait made by a Chinese painter who was hired by the Chinese government  Mao is a symbol of the “New China”  This symbol was used by the government to communicate with its people  In this case the government is the media institution  The media institution is not intermediate as much as directly a part of the government.  Between the audience (receivers) and organizations, persons  Example: the people of a country and their government. Who/what is the media institution?  Formal media like a newspaper  Tiananmen Square: one person from a minority group in China burned a small part of Chairman Mao’s painting  The portrait made by a Chinese painter who was hired by the Chinese government  Mao is a symbol of the “New China”  This symbol was used by the government to communicate with its people  In this case the government is the media institution  The media institution is not intermediate as much as directly a part of the government.

What Theory of Media fits the Media as Institution?  Political Economic Model?  Focuses on economics rather than the ideological content  Media is part of the economic system (which has close ties to the political system)  Socio-Cultural?  What sub-groups are using this media or reacting to it  Audience:  Focus on “Consumers”/”receivers” of the message  Hegemony:  Focus is on ideology and its means of expression, ways of its survival  Less focus on economic class  Example: Media and Government are on the same side of information distribution -- example of ideology trying to survive  Political Economic Model?  Focuses on economics rather than the ideological content  Media is part of the economic system (which has close ties to the political system)  Socio-Cultural?  What sub-groups are using this media or reacting to it  Audience:  Focus on “Consumers”/”receivers” of the message  Hegemony:  Focus is on ideology and its means of expression, ways of its survival  Less focus on economic class  Example: Media and Government are on the same side of information distribution -- example of ideology trying to survive

About Hegemony  Not always about government  It can be any powerful interest that has control of a situation and gets its ideology (message) out in the world  The power to transmit some messages and suppress (stop) the communication of other messages  In hegemony and media, what is important?  Power.  To control an institution that is disseminating messages  Not always about government  It can be any powerful interest that has control of a situation and gets its ideology (message) out in the world  The power to transmit some messages and suppress (stop) the communication of other messages  In hegemony and media, what is important?  Power.  To control an institution that is disseminating messages

McQuail’s Big Point (?)  These theories are all not either right or wrong  These theories all work under certain conditions  Instead of “theory” we should talk about “perspective” / “approaches”  You can look at the same situation from different perspectives  These theories are all not either right or wrong  These theories all work under certain conditions  Instead of “theory” we should talk about “perspective” / “approaches”  You can look at the same situation from different perspectives

Mixing Approaches  Some of these perspectives work better together than others:  Ex: political eonomy and hegemony go well together  Audience and hegemony could fit (however… they could be hard to study together --- why/because: you are often studying the social conditions that FORCE a particular viewpoint rather than studying the “real” feelings of the people  In some ways you are measuring hegemony without being able to see it clearly  Some of these perspectives work better together than others:  Ex: political eonomy and hegemony go well together  Audience and hegemony could fit (however… they could be hard to study together --- why/because: you are often studying the social conditions that FORCE a particular viewpoint rather than studying the “real” feelings of the people  In some ways you are measuring hegemony without being able to see it clearly

To Answer the Mediation Question  What is the Media Institution between?  It may depend on the political and/or economic system that you are studying  Example: US versus China  In the US the formal news media are often antagonistic or oppositional to the government  Try to stand independent of the government  Private funding sources  Whereas in China the formal news media may not be fully under government control, but they often have to be checked by the government (content has to be cleared)  Funding from the government  What is the Media Institution between?  It may depend on the political and/or economic system that you are studying  Example: US versus China  In the US the formal news media are often antagonistic or oppositional to the government  Try to stand independent of the government  Private funding sources  Whereas in China the formal news media may not be fully under government control, but they often have to be checked by the government (content has to be cleared)  Funding from the government

Concluding about McQuail  There are important relationships that will influence the kinds of information that media send out  Political  Economic  Social  These relationships vary from place to place but also time to time  There are important relationships that will influence the kinds of information that media send out  Political  Economic  Social  These relationships vary from place to place but also time to time

Concluding McQuail  He wants us to think in terms of 2 models of mediation  Dominance  Pluralism  Dominance means a power relationship in which the media are controlled  Pluralism means a relationship with many interests and control is probably not one-way (like dominance)  He wants us to think in terms of 2 models of mediation  Dominance  Pluralism  Dominance means a power relationship in which the media are controlled  Pluralism means a relationship with many interests and control is probably not one-way (like dominance)

Closing Examples  Think that these models are sometimes mixed such that:  Japan is pluralist with some dominance (ex: text book check)  China is dominant with some pluralism (as long as it doesn’t violate the codes/rules set out by the government)  Think that these models are sometimes mixed such that:  Japan is pluralist with some dominance (ex: text book check)  China is dominant with some pluralism (as long as it doesn’t violate the codes/rules set out by the government)

Gaye Tuchman  What was important in this reading?  Comparison: different stages of media theory  Separates it by geography (Europe versus the US)  Some of the US-based researchers were European but because they were in the US they were following the US model of research  US-government sponsored research so the basic questions studied were those that the government wanted answered:  Persuasion and influence  Focus in the US was on EFFECT  The focus was on IMPACT or OUTCOME  Example: 2-Step Flow (in the 1950s)  Another example: The Uses and Gratifications model  What was important in this reading?  Comparison: different stages of media theory  Separates it by geography (Europe versus the US)  Some of the US-based researchers were European but because they were in the US they were following the US model of research  US-government sponsored research so the basic questions studied were those that the government wanted answered:  Persuasion and influence  Focus in the US was on EFFECT  The focus was on IMPACT or OUTCOME  Example: 2-Step Flow (in the 1950s)  Another example: The Uses and Gratifications model

U.S. Versus European Tradition  In Europe the study of media was different  Thus, even though they attacked US work like “the uses and gratifications model”:  They still had work that was similar  although they may not have accepted the idea of goal- directedness in the U&G model, they did see people using media to satisfy or else fulfill/follow their needs or desires  Some of these ideas were used by the socio-cultural school in the 1970s  Let’s talk about this next week  In Europe the study of media was different  Thus, even though they attacked US work like “the uses and gratifications model”:  They still had work that was similar  although they may not have accepted the idea of goal- directedness in the U&G model, they did see people using media to satisfy or else fulfill/follow their needs or desires  Some of these ideas were used by the socio-cultural school in the 1970s  Let’s talk about this next week

Something to think about...  How does the word “receiver” get received in contemporary media studies?  Is it accepted or resisted  And, if the latter, why?  Let’s talk about this in relation to cultural studies  How does the word “receiver” get received in contemporary media studies?  Is it accepted or resisted  And, if the latter, why?  Let’s talk about this in relation to cultural studies