1. KQ: How are all the elements of Mass Media interconnected?
Tuesday, 27 November 2018Tuesday, 27 November 2018
KQ: How are all the elements of Mass Media interconnected?
Starter: What key words or concepts do these pictures represent?
TIF: How can you link them together?

2. Keyword check! Democracy Apathy Moral Panic & Deviancy amplification
Globalisation
Norm referencing

3. Politics & Socialization
As we are reading through the text:
underline all key concepts
circle all sociological evidence
draw an arrow to & label all sociological perspectives
Explain what sociologists mean by political socialisation when studying the effects of the mass media on political opinion (4)
Describe one way in which individuals or groups could use the internet in order to participate in the political process and explain how this might give them power. (5)
Describe one way in which the mass media could have a negative effect on turnout in a general election and explain why this could be a problem in a democratic society. (5)
Describe one way in which digital media have given more power to ordinary people and explain why this may cause problems for governments (5)

4. Describe one way in which the mass media could have a negative effect on turnout in a general election and explain why this could be a problem in a democratic society. (5)
Keyword: Apathy = a lack of interest i.e. voter apathy means that potential voters have no interest in actually voting as they do not believe that the political parties listen to them or that their vote will make any difference.

5. Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media are the most important agent of socialisation in shaping people’s political opinions (12 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the political views presented by the mass media are those of the rich and powerful in society. (12 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the rapid growth of the internet and other digital media has increased freedom of speech in our society (12 marks)

6. New media has made the UK more democratic
Keyword check!
New media has made the UK more democratic
New media has made the UK less democratic

7. MORAL PANICS Related pieces of crime and deviance are over-reported &
given more prominence than
otherwise would have been
the case
Media presents a distorted
view of the level of crime
Distorted view creates
public concern
This keeps
the issue
high on the
public
agenda
MORAL PANICS
The police want something
done about the problem
Police records reinforce
the idea there’s more
crime & deviance
The police are more aware
or sensitive to the problem so
they discover more crime

8. My name is Stan Cohen…whenever you talk about moral panics you must refer to me and mods and rockers.
Cohen (1972)

9. Look at these newspaper articles. What do you think might have
happened? Why?

10. MORAL PANIC/ DEVIANCY AMPLIFICATION
Mods & rockers started
separating out
Few groups of bored young
people started throwing
stones at each other
Clacton – small holiday resort
On East coast of England.
Easter Sunday 1964
Windows
broken, some
beach huts
wrecked – 2
unpleasant
days
MORAL PANIC/
DEVIANCY AMPLIFICATION
Next day – sensationalist
headlines in newspapers
Further disturbances –
Public outcry – Further
arrests
Media distorted what was
going on – encouraged other
young people to behave in
the same way.

11. How do the London riots or recent terrorist activities fit within this layout, developed by Stanley Cohen (1972)?
The media focuses on a group, person or situation
There is repeated coverage of this
The issue is sensationalised (made out to be more sensational than it really is)
The issue is distorted and exaggerated
There is stereotyping and the creation of ‘folk devils’
The media calls for action against the group, person or situation

12. Keyword check!
How do the words moral panic and deviancy amplification link together? TIF: can you also include the words folk devil and copycat behaviour?

13. Mass Media & Globalisation

14. Advantages of the media being global...
Social networking makes it easier to stay in touch with friends and family and share experiences
Advanced technology allows us to communicate faster and more effectively
International news and advertising makes us aware of what is happening around the world and increases our understanding of other cultures

15. Disadvantages of the media being global...
The spread of culture and religion across nations has led to extreme acts of terrorism.
Freedom of information can be inhibited if governments decide to limit what people have access to.
Globalisation is expensive and is said to cause a divide between those who have and those who don’t.
Spread of Americanised culture can lead to national identities being ignored

16. Keyword check!
Explain what Sociologists mean by the term Globalisation when studying the mass media (4)

17. Who controls what information we receive?
Pluralist approach – there are a range of different newspapers and tv channels owned by different people and each showing a range of different views. We (the consumer) influence what information we receive by choosing which newspaper to buy/tv channel to watch. We call this market power.
Conflict approach – Press owners (gatekeepers) are in a strong position to put their own political views across and those that support their economic interests (e.g. favour those who donate money). The press is now mainly owned by multimedia conglomerates i.e. huge international companies with lots of different types of media such as tv, newspapers etc.

18. Agenda setting – the news media have the power to ‘set the agenda’ i.e. focus on some issues but ignore others.
Would this correspond with the conflict approach or pluralist approach?
What would be an argument against agenda setting?
Norm referencing – the news media can influence the way we think of different types of people by presenting them in a positive or negative image. It also has the power to create folk devils.
Can you think of a subculture within society that has been presented in a negative image recently?
Hegemony – A marxist theory stating that our mass culture (i.e. the culture of society) has been manipulated by the ruling classes & the gatekeepers to reflect what they want society to be.

19. Keyword check!
Describe one process through which editors and journalists can influence what appears in the news and explain why this might lead to bias when covering an event. (5 marks)

20. Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the media encourages violence (12 marks)
TV shows, computer games, deviancy amplification, hypodermic syringe approach, passive consumers, agent of socialisation…
Decoding approach, uses & gratifications approach, active consumers…
Other agents of socialisation e.g. secondary socialisation from peers…

21. Exam Questions - Socialisation
Describe one way in which the mass media stereotype males and explain why some sociologists might argue that this is a problem (5 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media represent gender roles in ways that reflect the reality in modern Britain (12 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that media representations of women are still largely stereotypical (12 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media are the most important agent of socialisation in shaping our identity (12 marks)
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that a person’s behaviour is directly affected by what they see or hear in the media (12 marks)