1. Media & the Social World
Active Audience
Technology
Media Industry
Media Message/
Product
Adapted from Croteau & Hoynes, 2000

2. Mass Media in Society Media teach Media socialize
what to think…what to think about
Media socialize
Media “mediate” social relations
what we know
how we know things
Political conventions
media complain no one watches
media inundated with the messages of conventions, which are just shows for the media
two-step flow brings mediated messages to citizens

3. Media Interpretation Does TV have too much sex & violence?
Are news media biased?
Should the Internet be better regulated?
Who should decide the answers to these questions?
Southerners and women are more likely to say there is too much sex and violence on TV. Northeasterners and me are least likely to feel that way.
Studeis have been unable to consistently detcte either a liberal or conservative bias in the media. Rather, there seems to be a conssitsent bias toward a certain class of people, namely elites. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.
Internet regulation is another areas where we can detect a bias toward commercial enterprises. On privacy espcicially, the US is far behind other countries in protecting citizens. Most regualation has been aimed at making the Internet safe for commerce, rather than for personal expression and communication.

4. Media Economics

5. Patterns of Ownerships
Concentration --
fewer companies own less
about 30 major companies worldwide
increased concentration in the U.S. after 1996

6. Patterns of Ownership
Conglomeration -- media companies become part of larger, more diversified companies
Westinghouse/CBS
General Electric/NBC
MSNBC

7. Patterns of Ownership Integration --
horizontal -- different media owned by same company
vertical -- different aspects of same medium owned by same company

8. Integration Music Film Books Musicians Record Label CD Manufacture
Record Club
Rec. Stores
Authors
Publisher
Printer
Trucking
Bookstores
Actors
Studios
Film/Video
Manufacture
Theaters
Video Stores

9. Integration & Self Promotion
Can news outlets impartially report on other areas of their firm?
How is the information we receive shaped by corporate forces?
ABC-- pets.com, Disney
CNN-- MI2, Pokemon

10. Effects of Concentration
Political power
political contributions
discursive power
Hegemony
legitimization of ideas
dominant, naturalized ideology
absence of alternative frameworks or ideas

11. Corporate Discourse Is the “corporate” view “our” view?
Discourse of Monday Night Football
competition
survival of the fittest
fan power
oligarchy
salaries
violence