Chapter 1 Notes - week 1 PDF

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Chapter One Notes Definitions: Media – an intervening substance through which something is conveyed or transmitted (10) Communication – The creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning (6) Mass Media – the cultural industries – the channels of communication – that produce and distribute songs, novels, TV shows, newspapers, movies, video games, internet services, and other cultural products to large numbers of people (6) Mass Communication – The process of designing cultural messages and stories and delivering them to large and diverse audiences through media channels as old and distinctive as the printed book and as new and converged as the internet (6) Digital Communication - in “***” Images, texts, and sounds are converted (encoded) into electronic signals (represented as varied combinations of binary numbers – ones and zeros) that are then reassembled (decoded) as a precise reproduction of, say, a TV picture, a magazine article, a song, or a telephone voice” (9) Selective exposure – a process by which “consumers also shape media messages to fit or support their own values and viewpoints” (10) Convergence – a term that media critics and analysts use when describing all the changes that have occurred over the past decade, and are still occurring, in media content and within media companies. The term actually has two meanings – one referring to technology and one to business – and describes changes that have a great impact on how media companies are charting a course for the future. (11) Narrative – story telling

Key Points/Quotes “at their best, in all their various forms, - from mainstream newspapers and radio talk shows to blogs – the media try to help us understand the events that affect us. But at their worst, the media’s appetite for telling and selling stories leads them not only to document tragedy but also to misrepresent or exploit it.” (5)

“The rise of the internet and social media has also complicated the traditional roles in both the linear and cultural models of communication. While there are still senders and receivers, the borderless, decentralized, and democratic nature of the interned means that anyone can become sender of media messages” (10)

“With new technologies allowing access to more media options than ever, mass audiences are morphing into audience subsets that chase particular lifestyles, hobbies, and forms of entertainment” (11) 4 Eras in communication  Oral/written – exact time frames are disputed, historians generally considered these eras as part of western civilization’s premodern period, spanning the epoch from roughly 1000 b.c. to the beginnings of the industrial revolution (7)  Print – modern printing did not emerge until the middle of the late fifteenth century. (7) o The democratic impulse of individualism became a fundamental value in American society in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (8)  Electronic -The gradual transformation from an industrial, print-based society to one grounded in the information age began with the development of the telegraph in the 1840’s” (8) o The telegraph made 4 key contributions to communication (8)  1 – it separated communication from transportation, making media messages instantaneous (8)  2 in combination with the rise of mass-marketed newspapers, transformed information into a commodity, a thing that could be bought or sold irrespective of its uses or meaning (8)

 3 - made it easier for military, business, and political leaders to coordinate commercial and military operations, especially after the installment of the transatlantic cable in the late 1860’s (8)  4 – led to further technological developments such as wireless telegraphy (later named radio), the fax machine, and the cell phone. Which ironically resulted in the telegraph’s demise: In 2006, Western Union telegraph offices send their final messages (8) o The electronic phase of the information age really boomed in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the arrival of television and its dramatic impact on daily life. (8) o  Digital – “this turn to digital media forms has fundamentally overturned traditional media business models, the way we engage with and consume media products, and the ways we organize our daily lives around various media choices” (9)

The Linear Model of Mass Communication Senders – (authors, producers, and organizations) (9) Messages – (programs texts images sounds and ads) (9) Mass Media Channel – (newspapers book magazines radio television or the internet) (9) Receivers - (readers, viewers, and consumers) (9) Gate keepers – (news editors, executive producers, and other media managers) (9) Feedback – citizens and consumers, if they choose, return messages to senders or gatekeepers through phone calls, e-mail, web postings, talk shows, or letters to the editor. (9) Senders transmit messages through a mass media channel in the process gatekeepers function as message filters. This process allows for feedback

A Cultural Model for Understanding Mass Communication “People typically seek messages and produce meanings that correspond to their own cultural beliefs, values, and interests. For example, studies have shown that people with political leanings toward the left or the right tend to seek out blogs or news outlets that reinforce their preexisting views” (10)

Stages of Media Innovation 1. Emergence/Novelty – inventors and technicians try to solve a particular problem (11) 2. Entrepreneurial – inventors and investors determine a practical and marketable use for the new device (11) 3. Mass Medium Stage – at this point businesses figure out how to market the new device or medium as a consumer product (11) 4. Convergence – this is the stage in which older media are reconfigured in various forms on newer media. However, this does not mean that these older forms cease to exist (11)

Media Convergence  Two separate meanings 1. Involves the technological merging content across different media channels – the magazine articles, radio programs, songs, TV shows, video games, and movies now available on the internet through laptops, tablets, and smartphones (11) 2. ‘cross platform’ – describes a business model that involves consolidating various media holdings such as cable connections, phone services television transmissions, and internet access, under one corporate umbrella. (12) A media corporation employing the convergence model can use fewer employees to generate multiple versions of the same story (12)

Media Business in a Converged World  Google was the example used by the text book to exemplify how they make old and new media more accessible while having never produced first hand any of their content. The chapter also highlights how their profit comes majorly from ads related to searches and shopping. Additionally, it mentions that – google has a vested interest in having old media sources succeed in a converged world due to their quality content creations (12)

Media Convergence and Cultural Change  Internet and social media have changed how we consume and engage with media culture. Previously there was a sense of having shared media experiences as communities would watch programs simultaneously as they were aired. With converged media, we now have the option to view this, as well as alternatives to “mainstream” media, content at our convenience. (13)  Media multitasking has led to growing media consumption, particularly for young people (13)  With the increase in media multitasking there is questions on the quality of our engagement with these media sources, that the distraction of media multitasking has decreased our overall involvement with each respective media source. On top of that, media multitasking has shown that we typically pay more attention to these sources than those physically in our presence.  On the other side of the argument, media critics say that having an increased option of media choices makes us more engaged seeing as we have to pick our options above the alternatives. Additionally, the immediate nature of today’s technology may also result in us being more actively engaged with the media despite our multitasking tendencies.

The Foundation of Media  This section outlines the ‘foundation’ of media. Saying that “the stories that circulate in the media can shape a society’s perceptions and attitudes” (13) then it describes how newspapers and media coverage of current events between 1920-1990 had helped shaped public opinion on these topics. “the stories told through a variety of media outlets played a key role in changing individual awareness, cultural attitudes, and public perceptions” (13)  As media has evolved and become more and more converged, the types of stories we are receiving and seeking out are changing. We are now more inclined to watch ordinary people through reality shows, social media, and YouTube videos. This is due to the fact that we are able to share our own media and experiences more than ever before

The Power of Media Stories in Everyday Life  This section details how the inherent sensational and new/breakthrough nature of newer media and trends can have an impact on our society’s ever changing and shifting culture – quoting examples from immigrant culture in the early 50’s as well as Elvis Presley’s (at the time) new wave of blues, and how even today’s children’s online activities can have a major impact. It also states that ‘it is still unknown how much the media shapes society and how much they are simply responding to existing cultural issues’ (14)

Surviving the Cultural Landscape

Culture as a skyscraper High culture – such as ballet, the symphony, art museums, and classic literature (17) Low culture – such icons as soap operas, rock music, radio shock jocks, and video games. (17)

 This separation of culture has created 5 areas of concern about “low culture” this stems from high culture being associated with good taste and higher education and supported by wealthy patrons and corporate donors. In contrast, low or popular culture is aligned with the questionable tastes of the masses, who enjoy the commercial junk circulated by the mass media, such as reality TV, celebrity-gossip websites, and violent action films (17) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

An inability to appreciate fine art A tendency to exploit high culture A throwaway ethic A diminished audience for high culture Dulling our cultural taste buds

Culture as a Map  a cultural map interpretation of our media choices and experience can accommodate a much wider range of cultural experiences rather than simply ranking them from high to low

Cultural Values of the Modern Period

 changes in the mass media and how they have come to occupy their current cultural positions can be traced from the beginning of the ‘modern period’ to today with 4 major features or values that resonate best with changes across media and culture 1. efficiency 2. individualism 3. rationalism 4. progress

Cultural Values of the Modern Period  Postmodern Period – four major features or values that resonate best with changes across media and culture: populism, diversity, nostalgia and paradox (27)

 Populism – tries to appeal to ordinary people by highlighting or even creating an arguments or conflict between “the people” and the “elite”  Critics of postmodern style contend that such borrowing devalues originality, emphasizing surface over depth and recycled ideas over new ones. (28)  Nostalgia – rather than seeing science purely as enlightened thinking or rational dedication that relies on evidence, some artists, critics, and politicians criticize modern values for laying the groundwork for dehumanizing technological advances and bureaucratic problems. (28)  Paradox – While modern culture emphasized breaking with the past in the name of progress, postmodern culture stressed integrating – or converging – retro beliefs and contemporary culture

Critiquing Media and Culture  In contemporary life, cultural boundaries are being tested; the arbitrary lines between information and entertainment have become blurred (29)  It’s ultimately more useful, however, to replace cynical perception of the media with an attitude of genuine criticism. (29)

Media Literacy and the Critical Process  Media Literacy – an understanding of mass media and how they construct meaning (30)  Critical Process – [a process] that takes us through the steps of description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and engagement (30) o Description – paying close attention, taking notes, and researching the subject under study (33) o Analysis - discovering and focusing on significant patterns that emerge from the description stage (33) o Interpretation – asking and answering “what does that mean?” and “so what?” questions about one’s findings (33) o Evaluation – arriving at a judgment about whether something is good, bad, or mediocre, which involves subordinating one’s personal taste to the critical “bigger picture” resulting from the first three steps (33)

o Engagement – taking some action that connect our critical perspective with our role as citizens to question our media institutions, adding our own voice to the process of shaping the cultural environment (33)  If we want to criticize [**media**] intelligently, we should understand what the various types of [**media**] have to say and why their messages appeal to particular audiences that may be different from us

Reference Page Entry Campbell, R. (2016). Media & Culture (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's.

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According to Campbell (2016), Insert the paraphrased material.

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Insert the paraphrased material (Campbell, 2016).

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Campbell (2016) stated,“Insert the quotation” (p. 0)....