Social and Political Issues Chapter 13

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Social and Political IssuesChapter 13
Jodi Hallsten Im Your Teacher ?
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2 Types of Media Research

• Media Effects Research
• Analyzes peoples use of media
• Content Analysis
• Examines media content

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Early Media Effects Studies

• Magic Bullet Theory
• Hypodermic needle theory
• Media ideas directly affect peoples behavior
• Proven untrue
• Direct Effects Media Model
• The Cantril Study
• 1939, Studied War of the Worlds
• Contradicted Payne findings
• The Laswell Model
• Who-says what-on which channel-to whom-with what
  effect?

Bartolomiej Stroinski/stock.xchnge
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Media Effects Studies

• The Cantril Study
• 1939, Studied War of the Worlds
• Contradicted Payne findings
• People w/certain personality characteristics
  interpreted the broadcast differently
• Limited Effects Model Media Something Else
• The Laswell Model
• Who-says what-on which channel-to whom-with what
  effect?

Matias Puga/stock.xchnge
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Television and Childrens Behavior

• TV in the Lives of Children
• Childrens watch a lot of TV
• Found different effects for different people
• Fantasy / Diversion / Instruction
• TV and Social Behavior
• Violence and TV Gerbner
• Could not prove connection between violence on TV
  and violent behavior in children
• The Early Window
• 1988 No one, single cause of any social behavior

Bill Aron/Photo Edit
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Children and TV Advertising

• Television Advertising to Children
• Average child sees 20,000 ads a year
• Average child sees 3 hours a week of TV ads
• Many children do not distinguish between ads and
  programming
• Called for ban on ads for young children

Bill Arun/Photo Edit
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Television Violence

• Television and Behavior
• Direct correlation between TV violence and
  aggression
• Cannot be predicted
• Heavy TV viewers are more fearful
• Pro social programming can lead to responsible
  behavior

Erik Dungan/stock.xchnge
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The Media National Politics

• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Fireside Chats, 1933
• The Peoples Choice
• Media activate people to vote and reinforce
  already held opinions
• Opinion leaders help shape others opinions
• Obtain information from media and share it with
  friends and family
• 2-step flow model of communication
• Media ? Opinion Leaders ? Everyone
• Political advertising sways swing voters

Library of Congress
Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Mass Media and Cultural Values

• Spiral of Silence
• Elisabeth Noelle Newman
• Media forms a consensus
• Opposing viewpoints become fewer
• Vocal Minority Silent Majority
• No Sense of Place
• 1985, Joshua Meyerwitz
• Television breaks down distinctions
• Between men and women
• Between child and adult
• Loss of childhood

Tim Spence/stock.xchnge
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Mass Media and Cultural Values

• Television and school performance
• Students who watched more TV scored lower

Carlos Alvarez/Getty images
Halle Berry
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Multiculturalism the Mass Media

• Media slow to reflect evolving multiculturalism
• NY Times content analysis, 1934-1994
• Nonwhites visible in glimpses
• Minorities outside American Society
• Content analysis of network TV, 1994-1995
• Only 2 of prime time characters Latino

Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Brad Pitt
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Gender Issues the Mass Media

• Diverse lifestyles and American media
• 1993 For Better or For Worse comic strip
  introduced gay character
• 1996 New Yorker
• Men kissing on the cover
• L.A. Law 1991 Ellen 1997
• Lesbian kisses on TV
• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy 2003
• Possible indications of wider tolerance

Hector Mata/AFP/Getty Images
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Review Questions

• The Magic Bullet Theory of media effects has
  received much support from recent research (True
  or false?)
• Research on the effects of television on children
  tends to view the effect as negative, but is not
  conclusive (True or false?)
• American media continue to struggle with issues
  of multiculturalism (True or false?)

(See Notes Page under the View Menu for the
answers)