Sociology Media Revision Questions & Answers 2024/2025

Sociology Media Revision Questions & Answers 2024/2025 What is the new media? - ANS-types of media that utilize digital technologies What is technological convergence and what does Jenkins argue it leads to? - ANS-Technological convergence is when a single device has combined various media technologies and Jenkins argues this leads to cultural convergence which is how the users interact with the media content. What are three main key features of the new media? - ANS-- Hyper textuality - Interactivity - Virtuality What does Jenkins argue interactivity leads to? - ANS-A participatory culture as well as a collective intelligence What is the 'growing synergy' between old and new media? - ANS-BBCs newspapers are now digitalized What are the effects of the new media? - ANS-- Evolving and modernizing news values - Reduced power and influence of owners (Browne - Citizen Journalists have growing power to influence reported news) What are the main arguments for the Neophiliac view of the new media? - ANS-- More choice as well as greater user participation - More access to a wider range of info - Mcnair - Internet gives everyone power to report and criticize What are the main arguments for the Cultural Pessimist view of the new media? - ANS-- Harder to source information - Fake news is very prevalent - Threat to Democracy - Increased surveillance (online shopping) How much does 1/5th of the British Adult population use the internet? - ANS-40 hours What are the age differences in usage of the new media? - ANS-- Younger people are greater users of the internet and more likely to digitally read the news What are the gender differences in usage of the new media? - ANS-- Men spend 3x more than women watching videos online - Women make more calls and texts - Li and Kirkup: Men are less likely to use the internet for studying What does Jones argue the new media amplifies? - ANS-Existing societal inequalities such as poverty and unemployment - there is a digital underclass. What are some formal controls of the media? - ANS-- Law of libel - 2010 Equality Act forbidding any opinions encouraging hatred against ethnic or religious groups What is Ofcom? - ANS-Media regulator who aim to further consumer interests etc. What are Bagdikian’s features of media ownership? - ANS-- Global conglomeration - Vertical and horizontal integration - Concentrated ownership - technological convergence What do Marxists argue about the media and ideology? - ANS-The media acts as an ISA and induces a false consciousness onto the proletariat What is the main argument for instrumental marxists? - ANS-- Owner’s control media content and manipulate the audiences by spreading capitalist ideologies - Owners ultimately dictate the content - The audience is passive and sees no issues What are two critiques of instrumental marxists? - ANS-- Pluralists argue with the growth of citizen journalism; more and more power is given to the powerless. - The state regulates the media so no one person has too much influence What are the main arguments for hegemonic marxists? - ANS-- Media spreads the ruling class ideology therefore legitimizing the elite power - However, owners don’t have direct influence (50% journalists are privately educated) and many have a very Eurocentric white middle class view. - Media contains very minimal critical content in order to attract more audiences and gain higher revenue. What is a criticism of the hegemonic Marxist view? - ANS-- They undermine the power and influence of the owners - for example Rupert Murdoch got all 175 newspapers he owned to adopt his political right-wing views. What are the main arguments for Pluralism? - ANS-- Media content is driven by the consumers and journalists have high editorial independence as long as they attract and gain audiences to make profit - Audience are active and can choose what they do and don’t want to watch and the new media allows everyone to share ideas. Give two criticisms of the pluralistic view? - ANS-- Media owners hire editors and managers who share similar views to them - Journalists views normally come from those higher up in power. What do postmodernists argue about the media? - ANS—recognize diversity and argue that media has 3 characteristics: - media defines society -postmodern societies are underpinned by globalization - truth is irrelevant what does Baudrillard argue? - ANS-People now find it hard to distinguish between reality and the media version of reality. What are two critiques of postmodernism? - ANS-- Little actual research to back up arguments - Still great structural inequalities What is the difference between popular and high culture? - ANS-- Popular culture is produced for a mass audience and designed to be enjoyed by the masses whereas high culture is seen as elite and respectable such as classical music and Dickens etc. What do postmodernists argue about the differences between high and popular culture? - ANS-- The differences are weakening - e.g. Original/Classical music can be mass consumed at home online on platforms such as YouTube. What do marxists argue about popular culture? - ANS-- Form of social control and a lot of media content is dumbed down in order to create a passive, unthinking audience. - It is a form of social repression. What does Strinati argue against this view? - ANS-- There is no single mass culture and people have consumer choice over what they consume What do we mean by a global popular culture? - ANS-- Increasingly similar products and ways of life globally. - Sklair (2012) argues products are sold to promote the happy western lifestyle. What do cultural imperialists ultimately argue? - ANS-- The USA is imposing its media products and popular culture on less powerful nations. - Fenton argues global culture rarely ever means universal. - This ultimately undermines local cultures globally. What does McChesney argue is the main reason cultural imperialism exists? - ANS-- Increased concentration of the world’s media companies in the hands of a few American TNCs and people. What does Marcuse argue media audiences are being encouraged by media companies to subscribe to? - ANS-- Commodity fetishism - False needs continues...