Power and The Media
Power and the media considers issues surrounding access to the media, identity,
representation, ideology and democracy.
Theory
Power and Media Industries - Curran and Seaton
- The media is controlled by an increasingly small number of companies who are
driven by profit and power.
- By concentrating media production in the hands of so few companies, there is an
increasing lack of variety, creativity and quality.
- We need more socially diverse and democratic patterns of ownership to create more
varied and adventurous media products.
Cultural Industries - David Hesmondhalgh
- Producers try to minimize risk and maximise audiences through vertical and
horizontal integration.
- Large companies make products that are safe, they use star names and easy to
follow narratives which offer a much better guarantee the product will be successful,
as similar products have been in the past otherwise, they could lose a lot of money.
- However, these products can be repetitive and this process reduces innovation.
Star Theory - Richard Dyer
- Stars are CONSTRUCTED and are not a true representation of reality/identity.
- This constructed IDENTITY becomes valuable.
- Stars sell IDEOLOGIES and we buy into their beliefs and values.
End of Audience Theory - Clay Shirky
- Audiences are no longer passive consumers of media content.
- Now, media consumers have become producers who ‘speak back’ to the media in
various ways, sharing content with one another.
- This can be accomplished through comment sections, internet forums, and creating
media products such as vlogs and blogs.
, Media Effects - Albert Bandura
- The effects model suggests that the media can implant ideas in the minds of the
audience directly.
- If a media product represents aspects such as violence or physical aggression, this
can lead to audience members to imitate these behaviours.
Theories of Identity - David Gauntlett
- Audiences are not passive and media products allow the audiences to construct their
own identities.
- Audiences can pick and choose which ideologies suit them and completely ignore the
elements of the product that they do not agree with.
Theories of Representation - Stuart Hall
- Stereotypes reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits.
- These stereotypes allow producers to easily construct media products and audiences
can easily decode them.
Fandom Theory - Henry Jenkins
- Fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media
producer franchise.
- Unlike the generic audience or the classic spectator, fans are active participants in
the construction and circulation of textual meanings.
- Fans appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully intended by the
media producers (‘textual poaching’). Examples of this may manifest in conventions,
fan fiction and so on.
Uses and Gratifications - Bulmer and Katz
Audiences choose and use a media for the following 4 Media Purposes or Uses and
Gratifications:
1. Diversion or Entertainment: To get away from everyday problems and routine
(escapism).
2. Personal Relationships: As a substitute for real emotional and interpersonal
interaction.
3. Personal Identity: Association with characters in texts and TV programs and they
also learn behaviors and values from media.
Power and the media considers issues surrounding access to the media, identity,
representation, ideology and democracy.
Theory
Power and Media Industries - Curran and Seaton
- The media is controlled by an increasingly small number of companies who are
driven by profit and power.
- By concentrating media production in the hands of so few companies, there is an
increasing lack of variety, creativity and quality.
- We need more socially diverse and democratic patterns of ownership to create more
varied and adventurous media products.
Cultural Industries - David Hesmondhalgh
- Producers try to minimize risk and maximise audiences through vertical and
horizontal integration.
- Large companies make products that are safe, they use star names and easy to
follow narratives which offer a much better guarantee the product will be successful,
as similar products have been in the past otherwise, they could lose a lot of money.
- However, these products can be repetitive and this process reduces innovation.
Star Theory - Richard Dyer
- Stars are CONSTRUCTED and are not a true representation of reality/identity.
- This constructed IDENTITY becomes valuable.
- Stars sell IDEOLOGIES and we buy into their beliefs and values.
End of Audience Theory - Clay Shirky
- Audiences are no longer passive consumers of media content.
- Now, media consumers have become producers who ‘speak back’ to the media in
various ways, sharing content with one another.
- This can be accomplished through comment sections, internet forums, and creating
media products such as vlogs and blogs.
, Media Effects - Albert Bandura
- The effects model suggests that the media can implant ideas in the minds of the
audience directly.
- If a media product represents aspects such as violence or physical aggression, this
can lead to audience members to imitate these behaviours.
Theories of Identity - David Gauntlett
- Audiences are not passive and media products allow the audiences to construct their
own identities.
- Audiences can pick and choose which ideologies suit them and completely ignore the
elements of the product that they do not agree with.
Theories of Representation - Stuart Hall
- Stereotypes reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits.
- These stereotypes allow producers to easily construct media products and audiences
can easily decode them.
Fandom Theory - Henry Jenkins
- Fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media
producer franchise.
- Unlike the generic audience or the classic spectator, fans are active participants in
the construction and circulation of textual meanings.
- Fans appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully intended by the
media producers (‘textual poaching’). Examples of this may manifest in conventions,
fan fiction and so on.
Uses and Gratifications - Bulmer and Katz
Audiences choose and use a media for the following 4 Media Purposes or Uses and
Gratifications:
1. Diversion or Entertainment: To get away from everyday problems and routine
(escapism).
2. Personal Relationships: As a substitute for real emotional and interpersonal
interaction.
3. Personal Identity: Association with characters in texts and TV programs and they
also learn behaviors and values from media.
