Discuss the role of media studies in making sense of the political, economic and cultural meaning of everyday life.
Discuss the role of media studies in making sense of the political, economic and cultural meaning of everyday life.
Communications media ranging from televisions, radios, newspapers and so forth play a major role in the way we live. To understand how contemporary society and communications media have taken on the shapes and roles that they have as well as how audiences interpret meanings out of television programs, it is important for us to know and appreciate the role of media studies.
Media studies arose from a pressing need to account for the rapid developments in mass communication, especially during the twentieth century. Bazalgette (2000:6) mentioned that media studies is not simply an academic subject where one receives and repeats heaps of information. Instead, it engages people to analyse media messages such as television programs and newspaper content, to understand how people are informed or misinformed and how all these create an impact on one's society. While there is "no single, correct interpretation of reality, it becomes important to understand how media texts might be used in order to make sense of the world we live in" (McKee 2001:144). For this reason, media studies is regarded as an important field to recognize how media affect our lives.
In the essay, I will be discussing the role of media studies in making sense of the political, economic and cultural meanings along with various adverse effects media studies might have on both people and society.
One important approach to media studies focuses on the political perspective of media, which is genuinely linked to issues associated with politics, government and power relations where media play an influential role. Media industries are controlled by the government and regulated by censorship whereby dictatorial governments control the flow of information to the people and make rules of what can be accessed and publicised (James and Michael 1977:45). By studying how media institutions interact with the government, it can point down to how politics work.
The other issue underlying political perspective is the power relations between media industries and the government. Within a broadly neo-Marxist view of society, media studies is concerned with the constitution and exercise of power (Sinclair 2002:25). This range from the way news is structured between press editors or journalists and their sources to the way television viewing is affected by the organisation and power relations within the family (Golding and Murdock 1991:18). Besides, the study of media serves to define what is of political concern as it leads to questions about power in society such as who owns the newspaper and who financed the film production. These media politics not only affect our lives as active audiences of media but also ultimately determine the economic standing of a society.
In relation to an economic perspective, we might ask questions such as: How do people make money through the media? How effective is advertising-does it persuade us to buy things we otherwise would not? Such issues are typical concerns of individuals to examine how media function in society. From an economic approach, media studies identifies what is of economic importance by studying the ownership and control of the media and how these may influence the audiences and economy.
How then do people make money through the media? To answer this, one has to understand that the ...
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In relation to an economic perspective, we might ask questions such as: How do people make money through the media? How effective is advertising-does it persuade us to buy things we otherwise would not? Such issues are typical concerns of individuals to examine how media function in society. From an economic approach, media studies identifies what is of economic importance by studying the ownership and control of the media and how these may influence the audiences and economy.
How then do people make money through the media? To answer this, one has to understand that the advertising industry plays a significant role. Advertising, while "not a medium of communication in itself, is the force which sustains all commercial media" (Sinclair 2002:200). It provides the main source of income for media owners. For instance, according to the United States economy, newspapers obtained approximately 75% of their revenues from advertisers (James and Michael 1977:125). With the growth of advertising, papers appear attractive in their features making them more sellable, which in turn improve the country's economic status.
With the statement above, we have to agree with Bazalgette (2000:10) that one basic function of the media is to sell audiences to advertisers. Media industries are seen to be "providing products or commodities for consumers" (Bonney and Wilson 1983:31). The media may have the aim of entertaining audiences but this is primarily to capture audiences for advertisers. Thus, media is often known as 'consciousness industries' that sell ways of "thinking, seeing and talking about the world" to people (Cunningham and Turner 2002:12). Hence, audiences are seen as potential consumers for the products advertised, which forms the financial sources for the media industries.
In media studies, we regard radio and television as industries where large number of people are employed and financed to produce what they do (James and Michael 1977:135). As media such as news broadcasting turn out to be increasingly popular, the news will eventually become a means of securing high viewer ratings that will ultimately boost the economy. With the invention and development of television, it also brought about economic development and because of this, job and educational opportunities are made possible for people of today.
The other concern pertaining to economic perspective is capitalism. Corporations comprising of banking, insurance or advertising fields that are large and profit- seeking do contribute to the economy. These investors constitute a force that helps to integrate media companies into market strategies and with such pressure from competitive investors, it generates capitalism, bringing more profit into the media industry (James and Michael 1977:58). This means that with advanced capitalism where corporations reinvest part of its profits into developing new production methods, it will give scope for further industrialisation and globalisation. Eventually, media helps to open up new international markets for
both cultural products such as magazines and music videos and consumer products such as television sets and fashion styles. From this perspective, media are seen as economic organisations designed to create profit as well as to foster a cultural environment.
Media studies engages with cultural aspects that are central to one's life. Under the American empirical tradition, social scientists were more interested in knowing the effect of certain kinds of media content on attitudes (Sinclair 2002:28). In other words, media are cultural industries that help to shape the values and way of life. An example to exemplify would be the use of television.
The invention of television plays a distinctive role in the cultural life of contemporary society. It is a forum where different cultures and groups are represented in social relations. An example would be the Australian 'Celebrity Big Brother', which have become a part of what people share as a culture. The program brings together cultural groups and raises a level of group consciousness. Another example is the work of Eric Michaels, an American who provided a report analysis of how aboriginal people in Australia adapted television to their cultural values (Sinclair 2002:33). If television had not been invented, these cultural events would not have occurred. It is through television medium where cultural significance is portrayed and global communication and relationships are enhanced. Therefore, from a cultural approach, media studies gives people an opportunity to acquire a sense of how others in various parts of the world live and to understand the meanings and values of a culture (Thompson 1995:213).
Despite opportunities for improved power relations, economy, and understanding cultural values, there are significant effects that media studies present. One of which is the relations between the media industry and government. Instead of playing supporting roles, will the government be dominated by the media? To some extent, it will. As reported in a newspaper article, radio and television stations ignored Thailand's Culture Ministry, which appealed to ban a raunchy song that created a stir in the media (Ghosh 2004:14). From here, we can see media industries as domineering organisations exercising their power and influence over the government. Media studies is hence, a field where the struggle for power between media industries and the government unfolds.
One major drawback of media studies from an economic view is that the start up costs of media enterprises are excessively high and therefore, there might be occasions where views and opinions of audiences are excluded without resorting to large sums of money. Besides, when people get lethargic, they neglect the routine of reading the papers since news can be received via the radio broadcast and Internet. The radio and Internet, can thus overpower the impact of reading up on current affairs. Consequently, it may result in fluctuation of media industries as one may be performing better as compared to the other. Overall, the economy will be affected when such a situation occur.
While the availability of media technologies serves to cultivate cultural values of life, family and social life can be affected as individuals develop different perception and behaviour after television has 'invaded' into their lives. In contemporary society, media are often consumed in private spaces in the comfort of one's setting. This could ultimately lead to a breakdown in communication with people distancing themselves, as they prefer to communicate by means of the media than face-to-face interactions.
Then again, the vast diversity of messages made available by the media can give rise to a kind of 'symbolic overload', causing people to be confused when presented with excessive information (Thompson 1995:216). People might rely increasingly on the opinions of film or television critics to guide them in their viewing choices. Films and television programs that are strictly for the viewing by matured age groups may inevitably affect a child's thinking. Inappropriate, controversial content such as homosexuality, abuse and violence can bring about adverse effects as children assimilate information and learn from it. As a result, the media could be condemned by the public for portraying inappropriate content.
To conclude, I have discussed on the role of media studies in making sense of the political, economic and cultural meaning of everyday life along with various effects media studies might have on both people and society. Indeed, people depend largely on media for information, images and entertainment of which they interpret and respond to their social environments. To a remarkable degree, we live in a media saturated milieu whereby our society is constituted by the media. Yet, there are consequences to consider when engaging in the study of media. Hence, it is vital to study the role of media studies in helping us to understand these aspects of society: political, economic and cultural in a comprehensive way.
Word Count: 1648 words
References:
Bazalgette, Cary (2000) "Why Media Studies is Worthwhile", in Dan Fleming (ed.) Formations: A 21st Century Media Studies Text Book. Manchester: Manchester University Press: 5-14.
Bonney, Bill and Wilson, Helen (1983) Australia's Commercial Media. South Melbourne: Macmillan.
Cunningham, Stuart and Turner, Graeme (eds) (2002) The Media & Communications in Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin
Ghosh, Nirmal "Naughty, Sexy, Bitchy". The Sunday Times, 21 March 2004, p. 14.
Golding, Peter and Murdock, Graham (1991) "Culture, Communications and Political Economy", in James Curran & Michael Gurevitch (eds) Mass Media and Society. London: Edward Arnold: 15-32.
James, Curran and Michael, Gurevitch (eds) (1977) Mass Media and Society. London: Edward Arnold.
McKee, Alan (2001) "A Beginner's Guide to Textual Analysis", in Metro Magazine. No.127/128: 138-149.
Sinclair, John (2002) "Media and Communications: Theoretical Traditions", in Cunningham Stuart and Turner Graeme (eds) The Media & Communications in Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin: 23-34.
Sinclair, John (2002) "Advertising", in Stuart Cunningham and Grame Turner (eds) The Media & Communications in Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin: 200-216.
Thompson, John (1995) "Self and Experience in a Mediated World" (excerpt), The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media. Stanford: Stanford University Press: 209-219.
COM1010 Minor Essay Student ID: 18257259