Discuss the role of media studies in making sense of the political, economic and cultural meaning of everyday life

Political campaigns and popularity are also driven by the media.  “The center of the new political system seems to be the media.”  A great example of political campaigning through the media is the coverage of crime.  “Crime is an important news topic…  News Media provide prominent space for violent, sexy and sensational crimes to entertain and attract as many consumers as possible.”  This coverage captivates within its audience a distorted perception of society that for example violent crime is out of control.  In turn, political parties do not contest the public’s distorted view, but instead use it to their advantage to win popularity.  In the case of sensationalized crime, the political party offering the most effective and usually un-necessary crime prevention ideas shall win that particular consumers vote.  

Crime in the Media is a typical example of how the media can affect our political perspectives of the modern world.  Unlike the majority of consumers, media studies allow us to “stop taking things at face value, they say it helps you take a step back, it makes you always want another perspective…”  This is where media studies in the political aspects of the modern world is so important.  It reminds us that what is printed in the press and televised across the country is not always the complete story.  That in many cases the media has altered sensationalized or even falsified certain texts to gain as many consumers as possible.  Despite this, the media is the origin of information that is also paramount for anyone to gain any political belief or meaning in everyday life “if the media cannot tell people what to think, the media can tell them what to think about”.  The notion of questioning the media, which media studies encourages so strongly is also a necessity in understanding other areas of the media such as culture.

Similarly to the political aspects of the media, in many respects our culture is greatly dictated by the media.  From advertisements, movies and the news, the media in many ways dictates who we are culturally.  This dictation contains a close relationship with the notion of ‘popular culture’.  Popular culture can be interpreted from anything from being the normal social standard to a highly idealisation and Americanisation of society.  For example in ‘Performance Cars Magazine (Australia & New Zealand)’ it is quoted “you are not a real Aussie bloke unless you drive a V8”.  This type of article in a way not only appeals to the popular ‘Australian culture’ of the masculine Australian man driving around in his big, powerful car, but it also inadvertently affects the readers perception of what it is to be a real Australian “bloke”.  Despite the simplicity of this example, it shows how the media can inform consumers to a view which the media considers popular and in many cases can sell a product.  Interestingly enough “Ford’s Toughest V8” was advertised at the top of this particular article.

        

In the case of culture, media studies play an important part in understanding how it affects all dimensions of this modern world we are consumed by.  “The trouble arises when you notice that the term culture seems to mean half-a-dozen different things” (i.e. Victorian culture, working-class culture etc.)  Culture as mentioned is a very difficult thing to define and so media studies is a tool which can be used to determine what culture a certain media text is trying to portray or even sell.  Again media studies helps us understand that in a sense, the media guides us in a certain direction, whether it be the way we dress, the music we listen to, the cars we drive or the type of lives we lead.  These cultural aspects of life are directly influenced by the media and media studies instills that we should not take all these aspects of life at face value.  Media studies helps an individual to make sense of his/her own culture without having to be an “invisible fiction, constructed by institutions such as television networks…”

 

Finally, media studies also plays a considerable role in making sense economic meanings of life.  As mentioned, media texts are used to sell products to the masses.  This may be through the form of a television advertisement, billboards or even sponsorships of sporting teams.  It is an unquestionable fact that “commercial mediums make their profit through advertising” and therefore, society, despite being presented with news, sporting teams, articles of interest and clothing, it is also being blanketed with advertising which is a major part of the economy.  

Economically though, media, cannot be described as only significant through advertisement.  New technology and new interest has created major industries such as film, television and book publishing.  This is not the end though, along with these multibillion dollar global industries, new industries are growing as we fully enter the digital era.  Economically, Media as a whole cannot be measured as it is such a large ‘global industry’ but it accounts for a huge part of the global economy and this point is rarely discussed.  Media studies helps for better understanding of major points such as these in trying to confirm why Media is economically such a large industry.  For example it asks us to “think about a literary text as a commodity…”  Media studies outlines what is often missed by the people, that media as a whole employs millions of people and helps us “understand how they work, how they are financed and why they produce what they do.”

In conclusion it is evidently clear that media studies has resounding influence on people not only in making sense of the political, economic and cultural aspects of everyday life, but also being able to make up their own mind on issues presented within the media.  The media is the way the public gains its information about the world and their society and media studies allows us to critically analyze who is doing the informing and gives the individual “the power of choice, the power to question” what is being printed, published, filmed etc.  It empowers individuals to question and to not to be herded into a ‘popular’ perspective.  Media studies strips away the persuasive power of the media which attempts to force its consumers to accept things at face value.

M. Altis

Bibliography:

1. Bazalgette, C. “Why Media Studies is Worthwhile” in D. Fleming (ed.) Formations. A 21st Century Media Studies Textbook, Manchester University Press, Manchester, (2000)
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9. Gerbner, G. Mowlana, H. & Nordenstreng, K (1993) The Global Media Debate: Its rise, fall and renewal: Albex Corporation; United States of America

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