SHAEFFER, CHAPTER 7--THE MASS MEDIA

what do we mean by mass media -- -- --

MASS MEDIA is print and electronic instruments of communications that 
carry messages to widespread audiences.

Print media includes newspapers magazines and books.  Electronic media 
include radio and television motion pictures and the Internet.

we study the mass media for several reasons.  First it helps us understand 
how culture is spread.  Second and helps us understand dominant 
ideologies.  Third and helps us understand socialization and have images 
shaped behaviors and social expectations.

THE FUNCTIONALIST VIEW

a functionalist would say that the mass media function to entertain.  We 
often think of mass media as a way to occupy our leisure time.  This may 
be true buttered overlooks the important functions to socialize us to 
enforce social norms to confer status and to inform us about our social 
and political environment.  One important DYSFUNCTION is that they may act 
as a narcotic, desensitizing us to events.

THE CONFLICT VIEW

conflict theorists emphasize that the media reflect and may even 
exacerbate many of the divisions of our society and world including those 
based on gender race ethnicity and social class.

Another way that conflict theorists might look at media is to see what 
stories are placed in what order, what movies are showing at the local 
movie theater rather than other movies, what kinds of images and values 
are presented in the media, and what kinds of issues are presented as 
important and whose values are represented.  This process is known as 
GATE KEEPING.

according to conflict theorists, media reflects the dominant ideology.  
For example movies such as TOP GONE, THE PERFECT STORM, or movies about 
war, good guys/bad guys, and other themes may create false images were 
stereotypes of good guys and bad guys that become accepted as accurate.  
For example one question we can ask whose culture is represented whose 
culture is shown as good or bad and what themes makes sense in music 
movies newspapers talk radio and other outlets.  Compare for example
Howard Stern with a PBS program.

DEFINITION OF IDEOLOGY:

Ideology refers to those beliefs,  attitudes,  and basic
assumptions about the world that justify,  shape and organize how
we perceive and interpret the world.   IDEOLOGY underlies  norms,
laws and values.  Ideology is a set of  the most-basic
assumptions and rationalizations about our social world.
Examples include the believe in "JUSTICE FOR ALL," which guides
the criminal justice system;  "MY COUNTRY RIGHT OR WRONG" and
"EQUAL  OPPORTUNITY," which guide our  political process; "WOMEN
SHOULD NOT RECEIVE EQUAL PAY FOR  EQUAL WORK," or "WOMEN DO NOT
BELONG IN GRAD SCHOOL TAKING UP  SLOTS MEN SHOULD HAVE," which
guides gender relations; "FREE ENTERPRISE," which guides our
economic system, and other beliefs by which we defend "WHAT IS."

An ideology provides the  basic framework for  decisions and
policies  about the social world and political activity.   More
specifically,  ideologies are the conceptual machineries for
maintaining social order.

Ideology suggests a "false consciousness" in  that it prevents us
from seeing the world as  it "really is" in that we  DO NOT
QUESTION that which we ACCEPT as "NORMAL."  The trick is to
IDENTIFY the ideological constraints that block our
understandings of the world.

IDEOLOGIES tend to be views of the  world,  but they are partial
and incomplete, not because they are NECESSARILY wrong, but
because of the questions that we do not ask.    We seldom,  if
ever,  question our beliefs and assumptions  about the nature of
the world  or the social order which ideologies sustain and
preserve.   Ideologies create and generate the ideas, concepts,
appropriate to our social world.

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