Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research



Media & Culture

Mass Communication in a Digital Age, 9th Edition,

Bedford/St. Martin's. 2014

             How much has media affected individuals and the society as a whole? Now-a-days, media is more of an issue than anything. In Chapter 15, through extended case studies and ample amounts of media research studies, mass media is broken down in such ways that questions individuals on whether or not what they see, research or watch correlates to what they do in their own life. A quote in an extended case study states, “The relationship between make-believe stories and real-life imitation has drawn a great deal of attention.” Media has affected many people, and further research about it causes more questions that are needed to be answered.

Before modern days of the United States, early media research methods were performed. It is believed that media historian, Daniel Czitrom, played a major role between 1930 and 1960 in the rise of Propaganda Analysis, Public Opinion Research, Social Psychology Studies, and Marketing Research. According to Merriam-Webster, propaganda is “ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.” Harold Lasswell, a researcher, defines propaganda as “the control of opinion by significant symbols, by stories, rumors, reports, pictures and other forms of social communication.” People believed Propaganda and Public Opinion Research both tied in with the government based on mainly polls. For example, the use of unreliable Pseudo-polls caused problems within same sex marriage. Approximately seventy percent of Americans opposed it and constantly grew. However, Pseudo-polls were used as a source for public opinion. Rather than collecting data for government purposes, it was used just for entertainment.

          Social Psychology Studies and Marketing research shows the effects of TV. In the United Sates, every movie, TV show, or video game is now rated between youth (Y) to mature (Mature Audiences Only) Media brings up the issue that people act out what they watch. Theories such as the Hypodermic-Needle and Minimal-Effects Model suggest that the media directly influences people unswervingly. Researchers argue that people expose themselves to material that they are familiar with. In fact, people select messages towards attitudes and values that they already have. The Gratifications Model gave researchers a reason to do experiments and surveys to go along with their beliefs of media impact. Over the years, a content analysis was developed to study the messages in films.

          In the 1960s, the social learning theory helped explain media effects as well as agenda-setting, cultivation effect, the spiral of silence, and the third-person affect. The social learning theory involved four steps; attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation. This made researchers see the overall behavior and how it links to mass media. Agenda-Setting is what the mind thinks about when it is focused on particular events or issues. The Cultivation Effects suggests that media perceives an image that the world is the same way it is portrayed on television. For example, Television violence makes Americans believe that the world is a bad place simply because of what is seen on TV. The spiral of violence proposes that people who believe their views in the minority will keep their input silent, while the third-person effect states that people are more affected by media than they are themselves.

In Conclusion, researchers will always argue about the impact of media towards people as to whether or not what they watch will affect how they act in their own life. When evaluating the cultural studies research, there are two concepts; the public sphere and the idea of communication as culture. German Philosopher Jürgen Habermas states that media is "manipulative" whereas James Carey argues communication is more of a cultural ritual. Whether people like it or not, media will always be a controversial issue. I believe what you see does not really affect how you act unless someone has a mental issue or disorder. Media will always be around and try to influence people in any way. However, people have the common sense to know what they do. Although media is broken down in ways that it is understood, one question is left unanswered: Can media really affect your life? You decide.

Privacy

            Have you ever thought or realized that anything you post on the internet can be seen anywhere on the world regardless if private settings are set on? Believe it or not, many people around the world literally revolve around the World Wide Web simply because anything can be researched as simple as a click away.  An extended case study in Media & Culture Mass Communication in a Digital Age Ninth Edition, the study talks about our digital world and the self-invasion of privacy. Media philosopher, Marshall McLuhan wrote, “Publication is a self-invasion of privacy.” What did he mean by that? I believe that he means that anything one posts is basically their own consent as to their privacy now becoming public for everyone to see. Whether people like it or not, privacy will never be “private”.

 

            Millions of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube users contribute to social media around the world by posting statuses, tweets, and even uploading videos in bulk simultaneously. Have you ever thought about how society has changed in the past decade? Teenagers of this time no longer have a face to face conversation with people. Instead, people are more adaptable to typing behind a device. Rarely, kids play outside now. In fact, it is more a “Hey, come over my house and we can play Xbox all night.”

             As far a social media standard, sites do not truly take privacy very strictly. Facebook have settings where a user can make things private, but before even being able to post status, a profile must be created with a name, age, date of birth, and sometimes even cell phone numbers in order to use their app. In addition, a user must accept the terms and conditions knowing they will overlook it. There is a reason why fine print is included. Many sites try not to stress the negatives about their products. Instead, they try and influence people to create sites as an easy to meet and talk to people around the world.

 

            The case study breaks down self-invasion of privacy in five steps; Description, Analysis, Interpretation, Evaluation, and Engagement. Description is the research on multiple privacy statements.  Individual control is what the user decides to post on websites, particularly personal data. Transparency is whether or not you believe the website will keep your personal data concealed rather than sharing it for profit to larger companies. Respect for Context gives consumers the right to expect companies to provide protection for their data whereas security gives the consumer rights to demand a policy for their own safety from any disclosure or hacker crimes. Analysis is basically what the company brings to the table in which companies explain their policies whether it is cookies, personal data, and the importance of children 13 years or younger as customers of their company.

 

Interpretation is what is analyzed. A prime example would be the terms and conditions, especially anything listed in small, fine print on the bottom of documents. If read, the consumer should be able to understand what they’re agreeing to before moving on. If a user cannot understand, chances are the user must take their own risks and anything is posted, the company has nothing to do about it simply because the user agreed to follow by their policy. Evaluation is all about making judgments such as considering every single privacy statement and determines whether or not the information listed is fair. Once an evaluation is made, the act of engagement comes into play. This is where the user creates a profile and enters the website.

In Conclusion, I believe consumers should be responsible for what they post. However, consumers should also have the right for protection if needed. If a business does not provide that security, more than likely, it will run out of business. Although media is mainly meant for the public, personal data should be kept private unless consent is giving by the user. There will never be true privacy, making it always a controversial issue. However, if users simply watch what is posted, there would not be a need for such demand on privacy. Always remember, anything posted online can be seen.

Issues raised by The Truman Show

           How would it feel to be watched every second, minute, hour, and day?  In the movie, The Truman Show, a rather strange story is told about Truman Eubanks. Everything from his birth on was secretly televised on national TV as a prime source of entertainment for people around the world. Eubanks was a star in this show that he knew nothing about. This movie shows the importance of media and how it can be considered an issue in modern-day society. Everything from the view of media, line between public and private, and the border between real life and performance all contribute to how much the role of media really impacts people and the ethics of reality TV. Although the show was entertainment to others, it showed the negative effects media can have one someone in the public eye.

The commentary and characters, specifically Marlon and Meryl, look at the show in a utopian view of media. Truman’s best friend, Marlon states, “It’s all true. It’s all real. Nothing here is fake. Nothing you see on this show is fake. It’s merely controlled.” Everything in the show is staged, making everyone an actor in which they perform the same task every day. Truman does not realize that and is forced to think that he lives in a perfect world. Meryl, his wife, believes the show is a “lifestyle” and “noble” life and even “a truly blessed one.” Halfway through the show, Truman sat in his car and noticed the same three people in the neighborhood: A woman walking, a man with flowers walking the other way, and a car with a dented front. To make matters believable, he showed Meryl the act happening and starts to believe something is up. Expectantly, as they try to leave, the people in the town block him from leaving the town of Sea Harbor Island because everyone including his own wife was afraid that Truman would find out the truth about the show going on around him. Many do not see the negative effects of media, but this movie is a direct example of invasion of privacy. 

According to Meryl, there is no line or difference between a private life and public life. Whether he liked it or not, Truman’s life was public for the world to see. Once he realized that he was being watched in his basement, he devised a plan to trick the producers of the show into thinking he was sleeping when in fact he was escaping to Fiji—the vacation spot he wanted to go to on the other side of the world. This is a prime example how important it is to have private life and public life kept separate. Another example would be when Truman tried to schedule a vacation to Fiji while he was at work and his boss caught him easily because he was being recorded. This made privacy nearly impossible.

 

Last but not least, I believe the ethics of reality TV should solely be based on reality and not just a script. Everyone was told exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. With this happening, Truman believed that his life was nothing less than ordinary. When Truman attempts to sails to Fiji, the creator of the show modifies the weather in an effort to stop him from finding out the truth. Fortunately enough, Truman finds out the truth and puts an end to the show forever.

In Conclusion, The Truman Show raised many issues such as, a view of a perfect life, the lack of privacy, and the ethics of reality TV as more of a business rather than entertainment. The show portrayed a young man being harassed in a way that led others to believe that he was crazy. I believe reality TV should only be about actual events in life. Life isn’t scripted; you don’t get to rewind it and you can’t pause it. To me, Truman’s life wasn’t reality, it was torture, and media biased. Truth, and the line between what’s right and what’s wrong, will always be an issue with the media, but no matter what, the media, and reality TV will never go away.

 

 

A Background of Tyler Pineda

My name is Tyler Pineda. I was originally born in Long Island, New York, but I was raised in Lawrenceville and Winder, GA. I have a twin brother named Taylor. I moved to Gwinnett County when I was seven years old and attended second grade at Kanoheda Elementary school. I only lived in Gwinnett County for a year before moving to Barrow County to a small city called Winder. Many people pronounce it as (WIN-DER). However, we pronounce it as (WINE-DER). I attended County Line Elementary where I was a Bandit from 3^rd to 5^th grade. I went to Richard B. Russell Jr. Middle School where I was considered part of the “Dog Pack” from 6^th to 8^th grade. Last, but not least, I graduated High School from Winder-Barrow High School, the very home of the “GG” Bulldoggs. I was always into sports throughout my childhood from playing Soccer since I was born until I was in 6^th grade, to making a different transition to playing both Football and Basketball through Middle and High School. I signed a Football scholarship to Reinhardt University in February 2012 where I was the 22^nd committed player. My number is 47 on the field. I’m a very outgoing person whose goal in life is to become a Sports reporter/Analyst in the near future. Upon graduation of Sports Studies and Communications, I plan to get my Master’s degree from either the University of Georgia or Kennesaw State University, where I will finish up my football career if given the opportunity and become closer in hopes of becoming a successful person doing what I love doing most.