Chapter 13. The Effects of Mass Media. Methods For Studying Media Effects. o Experiments: Social Psychology (+) o Cause/effect can be monitored (-) o Artificial setting. o Qualitative, quantitative. Surveys: o Deductive method (+) o Allows for tracking trends (-) o Predetermined criteria. o Results are quantitative. Focus Groups: o Inductive method (+) o Allows for emergent analysis (-) o Moderator control. o Topics limited. o Results re qualitative. Content Analyses: o Explains occurrence (+) o Does not explain content or impact (-) o Results are quantitative. Textual Analysis: o Goes beyond surface analysis (content) and looks at implications, ideologies, etc. (+) o It is dependent on theorist/interpretation (-) o Qualitative. Ethnographic Studies: o Inductive, long term field work, emergent data (+). o Field situation not generalizable. o The fieldworker has overarching authority. o Qualitative. Theories of Media Effects: o Hypodermic Needle Theory: Considered media as a powerful persuasive force that would "shoot" beliefs into people's minds. All people would have more or less the same reaction to a mass-communicated message. Limited Effects Theory: o Because of intervening variables, the media have little effect. Media influence passes through leaders to audience. o Joseph Klapper, 1960: "Media does not cause effects, but reinforces existing conditions. Specific-Effects Theory: o Argues that there are some circumstances under which the media have a direct effect on people. o IE: Children and violence; publics during election time. Cultural Studies: o Aruges that media is part of a cultural system. Contemporary culture is seen as "media-culture." "Media-cultures" are manufactured by corporations and speak to majority audiences. (Content, marketing, advertising) o Kavoori's research is in the cultural studies tradition. Media-Cultures is a Key Concept: o Media cultures are ideological in nature and construt majority views of race, class, gender, sexuality. o Media-Cultures address consumers, not citizens. o Media cultures are best studied by qualitative methods. Major Cultural Studies Scholars: o Michel Foucalt. o Jurgen Habermas. o Robert McChesney. o Stuart Hall o Raymond Williams. o Cultural studies argues that media critics should work to deconstruct the role of mediacultures and independent media producers should make different, more-empowering mediacultures. Media Violence: o The most researched topic in broadcasting. o Stimultation theory argues that TV violence prompts aggression. o Catharsis theory (viewing reduces aggression) is popular amongst industry executives. o A modest by consistent association between viewing violent TV programs and gressive tendencies. Cultural studies looks as issues of identity (who is being violent against whom--r ace, gender, calss and sexuality). Research questions: How is violence marketed in popular culture? What is the aesthetic of media violence? Cultivation Theory: o The most important theory. o Viewing large amoungs of TV will distort a person's perception of reality. o George Gerbner: The more a person is exposed to TV, the more the person's construction of social reality will be like that of TV rather than reality. o Recent research has suggested that the process of cultivation is much more complex than originally though. o Heavy Tv viewing may have different outcomes for different social groups. o VIDEO: `The Killing Screens: Media and the Culture of Violence." Featuring George Gerbner o VIDEO: Goodfellas. Director: Martin Scorsese. Topics From the Chapter (Not Covered): o Media and politics: Agenda setting Theory. Key Idea: The media not not tell you what to think, but it tells you what to think aout. Television and pro-social behavior. Social impact of the internet. o o o