Learn: Media Studies: Purposes, Economics, Theories, Laws, and Models

What are the 3 purposes of media?

Inform (news), Entertain (film), Persuade (adverts)

How do the media make money?

Subscription Models, Advertising, Hybrid Models

CPM

Cost per thousand impressions

Vertical Integration

One company owns both the production and distribution (ex. A company owning the production studio and the streaming platform)

Horizontal Integration

One company owns multiple outlets within the same medium

Cultivation Theory

Media cultivates the minds of the people, the idea that people will begin to view the tv world similar to the real world

George Gerbner

Speculated that democracy is endangered by media violence. Created the cultivation theory

Mean World Syndrome

A cognitive bias wherein heavy tv viewers perceive the world to be more dangerous than it is

Sift Method

Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original source

First Amendment Freedoms

Religion, speech, press, assembly, petition

First Amendment Rules

Limits the government (public schools, local , state, federal) not private institutions (social media platforms, news networks, privately owned companies/schools)

Content-Neutral Restrictions

Time, place, and manner (noise complaints, permits, protest locations) Applied regardless of message

Content-Based Restrictions

Regulating the message itself based on viewpoint or what it says

Speech that is not protected

Defamation, Obscenity, True Threats, and Incitement

Defamation

False statement of fact that damages someones reputation

Obscenity

Material meeting a 3 part legal test

True Threats

A serious expression of intent to harm someone

Incitement

Speech intended and likely to cause lawless action

Libel

A false PUBLISHED statement of fact that damages someones reputation

NY times vs Sullivan

1964, set the standard for public figures that "actual malice" must be proven.

NY Times vs US (Pentagon Papers)

1971, set the standard that prior restraint is not allowed

Prior Restraint

Government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast

Shield Laws

Let journalists protect the identity of confidential sources, even under a court subpoena. Vary from state to state

Mass Communications

The process of designing and delivering cultural messages through media channels

Affordances

Features or capabilities of a technology that help establish how we use it

Convergence

Describes the changes brought by the digital transition

Mass Nation

A society in which a large percentage of a diverse population consumed similar media. (Watched the same shows, news, etc)

Niche Nation

A society in which people navigate a more varied and complex media landscape. (More indivualized media consumption- think TikTok algorithm)

Masspersonal Communication

Method of communication that mixes mass communication (public, impersonal) and interpersonal communication (private, personal)

3 Roles in Relation to Media

Media Consumer, Producer, and Citizen

Participatory Culture

A culture in which it is relatively easy for people to create and share their own content that often deepen the dynamics of a niche nation

Hegemony

When most of the public accepts of buys into a way of thinking about how the world works in favor of the dominant class

Oligopoly

A few companies dominate an industry

Monopoly

One company controls an industry

Conglomerates

Large corporations that develop through a series of mergers and acquisitions of other companies

Cultural Imperialism

A country's (USA) media dominating international markets and shaping the cultures of other nations

Mass Customization

Marketing and production techniques that combine personalization with cost benefits of efficient messaging production

Models of Expression

Authoritarian, communist/state, social responsibility, libertarian

Authoritarian Model

Privately owned media outlets, but government actively censors media that critiques its actions and supports media that is sympathetic to its agenda

Communist/State Model

Government "owns" the press and directly controls what it supports, leaders believe the press should serve government goals

Social Responsibility Model

Press is privately owned and is free to function as a fourth estate (an unofficial branch of government that monitors for abuses of power and provides necessary information for self-governance) This is the model in the US

Libertarian

Encourages government criticism and supports full freedom for the press. No restrictions are in place

Copyright

Legally protects the rights of authors and producers to their published or unpublished writing, music, lyrics, tv programs, movies, etc.

Slander

Spoken word that defames a persons character

Actual Malice

When a reporter or editor publishes a statement that they were aware was false

Qualified Privilege

Allows reporters to report judicial or legislative proceedings even though the public statements being reported may be libelous

Fairness Doctrine

FCC rule that required broadcast stations to air and engage in controversial-issue programs + while offering such programs to provide competing point of views

Public Domain

Work that the public has free access to

Gag Orders

Legal restrictions that prevent the press from releasing information that might prejudice jury selection or cause an unfair trial

Section 230

A part of the Communications Decency Act, means that internet companies or providers are not responsible for any of the material on their platforms

Section 315

Part of the 1934 Communications Act; mandates that during elections broadcast stations must provide equal opportunities and response time for candidates

5 Types of Communication

Oral, Written, Print, Electronic, Digital (in order)

Net Neutrality

All data has to be treated equally by organizations and companies

Sixth Amendment

Guarantees the accused individual the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury.

Ethnocentrism

Reporters judge other countries and cultures on the basis of how they live up to their cultures practices or values

Responsible Capitalism

Journalists sometimes assume that businesspeople complete with one another's not to maximize profits but to increase prosperity for all

Small-Town Pastoralism

Favoring the small over the large and the rural over the urban

Individualism

Favoring individual rights and responsibilities above group needs or institutional mandates

Journalism of Assertion

A new era of partisan news, where cable news pundit serves as an "expert" in place of verified facts, authentic documents, and actual experts

Journalism of Verification

A journalistic model that promotes fact-checking and expertise and views objectivity as the ideal news practice

Herd Journalism

When reporters follow a story in such herds that the public believes they're invading people's privacy, exploiting their personal problems, or getting the story wrong

Newsworthiness

Information most worthy of transformation into news stories

Foundational Research

Strives to build a broad, shared, and objective understanding of our relationship with media. Is often focused on developing and fine-tuning general theories of how media operate

Critical Research

Designed to intervene in political and social life by revealing the moral and ethical consequences of our relationship with the media

Applied Research

Is often focused on understanding how to deploy media messages or products more effectively. Often conducted by media producers.

Ethics of Journalism

Don't deploy deception, don't invade privacy, avoid conflict of interest

Content Analysis

Systematic approach to categorizing, measuring, and counting specific features of or elements in media texts in order to identify and quantify media content.

Propaganda Analysis

The study of propogranda's effectiveness on influencing the public's opinion

Selective Exposure

When people expose themselves to media messages that are most familiar to them

Selective Retention

When people retain information that confirms the values/attitudes they already had

Public Sphere

A space where critical public debate can take place

Longitudinal Studies

Studies that are conducted over a long period of time & require large databases

Social Learning Theory

Suggests a link between the mass media and behavior. Developed as a four step process, attention, retention, motor production, and motivation

Agenda-Setting Theory

The idea that when the mass media focus their attention on particular events or issues, they set the agenda for the major topics of discussion for individuals and society.

Cultivation Effect Theory

Suggests that the more time individuals spend consuming media, the more likely their views of social reality will be "cultivated" by the images and portrayals they've seen

Spiral of Silence Theory

The idea that those who believe their views on controversial issues are in the minority will keep silent out of fear of social isolation

Third-Person Effect Theory

Suggests that people believe others are more affected by media messages then themselves

Media Effects Theories

Social learning, agenda-setting, cultivation effect, spiral of silence, third-person effect

Hypodermic Needle Model

The concept that powerful media affect weak audiences. Popularized in the 1920's and 30's

Uses and Gratifications Model

Argues that people use the media to satisfy various emotional desires or intellectual needs

Minimal-Effects Model

Strong media effects largely occur at the individual level and do not appear to have a measurable effect on society as a whole

5 Steps to the Critical Process

Description, Analysis, Interpretation, Evaluation, Engagement

Journalism Rituals

Focusing on the present, relying on experts, balancing story conflict, acting as adversaries to leaders and institutions

Populism

A political approach that pits the ordinary people against "the elites"

Technological Determinism

Viewing technology as an independent force that appears out of nowhere and changes everything

Priming Theory

Media depictions stimulate related thought

Misinformation

Incorrect facts shared by mistake; the person sharing it believes it’s true

Disinformation

False information that is deliberately created to trick people or push an agenda

Surveillance Capitalism

An economic system where tech companies track your daily online and offline behavior to collect personal data, which they turn into profit