COM 200 Exam 2

culture industry

the profit-driven, mass production of popular culture (film, radio, magazines) to encourage conformity to mass society.

Frankfurt School

a group of German-American scholars who developed Critical Theory.

pseudo-individualism

the illusion of identity through superficial variation in standardized products

corporate concentration

the long term trend of a small number of large firms dominating an increasing share of the economy, sales, and assets

2 common critics of the Frankfurt school

1. elitist: only interested in cultures that they like, 2. lacking empirical evidence: didn’t talk to people about their entertainment habits

core questions about culture industry jobs

1. to what extent do they provide opportunities for expression, 2. do they mostly generate profit while ensuring social conformity

‘dream job’ narrative

fun, flexible, expression, but visibility replaces stability

Jurgen Habermas

created the idea of public sphere, 2nd gen Frankfurt School

Public sphere

where citizens come together to discuss matters of public concern, forming public opinion through debate

critical rationality

questioning authority and tradition

common criticisms of public sphere

1.excludes people like woman and the working class from the public sphere 2. downplays the importance of emotion and storytelling

colonization of the public sphere

the take over of the public sphere by either businesses or state powers seeking money

infotainment

creation of news for the purpose of entertainment

Cory Doctorow

created ‘enshitification’

enshitification

platforms start well until profit aims lead them to degrade the experience in favor of profits

media capture

control of media by the state to further personal interest rather than common good

what forms can media capture take?

frivolous lawsuits, physical intimidation against journalist, etc

hypodermic needle theory 3 claims

1. media has direct, immediate, uniform effects, 2. audiences are the same, 3. messages are received w interpretation or resistance

how did hypodermic needle theory arise

rise of mass media and WW1 propaganda success

committee on public information

the first U.S. government propaganda agency, designed to sway public opinion toward supporting World War I

Hadley Cantril

used interviews and surveys to study the “War of the Worlds’ panic

George Gerbner

created cultivation theory

cultivation theory

1.media effects are progressive rather than immediate, 2. heavy media exposure creates certain attitudes over time, 3 critical capacity declines as media exposure increases

mean world syndrome

Heavy TV viewers think crime rates/danger are higher than they actually are

criticisms of Gerbner’s cultivation theory

does media cause these attitudes or do people w these attires seek out conforming media

self-selction

people choose media that confirms existing beliefs

Paul Lazarsfeld and Eliho Katz

created 2-step flow and asked : how do people make decisions on what to buy?

opinion leader

influential individual whose views, attitudes, and behaviors are trusted and respected

reinforcement of prior dispositions

the people we spend out time with often share the same opinions and values as us

2 step flow

media to opinion leader to general public

3 criticisms of 2 step flow

1. oversimplifies consumption(not just 2 steps), 2. understates media influence (ads encourage general consumption), 3. context dependent finding (options leaders might be stronger in purchasing than voting areas)

1 step flow

direct from media to individual users

rabbit hole

engagement driven algorithims designed to keep users watching can lead to radicalization of views

echo chambers

environments where individuals exposed only to views that reinforce existing beliefs

real world applications of 2-step flow

1. misinformation 2. political polarization (echo chambers reinforce ideas) 3. activism

Stuart Hall

member of Birmingham School of Cultural Studies -created encoding/decoding model

3 core assumptions of cultural studies

1. culture matters (race, gender, etc shape how we read messages) 2. power matters (what meaning dominate others) 3. context matters (same message can be interpreted differently)

encoding

process where producers embed specific meaning or ideas into a text

decoding

precess where audiences interpret based on their own frameworks (experiences, identities, etc.)

3 forms of decoding

1. dominant (intending meaning is accepted by audience) 2. negotiated(accept some parts, modify others) 3. oppositional (fully reject intended meaning)

polysemic

texts have multiple meaning

3 criticisms of Stuart Halls model of coding and decoding

1. are producers intentions always so clear (not always a single ‘preferred’ reading) 2. are preferred readings of a lack of opposition 3. what about real world effects (some representation can impact violence, policy, etc.)

iraq war

example of how journalist are subservient to politicians (Iraq was said to have weapons by politicians and that’s what was covered in the news)

Watergate scandal

example of how politicians are subservient to journalist (journalist expose Nixon for covering up a break in burglary at DNC)

tax the rich

example of how media coverage has become a distraction for politicians leading them to prefer style over substance

defining political communication

1. symbolic (words + images such as speeches, interviews, etc) 2. struggles over what counts as political (who belongs and what problems exist) 3. effects of struggles on political knowledge and engagement (are news consumers more likely to cote?)

public knowledge

what citizens need to know in order to participate in self-governance

civic engagement

involvement in community to address needs solve problems and improve life

agenda setting

idea that media doesn’t tell us what to think but instead what to think about

framing

when journalist pick which aspects of a story to present

Entman

created framing theory

indexing theory

news reflects the spectrum of elite debates not the full public spectrum