Sociology - Paper 4 - 1.1 - Traditional media and the new media

According to Ralph Miliband (Traditional Marxist), who controls media content?

The owners (media moguls). They exert direct control over editorial decisions to ensure the media spreads dominant class ideology and protects capitalist interests.

What is Cultural Hegemony in the Neo-Marxist view of the media?

The idea that the ruling class maintains power indirectly. Journalists (who are often middle-class) naturally produce content that supports the status quo because they share the same worldview as the owners.

How do Pluralists argue the audience holds power over media owners?

Through Market Pressure. Media is a business; if owners provide content the audience doesn't like or find biased, the audience will stop consuming it, forcing the owner to change to stay profitable.

Define Horizontal Integration in media ownership.

When a media company buys up competitors in the same stage of production (e.g., a newspaper company buying other newspapers) to reduce competition and diversify risk.

What is Synergy in the context of media conglomerates?

The "greater than the sum of its parts" effect where different branches of a conglomerate cross-promote a single product (e.g., a movie soundtrack being played on the company's radio station).

How does New Media differ from Old Media in terms of communication flow?

Old media is "One-to-Many" (a single source broadcasting to a passive audience), while New Media is Networked/Interactive, allowing for "Many-to-Many" communication.

According to Lister et al., what are the five key characteristics of New Media?

Digitality, Interactivity, Hypertextuality, Dispersal (Decentralisation), and Virtuality.

What is Technological Convergence?

The process where previously separate technologies (camera, TV, radio, computer) are combined into a single device, such as a smartphone.

What does Alvin Toffler mean by the term "Prosumer"?

A person who both consumes and produces media. This is a hallmark of the New Media era, where users create the content for platforms like YouTube or TikTok.

What is "Churnalism" according to Tony Davies?

A trend where journalists, due to cost-cutting, simply "churn" out articles based on corporate or government press releases without conducting original research or investigative work.

How does the "Long Tail" effect work in digital media?

Digital platforms (like Amazon or Netflix) can profit by selling/streaming small amounts of millions of niche products, rather than relying only on a few "blockbuster" hits.

What is Gatekeeping and how has it changed with Social Media?

Gatekeeping is the power of editors to decide what is "newsworthy." In social media, traditional gatekeepers are bypassed, and algorithms or virality determine what content reaches the audience.