Media Studies Notes - April 30th

Laswell and World War II Propaganda

• Laswell studied media by deconstructing the US government's campaign leading up to World War I.
• He later participated in the PR campaign to garner support for World War II.
• The US government aimed to present itself as diametrically opposed to fascism and Nazism during World War II.
• The US government portrayed itself as a country providing freedom of speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness.
• These ideals contrasted sharply with the ongoing segregation, discrimination, and lynching in the US.
• This discrepancy provided civil rights movement members with leverage, highlighting the hypocrisy of fighting against Nazi atrocities while perpetuating injustice at home.

Civil Rights Movement Boost

• Historians document how the PR campaign of World War II gave the civil rights movement a boost in the 1950s.

Disruption and Demonization

• Figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Megan Evers, and Harriet Tubman were disruptors in their time and faced hatred and demonization.
• Martin Luther King Junior was demonized as a communist.

Media Studies and Historical Context

• Studying history helps understand the path to freedom and equality, leading to the 1965 Civil Rights Act.
• Campaigns during World War II might not have intended to include black people if they knew the outcome.

Emergence of Polls and Surveys

• The 1950s saw the rise of polls and surveys to gauge public opinion.
• Today, this manifests in social media polls, which journalists use as evidence in stories.

Issues with Polls and Surveys

• Polls can be useful in research with control over the sample and supervision.
• Issues arise regarding sample size and question framing, which can shape answers.
• Different networks can present different poll numbers on the same issue due to language.
• Media-literate individuals should consider who constructed the poll (e.g., astroturf groups) and the questions asked.

Statistical Presentation and Interpretation

• The way statistics are presented can influence opinion.

Examining Polls and News Critically

• Media-literate citizens examine numbers, statistics, and question framing in polls.
• They assess whether journalists ask tough questions within certain parameters.
• Trust news on a case-by-case basis instead of generalizing.

Power of Language

• Memory and language are connected; word choices can influence perceptions (e.g., "smashed" versus "collided" in describing a car crash).
• PR agents understand and utilize the power of words.
• Words are powerful and can incite hatred and dehumanization.

Examining Polls

• Examine the polls that we read; don't accept things at face value.
• Consider the type of research: public research from universities or proprietary research from private companies.
• Proprietary research may be affiliated with specific industries and can be biased.

Critique of Media Studies Research

• Media studies research is a new field, and methods used by scholars evolve over time.
• Early methods of studying intellect were based on racist ideology rather than scientific principles.

The Payne Fund Studies

• The Payne Fund studies aimed to prove that movies and films were detrimental to adolescents.
• They attached sensory monitors to children's skin to measure reactions to movies.
• The research lacked consideration of various variables that influence media effects.
• The research contributed to censorship in films and movies.

Advertising and Marketing

• The Xbox documentary illustrates the process of company creation and naming.
• Companies use polling and interviews to determine names and strategies.
• Digital media facilitates quick survey distribution with anonymity.
• Survey software can anonymize IP addresses.

Media Effects Research vs. Cultural Studies

• Media effects research is closer to the scientific method, while cultural studies aligns more with humanities-based methods.
• Mixed methods research combines both approaches.

Media Effects Research

• Media effects research attempts to understand, explain, and predict the effects of mass media on individuals and society using scientific methods.

Cultural Studies Research

• Cultural studies tries to understand the complex relations among media texts, consumers, institutions, technologies, and culture.

Content Analysis vs. Textual Analysis

• Content analysis involves counting specific elements within media, such as demographic representation or instances of violence.
• Textual analysis looks at a text within its context, considering variables like technology, society, legal systems, education, ideology, politics, and economics.
• Media effects influence culture, and culture influences media.

Media Effects Models

• From the 1930s to the 1970s, media effects models explored the relationship between media and society.

Hypodermic Needle Model

• The hypodermic needle model suggests that media has an immediate and direct effect on individuals, similar to an injection.
• This model is not always accurate, as people's values and attitudes often persist despite media exposure.
• However, it may apply to young children or individuals with cognitive challenges who are more likely to mimic media content.

Minimal Effects Model

• The minimal effects model states that media alone cannot cause people to change their attitudes and behavior.
• This model is generally more credible than the hypodermic needle model.
• However, media can still influence perspectives and emotions.

Selective Exposure

• People expose themselves to media messages that are most familiar to them.
• Algorithms on social media platforms reinforce selective exposure.
• However, social media can also expose individuals to diverse viewpoints through weak links and connections.

Selective Retention

• People retain information that confirms their existing values and attitudes.
• Individuals may selectively extract elements from media messages, such as enjoying music despite disagreeing with the overall message.

Uses and Gratification Model

• People use media to satisfy various emotional or intellectual needs.
• Video games and action movies are examples of this model.
• People may join fictional communities or fulfill a need for feeling like a fighter through media.
• Joining Friends, for example, may fulfill a need of feeling social and connected.

Private vs. Public Research

• Private or proprietary research is conducted for businesses, corporations, or political campaigns and focuses on outcomes.
• Public research takes place in academia or government settings and is often more theoretical.
• Academic research can inform government policies and decision-making.

The Scientific Method in Media Effects Research

• Most media effects research employs a scientific method, involving systematic stages:
  • Identify the Research Problem: Define the question or phenomenon to be studied.
  • Review Existing Research: Examine previous studies and literature on the topic.