Introduction to Mass Media for AQA Sociology A Level

Introduction to Mass Media in Sociology

• The Mass Media unit for AQA Sociology A Level begins with a foundational overview of the subject.

• This specific content is intended to provide a background and general understanding that will support assessed work, even if the introductory concepts themselves are not always directly queried in examination questions.

• The lecture covers definitions of mass media, classifications of media types, and the four major sociological perspectives on the role media plays in society: Functionalist, Conflict, Interactionist, and Postmodernist.

Defining Mass Media: Scale and Communication

• At its most basic level, mass media refers to forms of mass communication that reach large audiences.

• It is explicitly distinguished from one-to-one interactions, such as:

  • Personal conversations.
  • Text messages.
  • Personal letters.

• Scale is the defining factor; mass media does not operate at a small "school level" but functions at community, societal, and global levels.

• Examples of mass media platforms include:

  • The internet.
  • The printed press.
  • Television.
  • Radio.

Sociological Definitions of Mass Media

Dutton et al. (1990s)

• Dutton et al. identified four specific ways in which mass media differs from one-to-one communication:

• Distance: Communication is strictly one-way. It travels from the creator to the audience with a distinct lack of interaction. It also lacks immediacy, meaning there is a temporal gap between creation and release.

• Technology: The message is transmitted via specific technological means, such as television sets, receivers, satellites, or cable.

• Scale: Meaning that many people—often millions—can watch or listen to the content simultaneously.

• Commodity: Mass media exists within a capitalist society as a product designed to generate profit. This occurs through hardware costs (buying a TV), licensing, and subscription services.

• It is critical to note $1990s$ context of this definition. It predates mass internet usage and streaming services. During this era, consumers might have used satellite or cable TV, or services like LoveFilm (where DVDs were sent and returned via post), but platforms like Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime did not yet exist.

McCullough (2002)

• McCullough defines mass media as a means through which content—whether fact or fiction—is produced by an organization and transmitted to/received by an audience.

• The key distinction here is the shift from individual creation to organizational production. Content is created by a company or a group rather than a single person.

• McCullough breaks the process into three aspects:

  • 1. The production of messages (factual or fictional content created by a company).
  • 2. The content of those media messages.
  • 3. The reception of the media messages by the audience.

• Like previous definitions, this maintains the idea of a "one-way" distance between producer and audience, though interactivity is a growing factor to be discussed in the context of "New Media."

Classifying Forms of Media

Classification by Age

• Traditional Media: Characterized by physical and analogue formats. Examples include theatre, cinema, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, and television stations.

• New Media: Characterized by digital and instantaneous access. Examples include the internet, streaming services, mobile phones, and satellite technology. This includes downloading content to devices like a Kindle or tablet.

Classification by Distribution

• Broadcast Media: Media sent out through traditional means such as TV, radio, cinema, or theatre. It relies on auditory and visual components for reception.

• Digital Media: Includes streaming services, YouTube, e-readers, online newspapers, and digital radio. These are transmitted through digital rather than analogue means.

• Print Media: This remains a physical format where the audience holds the product in their hands. Examples include paper newspapers, magazines, books, and posters.

The General Purposes of Media

• To Educate and Inform: Media provides information through documentaries, podcasts, books, and the internet. It is a tool for learning, though the accuracy of the information can vary.

• To Influence: Media shapes culture, individual identities, and consumer habits. It influences:

  • Fashion and music choices.
  • Perceptions of what is "popular."
  • Lifestyles, by providing access to other cultures.
  • Social attitudes.

• To Entertain: This is often the primary reason for consumption. Media provides enjoyment and "mind candy," allowing audiences to escape the realities of life by losing themselves in fictional worlds where daily problems do not exist.

• Interlinkage: These purposes are not isolated. For example, a horror film may fulfill an entertainment need but also educate the viewer on folklore and myths, while simultaneously influencing the viewer to purchase specific clothing seen in the film.

The Functionalist Perspective on Media

• Functionalism is a consensus structural approach that views the institutions of society as interlinked parts working toward the benefit of the whole.

• Charles R Wright: Argued that the media is an essential (though not the sole) part of maintaining social cohesion.

• Secondary Agent of Socialization: The media reinforces primary socialization. It functions similarly to Parsons’ theory of "bridging," teaching universalistic values.

• Agent of Social Control: It acts as an informal agent of social control by demonstrating acceptable behavior and the consequences of deviating from norms. It broadcasts how society responds to unacceptable acts through ostracization, marginalization, or formal arrest.

• Catharsis: The media provides a safe outlet for human frustration or fear.

  • Horror films offer a "safe scare" because the threat is not real.
  • Violent video games can provide a release for frustration, preventing these feelings from leading to "anomie" (normlessness) or actual social disruption. This release allows individuals to continue following societal norms.

The Conflict Perspective on Media

• Represented by Thomas J. Sullivan, this view encompasses both Marxism and Feminism. It argues that media is controlled by corporations and the ruling class to serve their own agendas.

• Social Coercion and Manipulation: Rather than fostering equal cohesion, the media manipulates the population into accepting the capitalist agenda (per Marxism) or the patriarchal agenda (per Feminism).

• Feminist View Example: The film "I don’t know how she does it" (starring Sarah Jessica Parker). Feminists argue it promotes a patriarchal agenda by showing a high-powered career woman who eventually gives up her job to be a "better mother," suggesting women find fulfillment only through family, while men are portrayed as fulfilled by both career and family without the same level of domestic involvement.

• Marxist View and Consumerism: Media acts as an agent of social control by promoting consumerism (e.g., "keeping up with the Joneses"). By constantly showcasing a bourgeoisie lifestyle that audiences should aim for, it ensures people continue to work and be exploited by the capitalist system to afford the products the media tells them they need.

The Interactionist Perspective on Media

• Interactionists focus on how media helps individuals shape their understanding of reality through symbols and interactions.

• Symbols and Gestures: Media provides examples of body language, facial expressions, and gestures, showing how others interpret and react to them. This teaches individuals how to behave when they encounter those symbols in real life.

• Social Learning: By viewing interactions on screen or in print, people learn societal rules. This is described by the phrase "monkey see, monkey do." For example, observing media from Eastern societies can teach a Westerner the proper social etiquette for bowing based on authority or age.

• Shared Social Values: Media portrays the goals individuals should aim for to be considered successful, allowing people to internalize these values and interact effectively within wider society.

The Postmodernist Perspective on Media

• Postmodernists argue that the media creates a false reality that can eventually be accepted as truth.

• Simulacra (Bourriard): The media creates a simulation of reality. A prominent example is "fake news," where individuals internalize false stories and build their reality around them.

• Hyper-reality: This is a state where the boundary between reality and fiction is blurred.

• Reality TV Example: Shows like The Kardashians, TOWIE, and Made in Chelsea present "scripted reality." Even when evidence surfaces that these lifestyles are manufactured—such as The Kardashians filming a "Christmas special" in October—many viewers still accept the televised version as more real than the actual facts. Postmodernists believe if enough people believe a false reality, it essentially becomes true.