media theoretical explanations

Question 1

marxism

Answer 1

the media is part of the superstructure – it suppports the ruling class ideology that is controlled by the bourgeoisie

Question 2

marxism - Miliband (1969)

Answer 2

ruling class use the media to control society by creating a false picture of reality
- opium of the masses
- the media projects its preferred view of social groups to the public

Question 3

false class consciousness

Answer 3

deluding the working class into thinking capitalism is fair and inevitable

Question 4

marxism - power and ownership

Answer 4

owners of media come from middle/upper class
- they present personal views and interests which favour the ruling class ideology

Question 5

marxism evaluations

Answer 5

• ignores other forms of inequality
• conspiratorial view of the role of media owners as a united group
• increasing numbers of female and ethnic minority journalists who spread positive representations
  Postmodernists - social class is an invalid indicator of inequality

Question 6

neo-marxism

Answer 6

media strengthens the ruling class hegemony
- journalists tend to be middle class an white males
- 50+% of these journalists attended independant schools

Question 7

neo marxism - hall (1981)

Answer 7

media operates with 3 stereotypical black people
1. the native
2. the clown
3. the slave

Question 8

neo marxism- glasgow media group - themes

Answer 8

immigrants are illegal and here for money
media exaggerate number of immigrants
exaggerate the burden put on welfare and job market
seen as a threat to population
immigration ‘control’
limited media coverage

Question 9

neo marxist evaluations

Answer 9

• ignores significant improvements
• increasing amount of media available allows variations
• professionals from varied backgrounds

Question 10

pluralism

Answer 10

the representations shown in the media are a ‘window to the world’
- they are a realistic representation

Question 11

pluralism - diversity and choice

Answer 11

• varying views within the media
• representations reflect society
• tv channels serve the interests of Asian audiences

Question 12

pluralism - supply and demand

Answer 12

media professionals are governed by the market
- representations reflect changes in society

Question 13

pluralism - whale

Answer 13

the broad shape and nature of the press is determined by no one but its readers

Question 14

pluralism - skilled professionals

Answer 14

they have the responsibility to represent balance
- audiences recognise that they are being manipulated

Question 15

pluralism - news of the world 2011

Answer 15

phone hacking
- hacking into celebrities phones
- missing girls phones to delete voicemails so the parents could send more,, parents thought the girl was alive but she was dead

Question 16

pluralism - fourth estate - williams (2010)

Answer 16

gives access to information that is an essential part of democracy, people participate in political and cultural life

Question 17

pluralism - fourth estate role

Answer 17

performs a checking service to ensure representatives uphold oaths

Question 18

the Leveson enquiry

Answer 18

a report set up in the wake of the revelation that the phone belonging to a missing girl had been hacked by the news of the world

Question 19

pluralism evaluations

Answer 19

Marxism: the media creates the public needs
- media professionals come from narrow social backgrounds and have narrow minds which limits ability for representation

Question 20

pluralism - barnett and weymour

Answer 20

desire for profits leads to less diversity as they produce popular content

Question 21

feminism

Answer 21

men are rational breadwiners and women are emotional homemakers

Question 22

mulvey (1975)

Answer 22

male gaze - passive female object of a gaze from active male

Question 23

liberal feminism

Answer 23

optimistic on greater quality in representations
- changes in media lag behind actual changes
- greater numbers of women are media professionals which contributes to change but balance is low

Question 24

lib fem - lauzen (2014)

Answer 24

women 15% directors, producers etc - decrease

Question 25

radical feminists

Answer 25

little change is evident, traditional stereotypes remain dominant
- women buy into beauty myth of conforming to male standards
- contemporary magazines develop a false class consciousness and men set a malestream agenda

Question 26

postmodernism

Answer 26

focuses on social changes which impact society and impact media representations

Question 27

postmoderism - diversity and choice

Answer 27

media offers a wide variety of images people can pick from to construct their identity
- results in individualism and no fixed ideology
individuals can create their own meaning of media products

Question 28

postmodernism - media saturation

Answer 28

interactions with media occur on a daily basis therefore it shapes identity
- there is a wide range of representations that have a significant influence in representing a diverse society

Question 29

postmodernism - globalisation - McLuhan

Answer 29

‘global village’ - social, economic and technological changes makes the world more interconnected
- access to lifestyles and identities had an impact on representations

Question 30

postmodernism- blurred boundaries

Answer 30

social changes = blurred boundaries between social groups – increased individualism
EG no fixed ideology on gender identity

Question 31

postmodernism - hyperreality - Baudrillard (1994)

Answer 31

media has warped the nature of reality experiences, the saturation blurs lines between reality and fiction

Question 32

postmodernism - turkle (1995)

Answer 32

popularity of virtual reality, this feels more real to audiences than real life
- loss of sense of self

Question 33

postmodernism evaluation

Answer 33

• exaggeration of pwoer to blur and create identities
• ignoring the continuing influence of stereotypes
• lack of empirical evidence
  Marxism: representations serve the interests of wealthy and powerful