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Chapter 9 Media and Technology. Technology has changed the way that we interact with each other - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Technology has changed the way that we interact with each other
Media is also expanding the boundaries of our social circles; how we perceive and interact with each other; even TV is becoming interactive, bridging the gap between our entertainment and our own lives
Is it a good or bad thing? Are technology and media simply a distraction to keep the lower classes complacent to the inequities of society
Brief viewpoints: Functionalists – would focus on the what
social purposes technology and media serve Conflict perspective – would be interested in
the manifest functions of media and technology and their role in social dysfunction
Interactionist – would seek to understand the difference between the real lives we lead and the reality depicted on “reality” television shows
Technology – the application of science to address the problems of everyday life (Figure 9.2) While walkmans, laser disks and old
computers seem archaic today, the “I” industry of products may look just as archaic in 25 or 30 years.
Technology is not a product of the modern era Fire and stone tools Calculators and computers Computers and cell phones
All aspects of our lives are influenced by technology Example: the introduction of machines in
agriculture led to less need for manual labor, led to less rural jobs, led to the urbanization of society, led to lower birthrates due to the lack of need for large families
Example: DNA testing in the criminal justice system
Like any other improvement in human society, not everyone has equal access Technology can create change that can often
lead to even greater inequalities The gap grows wider faster This stratification has led to a new focus on
ensuring better access for all 2 forms of technological stratification
Differential class/race/geographical-based access to technology in the form of the digital divide
Knowledge gap – ongoing and increasing gap in information for those who have less access to technology
Students in well-funded schools receive more exposure to technology than students in poorly funded schools
More exposure = more proficiency = more marketable in an increasingly technology-based job market
Society is then divided into those with technological knowledge and those without
Becoming hard to address the gap in e-readiness – the ability to sort through, interpret and process knowledge
The digital divide continues to grow even as social science researchers have tried to bring attention to it
Personal computer usage went from 300,000 in 1991 to more than 10,000,000 by 1996.
Part of the issue is due to where infrastructure upgrades have occurred; example, high-speed internet access that went largely to affluent urban and suburban areas, leaving out huge groups of people
By the end of the 20th century, technology became a big part of the school experience for the communities that could afford it
Poorer communities has little to no technology while more affluent families had personal computers at home and wired classrooms in their schools
Spring Cove School District: Digital School District, Classrooms for the Future and 1 to 1 Initiative
By the late 2000s, prices for low end computers dropped and it looked like the digital divide was resolved
There’s a suggestion of a new divide; minorities (Latinos and African America) are using phones to connect to the internet
Hard to create resumes or fill out applications on a phone May show that access to specific kinds of technology are
becoming more prevalent
Research tends to find that: The majority of the digital divide for black
Americans can be explained through socioeconomic status and geographic location
For Latinos, ethnicity alone seems to be what limits technological use
Women feel less confident in their internet skills and less access to the internet at work and home
Global digital divide results from economic and sociopolitical characteristics of countries
Planned Obsolescence – business practice of planning for a product to be obsolete or unusable from the time it is created Batteries costing more than the component they
are designed for Built just long enough to last until the next
production model or technology comes out A natural extension of new and emerging
technologies No rip-proof stockings Lack of support of alternative fuel development Windows’ release of continual OS and lack of support
for prior generations Upward compatibility only
Technology and media are interwoven and are rarely separated Media – refers to all print, digital and
electronic means of communication Technology has influenced how and where
information is shared From phone and letter writing to tweeting and
sharing on facebook; when discussing how societies engage with technology, we must take media into account and vice-versa
Technology creates media; without technology, media doesn’t exist (and is more than just media we’re exposed to.
It’s very hard to divide technology into categories; so the US Patent Office categories will suffice: Utility patent– an invention or discovery of any
new and useful process, product or machine; or for significant improvement to existing technologies
Design patent – new and original design for a manufactured product (usually in architecture and industrial design)
Plant patent – discovery of new plant types that can be asexually reproduced
There is also the idea of the evolutionary model of technological change – a breakthrough in one form of technology leads to a number of variations Magnetic reel to reel data storage to the floppy disks (8”
to 5 ¼” to 3 ½”) to Zip drives to flash drives. Simplistic and relatively unsophisticated to improved
second and 3rd generation technologies
Print Newspaper Can be found in early Rome, written on
boards and carried around With the printing press, mass production,
storage (archiving) and efficiency Helped lead to the Renaissance and the Age
of Enlightenment Sensationalism, tabloids and censorship was
prevalent
The telegraph spread news faster (mid 1880s)
By the early 20th century, people like William Randolph Hearst redefined the world of print media and gained enormous power
Could dictate policy, incite the public, ruin careers Print media also helped the dissemination of
countercultural and revolutionary materials Lenin and communism The counterculture of the 1960s Underground newspapers
When TV was invented and became widespread, newspaper circulation and readership dropped considerably
This shift has had profound effects on societies Provided broad-based reporting and a semblance
of balance With TV news, the audience can now choose
specifically what it wants to hear and what it wants to avoid (Fox vs. MSNBC vs. CNN vs. NBC/CBS/ABS news)
Television and Radio Both shaped people’s lives in much the same way Information and entertainment could be enjoyed at
home with the immediacy and community that newspapers couldn't offer
People can remember the radio announcement that Pearl Harbor was bombed or saw Walter Cronkite on the TV announcing John Kennedy had been shot and when he died
Newspapers would have had to run a special edition and run specific EXTRA papers
Allows for the sharing of moments in real time Shaped the “water cooler” moments where people heard
on radio or saw on TV entertainment and then met to discuss it
Into the 1970’s and early 1980’s, the US was dominated by 3 networks: ABC, CBS and NBC
They competed for ratings and advertising dollars They also controlled what people watched
Public TV stations offered an alternative Education, non-profit to sensationalistic news Sesame Street and Mister Rogers
PBS, BBC and CBC came into the fold as well as Al Jazeera, broadcasting to the masses and around the world; offering a global perspective
Stat: Late 1990’s, 98% of all homes had at least 1 TV and watched daily, 2 ½ to 5 hours of TV
Has a profound and powerful socializing effect: providing reference groups, reinforcing social norms, values and beliefs
Begging the question as well with researchers of the impact of TV on growth, development, increased violence, responsibility issues, desensitization of society
Film Prior to the 1930’s, silent and black and white
films 1930’s, films take off due to color and sound
being integrated Many times unified society; bringing audiences to
tears, laughter, horror, and scaring them together
Act as time capsules or cultural touchstones for society
Illustrate societies dreams, fears and expectations; sometimes for a specific time period
We also mark milestones in our own lives with film
New Media New media encompasses all interactive
forms of information exchange Tends to level the playing field of who is/can
construct it: creating, publishing, distributing and accessing information and providing alternative forums to groups unable to access traditional political forums (Arab Spring)
Leaves indelible technological footprints and a digital life No guarantee of the accuracy of information
provided (conspiracy theory and false information Hard to ensure accuracy from sources for stories
in some cases
Violence in video games and movies geared toward children and teens (as well as political messages, sexual innuendo, language, behavior, morality, etc)
While the violence is similar to Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, the graphics and actions have escalated and increased
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) put ratings on movies in the 1960s
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) put ratings on music starting in 1985
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ERSB) started putting ratings on video games in 1994
The ratings system deals with violence, language, nudity, sexual issues, etc.
Children play often involves games of aggression: cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, army, etc
Is there a link between violent video games and violent behavior
There was determined to be casual linkages between violent video games and aggression based upon 40+ years of research
Children who had just played a violent video game demonstrated an immediate increase in hostile or aggressive thoughts, an increase in aggressive emotions and physiological arousal that increased the chances of acting out aggressive behavior (also see Bobo the Clown)
Questions: age of participants, mental acumen, total number of gamers vs. those that perpetrated violence, family life, moral and social development
Companies use advertising to sell to us but the methods and ways that they are reaching us consumers are changing We receive the same message in a variety of
ways: billboards, TV, radio, print, online ads, emails, sponsorships and spokesmen
The remote control allows us to ignore TV ads without leaving our seats, using the cable/satellite box to record shows and skip ads; this causes conventional advertising to change and wane
Ad revenue in newspapers has dropped significantly
One way that companies are now reaching out to other audiences is through hiring college students on campus to be their endorsing agents.
Popular students: athletes, the Greeks and musicians
10,000 or so students as of 2011
Mini-unit on advertising Types Creating commercials Reaching audiences Product examples
While there is a variety of media at hand, the mainstream news and entertainment is increasingly homogenized Different news outlets tell the same stories with
the same sources, with slight variations As this is happening, there is also the opposite
occurring in the newer media streams People customize their news experience by minimizing
the chances of getting information that they don’t believe fits in their world view
Republicans wouldn’t use news sites that show Democrats in a favorable light and vice-versa.
Go with all entertainment or sports news without the news
Technology and now media have always driven globalization Core economic concepts were changed by
personal computing and high speed internet Access to these technological shifts have allowed
core-nation corporations to recruit workers to call centers in other countries
The US will have to pay attention to how it prepares its workers of the 21st century for this dynamic
Media globalization – worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas
Technological globalization – cross-cultural development and exchange of technology
Technology and now media have always driven globalization Core economic concepts were changed by
personal computing and high speed internet Access to these technological shifts have allowed
core-nation corporations to recruit workers to call centers in other countries
The US will have to pay attention to how it prepares its workers of the 21st century for this dynamic
Media globalization – worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas
Technological globalization – cross-cultural development and exchange of technology
Multinational corporations are the primary vehicle of media globalization and they control global mass-media content and distribution There are fewer independent news sources
while there are larger and larger conglomerated
In the US, there are approx: 15000 newspapers, 2600 book publishers and TV stations, 6000 magazines and 10000 radio outlets
From 50 corporations owning the bulk of mass-media outlets in 1983 to 6 large companies today owning the majority
Technology offers a window into the news of the world
Offers real-time updates: tweets, posts on Facebook, streaming video and blogging
Political ideology and cultural colonialism can occur with technological growth
Countries, corporations, non-profits, groups bringing technology (internet, fiber optic/high-speed lines) into underdeveloped countries usually have an agenda in their gifts
Passing on that country's cultural and societal assumptions and norms to those nations; also biases and expectations
Censoring and information withholding
What should be filtered and censored? Internet gambling and pornography vs. researching information and staying in touch with friends
Allowing one while restricting others Who decides? In the US, the courts decide, globally it’s a
question yet to be answered China has a tight reign on the internet,
suppressing and censoring information Do we restrict dissenting views and voices, leaked
information, whistle-blower information and facts?
Growth of technology does not equal growth of spread of technology In peripheral and semi-peripheral countries,
few people have the skills and training to access the new technology and in turn, use it
Clustered in urban areas Ex. The ability to purify water with new
technologies but the areas that need it can’t access it, afford to purchase it or the technological comfort level to introduce it
In America, we are looking to teach students to be 21st Century/Digital learners
Technological globalization is impacted by technological diffusion – the spread of technology across borders Technological progress and economic growth
are linked The rise in technological progress has helped
improve the situation of those living in absolute poverty
Innovations in farming and market vending Advances in things like mobile phones lead to
competition, low prices and improvements like mobile banking and information sharing
Focuses on how media and technology contribute to the smooth functioning of society The ability to find information on the internet TV’s entertainment value How advertising and product placement
contribute to social norms Almost every home has a TV and
250,000,000,000 hours watched by Americans each year Tv is a great way for companies to reach
potential consumers
Meets the demographics of the area Use sophisticated data gathered by networks
and cable companies (as well as other resources: internet, cell phones and surveys) to target their audiences
Commercial advertising also uses other things to reach their consumers:
Movie theaters Billboards Public transportation Sides of buildings Schools and athletic fields
Entertainment Function Manifest function of media is the entertainment
value Technology provides new and exciting ways to
entertain one’s self: online gaming, Facebook, chatting with friends
Social Norm Function Media also serves to socialize us, pass on
norms, values and beliefs What is good and desirable, how we speak, how we
should behave, how we should react in situations Provide us with cultural touchstones or key events
Debate exists concerning the extent and impact of media socialization
Some studies show that violent content leads to some desensitization and is correlated with aggressive thoughts
Also, children exposed to media violence led to an increase in physical and relational aggression
There is also a study that showed (over 4 decades) that there is no definitive link between viewing violence and committing criminal violence
Life-Changing Function A recent study showed that the rise in obesity
rate is correlated with the decrease in physical activity caused by an increase in use of some forms of technology (latent function)
It’s a near impossibility to disconnect from technology in today’s age
Leads to an expectation of constant convenient access to information and people
Narcotizing dysfunction – people who are too overwhelmed with media input to really care about the issue; their involvement becomes defined by awareness instead of by action concerning the issue at hand
Focuses on the creation and reproduction of inequality; social processes that tend to disrupt society rather than contribute to its smooth operation Major focus is the differential access to media
and technology – the digital divide Who controls the media How the media promoted the norms of upper-
middle-class white Americans while minimizing the presence of the low class (people of color)
Control of Media and Technology Powerful individuals and social institutions
have a great deal of influence and control over which forms of technology are released, when they are released, where they are released and what kind of media is available for consumption
Gatekeeping – the sorting process by which thousands of possible messages are shaped into mass media-appropriate form and reduced to a manageable amount
People in charge of media decide and control what the public is exposed to; the heart of media’s power
Traditional vs. Hegemonic media Hegemonic media is where a culturally diverse
society can be dominated by one race, gender or class through the manipulation of the media by imposing its worldview as a societal norm
New media renders the gatekeepers role less of a factor by information distribution
Political Area Some conflict theorists believe that American
media generates an unbalanced political arena Those with the most money can buy the most
media exposure, run smear campaigns and maximize their visual presence
What does this say about the non-rich and politics?
Technological Social Control and Digital Surveillance Has a journal, Surveillance and Society, dedicated to
it Panoptic surveillance – a form of constant
monitoring in which observation posts are decentralized and the observed is never communicated with directly
Recent NSA data snooping and surveillance CIA.FBI surveillance in the past CCTV cameras throughout Britain and becoming more
common in the US Cameras capture our every move, our cell phones can be
tracked, we can be followed on the internet and police forces are using updated facial recognition software
Feminist Perspective Women tend to be portrayed in a particular set
of parameters and in a uniform way that society deems to be attractive
TV shows, movies, advertising campaigns and online gaming sites
Thin, white or light-skinned, beautiful and young These portrayals are crucial in creating and
reinforcing stereotypes The “heroin chic” look of the mid 1990s
There is also a gender gap in technology related fields
May be a result of the stereotypes Men are the keepers of technological knowledge
Believe that press coverage only strengthens the stereotypes by:
Subordinating women Giving airtime to looks over skills Disparaging women who defy accepted norms
Cyberfeminism – the application to, and promotion of, feminism online
Describes the work of feminists interested in theorizing, critiquing and exploiting the internet, cyberspace and new media technologies
Attempts to create a freedom from gender and sex differences in the social construct
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Technology itself may act as a symbol for many
The car you drive, computer you own or peripherals that you use
Serve as a symbol of wealth and status Neo-Luddites – people who see technology as
symbolizing coldness and alienation of modern life
Technophiles – people who view technology as a symbol for the potential for a brighter future
The ideological middle ground sees both sides, technology symbolizing status and failure
Social Construct of Reality The media creates and spreads symbols that
become the basis for our shared understanding of society
This is an ongoing process in which people subjectively create and understand reality
For some groups, the people they see on TV become their primary group, they grow closest to them
For some groups, media becomes a reference group, one that influences them and who they compare themselves to, that they judge successes and failures on
There are some forms of media discourse that allow for the perception or appearance of competing constructions of reality
Advertisers find new and creative ways to sell us products that we don’t need and don’t want without their prompting while in other places (Freecycle), they offer a commercial-free way of requesting and trading items that would be discarded otherwise
There are also blogs and sites that chronicle people’s lives living “off the grid” (which is an oxymoron) or without participating in our commercial economy
Social Networking and Social Construction While we think we are reading objective
observations on websites, Facebook, Twitter, etc; the reality is that we may be buying into another form of advertising
The corporations, businesses and advertisers are playing a huge role in many “personal” reviews of products
Facebook, which started out as a social networking site, it’s become a huge business, selling goods and services (gaming revenue, ad revenue, selling information)
The company is now worth between $125 and $150 billion dollars
Friend-ing or liking specific pages only offers up more consumerism and advertising
Leading to spam email and junk mail Direct marketing Selling of customer lists Can increase brand loyalty Newer ways of spending money
Game updates Coupons