Class: Media
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Class Notes
"Media" is any format or vehicle that carries, presents, or communicates information. The first mass media was the book, then film and radio. Media changes public perception of events. Interestingly, six major companies own more than 90% of the media outlets: Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, News Corp, Bertelsmann, and General Electric. The media both reflects and produces culture. The media can have intended and unintended consequences, both in the short term and in the long term. For example, media can have an intended short-term consequence of promoting a certain advertisement. The media can show public service announcements that can have intended long-term consequences. Some unintended consequences include violence and aggression in the short term and desensitization and stereotypes in the long term.
Required Reading:
"Making Class Invisible," Mantsios (Sociology Reader, pp. 243-249)
"Doing Studs," Hollander (Electronic Reserves)
Recommended Reading:
Review "Mass Media," Newman (Sociology, pp. 152-154)
Keywords: media, media and culture, short term and long term consequences, intended and unintended consequences, advertising, public service announcements, violence and aggression, desensitization and stereotypes.
