Media and society

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nDewey, McLuhan, and McChesney

nAccording to McLuhan, media has enabled the world to be a global village. Through the advances in technology, McLuhan argues that media enables the spread of culture across the world as well as development of the communities1. He explains that media is like a “tetrad” which illuminates the world cultures and habits.

nJohn Dewley explains that media has a great role to play foster generation of knowledge and value to the public. Media is strategically placed to explain to the public the consequences, choices and outcomes of actions or happenings2. He further explains that communication can create a great community depending on the role media is playing.

nMcchesney explains the role played by media in political development and safeguarding of humanity. He explains that media plays an important role in in democratic and capitalist societies. Media exposes incidents of gross violation of human rights by political regimes in different societies. Besides, he argues that media gives insights on strategies of economic development of the societies in capitalists economic societies.

nThe ideas of the three scholars are similar because they explain the relevance of media in the society in promoting development of culture, economic approaches and impacting knowledge in the society3. Media is the medium of communication meaning that the three scholars acknowledge the relevance of media in growth and development of the society. Their ideas address the three core aspects of life in every society: political, social and economic aspects which media significantly addresses.

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n1, 2,Graeme Burton, Media And Society, 1st ed. (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2010).

n3Pieter J Fourie, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Cape Town: Juta, 2009).

n2. I agree with Dewley argument that media plays a greater role making the community. This is because, through communication, society gains new ideas about certain problems affecting their life4. Therefore, media solves problems that are in the society and plays a significant role in impacting knowledge. There is a brighter future in the society when the media evolves to cater the needs of the society. The world will also become smaller global villages that will facilitate easy and faster sharing of information and transaction of goods and services.

n3. Over the past 500 years many languages have become extinct leading to decline in linguistic diversity. Today 90 per cent of the world population speak 100-most used language as compared to what they used to do 500 years ago5. Media has played a role in the issue of endangered languages. Most media systems have no rural-focus. So they do not venture into communities to write about the role of language diversity. In addition, media over 500 years ago is unwilling to challenge ideological systems that may promote systemic inequalities between languages.

n4) Social media such as Facebook and YouTube are the most important invention in the contemporary generation. This is because, they have enhanced communication, sharing of ideas and promoting business across the world population. In the last 50 years, innovations such as fibre optic cables were developed which have shaped the world due to faster and efficient communication. Fibre optic has developed a medium of faster networking and sharing of information across the world6. Over the last 100 years, the media was enhanced by invention of instant cameras in 1923. Instant cameras have played a vital role in sharing of unhampered information by media across the world. These have greatly enhanced the spread of science, knowledge and culture in many societies.

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n4Pieter J Fourie, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Cape Town: Juta, 2009).

n5,6.W. James Potter, Media Effects, 1st ed. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 2012).

n5) Social media occupies better part of an individuals time to while communicating with peers. The majority of the worlds young population spend three quarters of their valuable time browsing in social media such as Facebook and twitter7. This has led to development of new languages in the world as well as spread of knowledge among the young people.

nFor example, young people use social media such as Facebook to get news updates from various newsrooms; hence they are stay updated in every aspect across the world.

n6) The development of specific media products such as digital marketing requires combination of strategies to ensure faster results. Digital marketing utilises five key determinants which include; immediacy of feedback, variety of symbols parallelism, rehearsability and reprocessability8. Digital marketing uses social media such as Facebook an avenue to lure customer and get faster feedback. They also use modern art to create brands and companies logos that are revealing to customers. Companies also use clear messages that are not confusing so that customers like them. They also fine tune the messages before sending to their customers so that they are attractive. Lastly, messages are readdressed to ensure they serve the customers emotions.

nRelationship between words and image

nImages and words focus on association between visual representation and how words are presented to communicate specific theme. This is a relationship between the ‘sayable and ‘seeable. It also involves translation of words into figures or pictures or other visible marks in the page. Words are meant to be read aloud and heard as an acoustical event9. Therefore, words are phonetic sign. On the other hand image is a visual sign and it represents visual characteristics of an object. Beside, whiles presents the hearing characteristics, images presents seeing and depicting characteristics. Images can also present a range of symbolic connotations.

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n7,8,9. W. James Potter, Media Effects, 1st ed. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 2012).

nDefinition of Terms

nPolysemy refers to how words are used in media with two or more distinct meaning. For instance an insurance company can use the word “life” as a brand of its name in media advertisement10.

nMetonymy is the figure of speech where one word is substituted by another word. One word is called by the meaning of another word or something associated with the meaning of that concept11.

nAnchorage in media is used when the words or juxtaposition of words are used to interpret an image. This helps to clarify the image so that it can become relevant in advertisement. Thus the image serves to attract while the text anchors the meaning12.

nImplied narrative is where media text uses events and characters to deliver a specific message to the customers. The narrator organises, select and comment on an event to present the theme of the message13.

nPolysemy, anchorage, metonymy and implied narrative can be used in an advertisement. For example advertisement of alcohol in television shows. People present a powerful and energetic person whose strength is associated with alcohol brand14. Therefore, when customers see the TV show characters are drinking, they think that they will become powerful after consuming the alcohol without knowing its consequences. They copy these characters because they have a certain features such as power that is admired by many people especially the youth.

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n10Jan van Dijk, The Network Society, 1st ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006).

n11Angharad N Valdivia et al., The International Encyclopedia Of Media Studies, 1st ed. (Malden, MA: 12Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

n13Graeme Burton, Media And Society, 1st ed. (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2010).

n14Pieter J Fourie, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Cape Town: Juta, 2009).

nStereotyping

nI think we contribute to stereotyping when we interpret social signs and forms assumptions about people based on the connotations that their appearance and possession carry. This is because people view the words differently from one another15. For instance, old movies initially had red Indians as villains then black people but now most villains are Muslims. Media influences what we think and how we think.

nDenotation it is the process in which media uses to indicate something by means of a symbol or word.

nConnotation is the idea that media use to a word to invoke a feeling that is different from its literal meaning.

nIcon is a graphical representation that media uses to represent something or someone or a thing that is a noted figure or symbolic16. For example, is the representation of “home” icon by Microsofts advertisements

nIndexicality is the idea where media uses utterance to indicate some state of affairs or relationship17. Indexical sign is symbol that is used to indicate a state of affairs or create a social identity.

nSymbolic sign is the technique where media uses signs or symbols to explain a particular concept that is culturally specific and conventional.

nConvention is a way in which media uses to carry out its operations for examples procedures and processes of advertisements18

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n15.Jacquie Bennett, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005).

n16.Angharad N Valdivia et al., The International Encyclopedia Of Media Studies, 1st ed. (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

n17Graeme Burton, Media And Society, 1st ed. (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2010).

n18Pieter J Fourie, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Cape Town: Juta, 2009).

nModality is the specific way in which media encodes information before it is transmit to viewers.

nRepresentation is a technique where media describes or portrays something or someone in a specific fashion or as being of a certain feature19.

nHermeneutics this is a theory which media use to interpret nonverbal and verbal communication.

nStructuralism is techniques used by media to uncover the structures that underlie all the things that human being feel, perceive and think20.

nConstructionism is the approach that media uses to construct tangible model from mental models in the real world.

nNarrative is form of play where media uses to connect events aimed at delivering a particular message to listeners and viewers

nIntertextuality is a form of association between texts. Media uses intertextuality to explain the meaning of one text by another different text.

nIdeology is an approach where media uses unconscious and conscious ideas that deliver a message.

nMythology is the collection of myths or cultures of a people. Media takes into account the cultures of people when designing the advertisements21.

nDiscourse is the type of written or spoken message that media uses to communicate to listeners or viewers

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n19Jacquie Bennett, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005).

n20Jacquie Bennett, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005).

n21Angharad N Valdivia et al., The International Encyclopedia Of Media Studies, 1st ed. (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

nAudience is a group of people who take part in the media show

nSyntagm is where media uses a set of linguistics such as phrases that are systematic.

nDiegesis is the plot or narrative in a media show

nPolysemy is the existence of two or more meaning of a word

nModernism refers to the practices, cultural forms and relations both commercial and folk, elite and popular. People attempted to make sense of, represent, or escape from the new worlds of modernization22.

nPostmodernism is marked by the commercialisation of culture and communication with the aim of maximising profits by developing systems of production and distribution. It has enabled rapid development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and computer. Media has influenced postmodernism by sceptical interpretations of peoples culture23.

nDifference is a homophonous word that means to differ

nParole is the performance of individuals in media systems

nJean Baudrillard (1929-2007) was a cultural analysts interested in consumer society. He was interest in McLuhans theory of communication and acknowledges the role played by media in facilitating society change in the real world24. He significantly contributed to post-structuralism. He argues the in postmodern media people connect deeply to things like television that merely simulate reality.

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n22, 23, 24Jacquie Bennett, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005).

nJohn Fiske (born 1939) is a media professor. He is interested in understanding popular culture. He is also a critic of media on how it influences different cultures of the people. In his book on television, he argues the impacts of television on cultural and economic aspects of life25. He also rejects the notion that mass media audiences consume the products on televisions without thinking.

nJean- francois Lyotard argues that the technological development of media enables the development of capitalism systems into cultural exchanges and production. In addition he argues that computerization of society leads to post-modernism where there is new stage of commodification of knowledge26.

nJoseph Campbell was credited for his effort in comparative religion and comparative mythology. In his book “Getting it wrong” he explains how media-driven myths affect the society27.

nInfluence of modality

nModality has a lot of influence on who we believe in a media show. This is because some people sends random emails and tweets into the news shows and they include inconsequential drive 28

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n25Jacquie Bennett, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005).

n26Graeme Burton, Media And Society, 1st ed. (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2010).

n27, 28Pieter J Fourie, Media Studies, 1st ed. (Cape Town: Juta, 2009).

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nWorks cited

nBennett, Jacquie. Media Studies. 1st ed. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2005.

nBurton, Graeme. Media And Society. 1st ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005.

nDijk, Jan van. The Network Society. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006.

nFourie, Pieter J. Media Studies. 1st ed. Cape Town: Juta, 2009.

nPotter, W. James. Media Effects. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 2012.

nValdivia, Angharad N, John C Nerone, Vicki Mayer, Sharon R Mazzarella, Radhika E Parameswaran, Erica Scharrer, and Kelly Gates. The International Encyclopedia Of Media Studies. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.