Mass Media As A Myth Maker

The article below touches on themes from both Module 3 and Module 4.

It talks about new sources of news information. This would normally be considered good, since different sources counter some of the bad effects of concentration of ownership.

It talks about globalization, since these new sources are not American.

It talks about how these new sources are forcing traditional news media to deal with issues of gate keeping.

And it talks about the front line of the war on terrorism - not the hillsides of Afghanistan, but the hearts and minds of the billions of media consumers across the world.

The New York Times, "A Public Flooded With Images From Friend and Foe Alike"

Media As A Source of Information

Some critics also condemn popular music for its sexual attitudes. A study of 2009 Billboard hits across Country, Pop, and R&B found "approximately 92 percent of the 174 songs that made it into the [Billboard] top 10 in 2009 contained reproductive messages."

The study is summarized in the article "Sex sells: 92 percent of top 10 Billboard songs are about sex, study finds" from The Syracuse Post-Standard. This online version has a link to the full study.

Rosenstiel and Kovach examine what they call the new Mixed Media Culture, in which the classic function of journalism to sort out a true and reliable account of the day's events is being undermined and displaced by the continuous news cycle, the growing power of sources over reporters, varying and inconsistent standards of journalism, and a fascination with inexpensive, polarizing argument. The authors explore the implications of these changes for the role of journalism as a cohesive element in our culture and as a forum for public debate and catalyst for problem solving.

Warp Speed: America in the Age of Mixed Media
By Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

The growth of social media as a source for news has accelerated these trends

Pew Research Center, "News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017"

"As of August 2017, two-thirds (67%) of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media – with two-in-ten doing so often."

"Watching sexy movies and TV shows or accessing sexually explicit content online may influence how teens have sex but only slightly because of other factors."

Fox News - "Teens only slightly influenced by sexual media."

The recent exposure of Barbie on the cover of the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition has rekindled the debate over Barbie as a role model.

"A Tuesday post on 'Mommyish' blog, 'The Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Will Feature Barbie, So Your Daughter Can Feel Bad Too,' underscored criticism of the partnership for using a children's toy to promote sexualized images intended for adults. It further complicates Barbie's legacy for parents unsure of whether to view her as a positive or negative role model."

CNN.com - "Barbie strikes an 'unapologetic' pose"

"Showing that a certain behavior is pervasive can cause people to think that the behavior is normal, Harman said. And if the media attention given to the behavior is enough (or way more than enough in the case of Paris Hilton), it can have an influence.

When the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Paris Hilton is partying and drinking and driving, even if it's not right, then that can become reality. Even if it's not the actual reality, in that person's mind it is, Harman said."

North Jersey Media Group - "Blacks debating negative images of hip-hop"

"Watch hip-hop videos today and you'll probably be blown away by the amount of skin on display. Breasts bursting out of bikini tops. Bottoms "covered" by thongs.

Maybe it's caused by the success of crunk, the hard-core hip-hop sound from the South that's dominating the charts. Or could it be the effect of hip-hop's enduring obsession with pimp and stripper culture? Whatever the reason, the objectification of black women - both visually and lyrically - is all the rage."

What's Love Got To Do With It?

This quiz shows how our concept of romantic love between man and women have been molded by the media.

Just How Effective is the Media?

"In April 1999, two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, gunned down 12 of their class-mates and a teacher and then killed them-selves. Like earlier ghastly and seemingly inexplicable crimes, this one generated a frenzied search for explanations. But instead of talking about the easy availability of firearms, the mean social pecking order at Columbine High School or the personal demons that drove the two young criminals, many politicians and media pundits focused on violent entertainment."

"Why does the conviction persist that there is a causal link between the media and children's behaviour? As both Goldstein and Freedman point out, a critical survey of the research indicates that there is virtually nothing to show that the media cause bad behaviour or obesity. But because the media are so prevalent in our lives - and increasingly so with the advent of digital media, the internet, mobile phones, etc - the fear is that they must be doing something to us, particularly to children and ‘vulnerable’ people. In a society where risk consciousness dominates, the risk of harm, however minute or uncertain, outweighs the evidence of non-harm. This sense of risk is imbued with the conception of the mass of human beings as victims of media messages, passive recipients who can't be trusted to make rational choices."

"The iMedia Brand Summit in southwest Florida this week focused not on the art of digital marketing but on the art of digital conversation, a timely topic after the Super Bowl aired three consumer-generated ads. Unilever's campaign for Dove Cream Oil is a consumer-generated-ad contest in which the winner spot will air during the Oscars."

Mass Mediation of Leisure

Case Study #1 - Sports

This article describes exactly how and why women athletes are chosen to endorse products.

Case Study #2 - Product Placement

How Stuff Works - "How Product Placement Works"

"Have you ever watched a television show or a movie and felt like you were watching a really long commercial? If so, then you've been the victim of bad product placement. There's certainly a line that can be crossed when presenting brand-name items as props within the context of a movie, television show, or music video. Clever marketing folks try never to cross that line. They want their products to be visible within a scene, but not the focus. The product needs to fit, almost seamlessly (almost being the key word here) into the shot and context of the scene. When done correctly, product placement can add a sense of realism to a movie or television show that something like a can simply marked "soda" cannot."

BU Today - "Alcohol Companies Marketing with Music Lyrics"

"At least 14 long-term studies have found that exposure to alcohol marketing in the mass media increases the likelihood that young people will start drinking, or if already drinking, consume more."

Ad Age - "Whatthe NBA's G-League Deal Means for Sports Marketing"

Chronicle of Higher Education - "Attention, Shoppers: Your Dreams in Aisle 3"

"America has always been a nation of shoppers. The dawn of mass production brought new ways to sell goods at affordable prices, and the department store, mail-order catalog, and five-and-dime expanded our cultural horizons. When the German economist Werner Sombart asked, in 1906, "Why is there no socialism in the United States?," he found the answer in the fact that American workers wore better clothes, and lived in bigger, more comfortable homes, than their European counterparts did."

"In the 20th century, supermarkets and discount stores made shopping universal. Today, mass consumption has become an entitlement, like Social Security and veterans' benefits. Whether we study consumer guides or push our wire carts from warehouse club to outlet mall, we are searching for our dreams."