SOC309H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Overproduction, Consumerism, Cultivation Theory
Document Summary
Theoretical perspectives on mass media reception (cont"d: the minimal effects perspective, based on research on media coverage of political campaigns and voting 1940s-1950s: media have little effect on public opinion. Two causes: audiences ignore information with which they disagree, audiences ignore campaigns as biased, and cote on basis of their personal information, primarily on the state of the economy, bennett and lyengar. 2008: niche media, audience fragmentations, partisan selection audience disengagement. Can only have niche media if have technology for them like cable tv, internet. Cannot have if relying on high volume newspapers or broadcast television: ex. Not in the news but in the way they present it. Increasing tendency to present news as entertainment to concentrate on personal characteristics like appearance. People become interested in politics as entertainment physical appearance, sound bites, mass media appearances, music chosen for campaign etc. because now paying attention to trivial news aspect : postman: news as entertainment, therefore politics as entertainment.
