SOCI201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Mass Media, Media Monitoring, Media Play

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCI201
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Mass media: media that embrace print and electronic means of communication to carry messages to widespread audiences: cultural convergence: flow of content across multiple media, and the accompanying migration of media audiences. Media is used to: socialize us, enforce social norms, confer status, promote consumption. Agent of socialization: media increase social cohesion by presenting a common more or less standardized view of culture through mass communication, mass media plays a significant role in providing a collective experience for members of society. Enforcer of social norms: media often reaffirm proper behavior, can glorify disapproved behavior, media play a critical role in human sexuality. Conferral of status: media single out one from thousands of others similarly placed issues or people, making them significant. Promotion of consumption: hyper-consumerism: practice of buying more than we need or want, often more than we can afford, cannot escape commercial messages.