Tài liệu môn PR truyền thông - Chapter 18: Social effects of mass communication

The Dynamics ofMass CommunicationJoseph R. DominickSeventh EditionPart 5Regulating the Mass Media IndustryChapter 18Social Effectsof Mass CommunicationINVESTIGATING MASS MEDIA EFFECTSThere are several ways to study the media’s effect on individuals and society. Our studies will focus on two methodologies: Surveys Large groups of people answering questionnaires; surveys can’t prove cause and effect relationships, but they can suggest associations. Panel studies, more reliable, study the same groups over long time periods.Experiments Done in the lab or in the field, designed to manipulate experimental factors to determine impact on other factors to better help establish causality.Effects on Knowledge and Attitudes Media and SocializationSocialization is the ways in which an individual comes to adopt the behavior and values of the group over time. These groups, or agencies of socialization, contribute to the socialization process.The Media as a Primary Source of InformationLearning is an important part of the socialization process, and the media (primarily TV) serve as important sources of information, if not the prime sources, for a wide range of topics such as politics, crime, health, and the environment. Shaping Attitudes,Perceptions, and Beliefs Creating StereotypesThe Effects of Heavy ViewingThe Absence of Alternative Information Cultivation Analysis Cultivation analysis says that heavy TV viewing “cultivates” perceptions of reality consistent with the view of the world presented in TV programs. Cultivation analysis concentrates on the long-term effects of exposure rather than the short-term impact on attitudes and opinions.Cultivation Analysis (Con’t)MethodologyStep 1: Identify predominant themes and messagesStep 2: Examine what viewers absorb from heavy exposure to TV. Viewers respond to questionnaires with “real world” or “TV world” answersCultivation Analysis (Con’t)Research FindingsMost findings suggest that, among some people, TV cultivated distorted perceptions of the real world. Though promising, CA studies are enveloped by three problems:it’s difficult to determine cause and effectpeople differ in ways other than their TV habitsThe mainstreaming factorThe resonance factormeasurement variables can impact findingsChildren and TV AdvertisingSince the 1980s, it’s been generally acknowledged that children deserve special consideration from advertisers for the following reasons:Children are a vulnerable audience, subject to exploitation.Children, especially the younger ones, might be easily deceived by sophisticated TV ad techniques.Long-term effects of exposure to TV ads could negatively affect a child’s socialization as a future consumer.Agenda SettingBy saying the media have an impact on agenda setting, we mean that they have the ability to choose and emphasize certain topics which can cause the public to perceive these issues as important. So far, the research suggests:Cause and effect relationships are still unclear.The results can hinge on the medium being studied.Topic covered can influence agenda setting.A person’s experience with topic will influence results.An agenda-setting effect can also be influenced by other factors, such as a person’s interest in and experience with the topic, his age, education, and political involvementAgenda Setting (Con’t)Agenda research has two general fields of study:Framing, how topics are treated by the mediaAgenda building, examines how media build their agenda of newsworthy itemsTelevision and Cognitive SkillsStudies on how, or if, heavy TV viewing adversely affects a child’s IQ are so far inconclusive.Other environmental factors seem to weigh into the ultimate effect much more heavily.Heavy TV viewing, has however, been linked with decreased intellectual performance.Short History of Media Effects on Behavior1930s: media effects studies begin with gangster movies1940s: concerns mount over political influence when Huey Long, President Roosevelt take to air waves 1950s: concern over how TV might influence children rises1960s: concerns focus on excessive media violence1970s: studies look at TV violence and media pornography1980s: focus expands to sexual content, strong language1990s: studies on media violence continue; inconclusive results, but Congress mandates new TV rating system and use of “V” chipImpact of Televised ViolenceA representative summary of research findings might conclude:Evidence indicates that there’s a significant correlation between viewing violent TV shows and day-to-day aggressive behavior.Nevertheless, a relationship is not necessarily evidence of a cause and effect. In 1986, a five-country panel study research project came to two conclusions about TV violence, children, and aggressive behavior: relationship between viewing violence and aggression is weak there’s a circularity in causation. Viewing violent TV caused some children to become more aggressive, and being aggressive caused them to watch more violent TVExperimental Results Catharsis Theory (Aristotle) watching violence purges the urge to be violent Stimulation Theory watching violence stimulates you to be more violent Bandura’s Experiment watching violence may not cause violent behavior, but it may well encourage itExperimental Results (Con’t)Factors that could complicate lab and field researchage, sexlength and type of violent media contentpeople with whom the subject watches the mediasocial class, family history, economic backgroundreal-world influences (field experiments) What Can We Conclude?Study threads suggest that watching television violence does increase aggressive tendencies; but while the effects may be small, they’re not necessarily trivialEncouraging Prosocial BehaviorProsocial Behavior: cooperation, sharing, self-control, etc.Developing Self-Control: data shows films, TV shows can affect child’s self-controlCooperation, Sharing, and Helping: data shows kids willing to imitate cooperative, generous, and helping behavior they see portrayed in films or TVSurvey Data: data suggests children do perceive prosocial messages within a film or TV show, but two studies found little relationship between viewing prosocial messages and actually transferring those actions into everyday behaviorOther Behavioral EffectsPolitical Behavior voter turn out studies negative political advertising effects on voter choices the difficulty of candidate conversion reinforcement crystallizationOther Behavioral EffectsPolitical Behavior Presidential debates and public impact TV and political behavior of politiciansObscenity and PornographyStudies here vary widely, often more because of the prevailing political climate rather than the empirical evidence itself.A 1960s study suggested pornography was more or less limited to middle-age, middle-class men, no evidence that it resulted in antisocial behavior, was actually a “healthy” pursuit, and that all laws against distributing pornography be repealed.By contrast, a 1980s study concluded pornography should be curtailed, that it was linked to aggressive behavior, and that there was a link between it and a growing callousness toward women.Research on the Social Effectsof the Internet Does Internet use have an effect on other media? Is there a link between heavy Internet use and a user’s social involvement? Can heavy Internet use turn into an addiction?The Future of Communication and Its Impact on SocietyAny discussion about the future is, by definition, speculative. But that said, careful observers can already recognize a few likely problems and social issues that the mass media may bring us.PrivacyInformation FragmentationCommunication OverloadEscapismEnd of Chapter 18Social Effects of Mass Communication