Reviewing McQuail, Tuchman and the

Mattelarts

May 16, 2007 May 16, 2007

What is a Media Institution

Last Week’s Last Question Example: Beatles Definition: kind of like a brand?

Example would be the Beatles In Japan: designer like Georgi Yamamoto Can painters become institutions?

Yes, for example, Munch

As institutions media are intermediate and mediating Between what and what?

Last Week’s Last Question Example: Beatles Definition: kind of like a brand?

Example would be the Beatles In Japan: designer like Georgi Yamamoto Can painters become institutions?

Yes, for example, Munch

As institutions media are intermediate and mediating Between what and what?

What do Media Institutions come in between?

Between the audience (receivers) and organizations, persons Example: the people of a country and their government.

Who/what is the media institution? Formal media like a newspaper Tiananmen Square: one person from a minority group

in China burned a small part of Chairman Mao’s painting

The portrait made by a Chinese painter who was hired by the Chinese government

Mao is a symbol of the “New China” This symbol was used by the government to

communicate with its people In this case the government is the media

institution The media institution is not intermediate as much

as directly a part of the government.

Between the audience (receivers) and organizations, persons Example: the people of a country and their government.

Who/what is the media institution? Formal media like a newspaper Tiananmen Square: one person from a minority group

in China burned a small part of Chairman Mao’s painting

The portrait made by a Chinese painter who was hired by the Chinese government

Mao is a symbol of the “New China” This symbol was used by the government to

communicate with its people In this case the government is the media

institution The media institution is not intermediate as much

as directly a part of the government.

What Theory of Media fits the Media as Institution?

Political Economic Model? Focuses on economics rather than the ideological

content Media is part of the economic system (which has close

ties to the political system) Socio-Cultural?

What sub-groups are using this media or reacting to it Audience:

Focus on “Consumers”/”receivers” of the message Hegemony:

Focus is on ideology and its means of expression, ways of its survival

Less focus on economic class Example: Media and Government are on the same side

of information distribution -- example of ideology trying to survive

Political Economic Model? Focuses on economics rather than the ideological

content Media is part of the economic system (which has close

ties to the political system) Socio-Cultural?

What sub-groups are using this media or reacting to it Audience:

Focus on “Consumers”/”receivers” of the message Hegemony:

Focus is on ideology and its means of expression, ways of its survival

Less focus on economic class Example: Media and Government are on the same side

of information distribution -- example of ideology trying to survive

About Hegemony

Not always about government It can be any powerful interest that has

control of a situation and gets its ideology (message) out in the world The power to transmit some messages and

suppress (stop) the communication of other messages

In hegemony and media, what is important? Power. To control an institution that is disseminating

messages

Not always about government It can be any powerful interest that has

control of a situation and gets its ideology (message) out in the world The power to transmit some messages and

suppress (stop) the communication of other messages

In hegemony and media, what is important? Power. To control an institution that is disseminating

messages

McQuail’s Big Point (?)

These theories are all not either right or wrong

These theories all work under certain conditions

Instead of “theory” we should talk about “perspective” / “approaches”

You can look at the same situation from different perspectives

These theories are all not either right or wrong

These theories all work under certain conditions

Instead of “theory” we should talk about “perspective” / “approaches”

You can look at the same situation from different perspectives

Mixing Approaches

Some of these perspectives work better together than others: Ex: political eonomy and hegemony go well

together Audience and hegemony could fit

(however… they could be hard to study together --- why/because: you are often studying the social conditions that FORCE a particular viewpoint rather than studying the “real” feelings of the people In some ways you are measuring hegemony

without being able to see it clearly

Some of these perspectives work better together than others: Ex: political eonomy and hegemony go well

together Audience and hegemony could fit

(however… they could be hard to study together --- why/because: you are often studying the social conditions that FORCE a particular viewpoint rather than studying the “real” feelings of the people In some ways you are measuring hegemony

without being able to see it clearly

To Answer the Mediation Question

What is the Media Institution between? It may depend on the political and/or economic

system that you are studying Example: US versus China In the US the formal news media are often antagonistic

or oppositional to the government Try to stand independent of the government Private funding sources

Whereas in China the formal news media may not be fully under government control, but they often have to be checked by the government (content has to be cleared)

Funding from the government

What is the Media Institution between? It may depend on the political and/or economic

system that you are studying Example: US versus China In the US the formal news media are often antagonistic

or oppositional to the government Try to stand independent of the government Private funding sources

Whereas in China the formal news media may not be fully under government control, but they often have to be checked by the government (content has to be cleared)

Funding from the government

Concluding about McQuail

There are important relationships that will influence the kinds of information that media send out Political Economic Social

These relationships vary from place to place but also time to time

There are important relationships that will influence the kinds of information that media send out Political Economic Social

These relationships vary from place to place but also time to time

Concluding McQuail

He wants us to think in terms of 2 models of mediation Dominance Pluralism

Dominance means a power relationship in which the media are controlled

Pluralism means a relationship with many interests and control is probably not one-way (like dominance)

He wants us to think in terms of 2 models of mediation Dominance Pluralism

Dominance means a power relationship in which the media are controlled

Pluralism means a relationship with many interests and control is probably not one-way (like dominance)

Closing Examples

Think that these models are sometimes mixed such that: Japan is pluralist with some dominance (ex:

text book check) China is dominant with some pluralism (as

long as it doesn’t violate the codes/rules set out by the government)

Think that these models are sometimes mixed such that: Japan is pluralist with some dominance (ex:

text book check) China is dominant with some pluralism (as

long as it doesn’t violate the codes/rules set out by the government)

Gaye Tuchman

What was important in this reading? Comparison: different stages of media theory Separates it by geography (Europe versus the US)

Some of the US-based researchers were European but because they were in the US they were following the US model of research

US-government sponsored research so the basic questions studied were those that the government wanted answered:

Persuasion and influence Focus in the US was on EFFECT The focus was on IMPACT or OUTCOME Example: 2-Step Flow (in the 1950s) Another example: The Uses and Gratifications model

What was important in this reading? Comparison: different stages of media theory Separates it by geography (Europe versus the US)

Some of the US-based researchers were European but because they were in the US they were following the US model of research

US-government sponsored research so the basic questions studied were those that the government wanted answered:

Persuasion and influence Focus in the US was on EFFECT The focus was on IMPACT or OUTCOME Example: 2-Step Flow (in the 1950s) Another example: The Uses and Gratifications model

U.S. Versus European Tradition

In Europe the study of media was different Thus, even though they attacked US work

like “the uses and gratifications model”: They still had work that was similar although they may not have accepted the idea

of goal-directedness in the U&G model, they did see people using media to satisfy or else fulfill/follow their needs or desires

Some of these ideas were used by the socio-cultural school in the 1970s

Let’s talk about this next week

In Europe the study of media was different Thus, even though they attacked US work

like “the uses and gratifications model”: They still had work that was similar although they may not have accepted the idea

of goal-directedness in the U&G model, they did see people using media to satisfy or else fulfill/follow their needs or desires

Some of these ideas were used by the socio-cultural school in the 1970s

Let’s talk about this next week

Something to think about . . .

How does the word “receiver” get received in contemporary media studies? Is it accepted or resisted And, if the latter, why?

Let’s talk about this in relation to cultural studies

How does the word “receiver” get received in contemporary media studies? Is it accepted or resisted And, if the latter, why?

Let’s talk about this in relation to cultural studies