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Table of Contents:

Purpose

Definition of Mass Media

Concepts of Power, Meaning, and Representation

Key Theories in Mass Media

Media in Society in 2024

Evaluation of Theories

References

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The purpose of this digital case study is to illustrate the media presence, power, and representation evident in 2024 society.

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Mass media is a form of communication that reaches a wide-ranging broad audience through a global presence. Americans obtain information from a wide variety of media which include print, audio, visual, and online.

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Power, as it relates to mass media, involves the ability of those involved in the media (like news outlets, social media accounts, etc.) to effect public opinion on matters, form narratives, and control how quickly or slowly information gets out.

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Meaning, as it relates to mass media, involves how those in the media manufacture and project what they say bringing attention and emphasis to certain topics. This influences our perceptions of subject matters and makes us believe some things are more important than others.

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Key Theories Evident in Mass Media in 2024

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Key Theories Evident in Mass Media in 2024

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Cultivation Theory:

This hypothesized that the more television people watched, the more their perception of reality would be influenced by what they saw on television, particularly with regards to violence and crime.

This highlights how people tend to internalize what they see on TV and believe it to be true, even though shows are usually scripted. This theory suggests that prolonged TV watching can create a certain paradigm about violence in the world.

Agenda Setting Theory:

This theory relates to the idea that the media may not directly tell you what to think but uses their ability and ways to make you think about certain issues/subjects.

This theory suggests that the media sets the public agenda influencing what people distinguish as important.

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Representation, as it relates to mass media, involves how the media portrays issues, humans, and groups of people altering views on gender, class, and race. This impacts our societal norms and values, therefore, affecting how we see ourselves and others.

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Photo

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News

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Television

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Television

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Podcast

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X (Twitter)

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Instagram

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Television:

In watching shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians and Criminal Minds individuals are more likely to have skewed views of topics represented in these shows than those who have not seen them.

These shows and situations within them have been talked about and referred to numerous times, influencing the attitudes and beliefs individuals hold about society, affecting how people interact with mass media and internalize what is happening in front of them. This represents the power, representation, and meaning that the media can bring about to certain topics making us believe a certain way.

Cultivation theory is based off of individuals who watch shows like Criminal Minds or any crime related show leading to these people believing that the world is a much more dangerous and worse place than it is. Constantly watching shows of this nature warp the brain into thinking everything out there is bad.

When people believe that what they see on television is an accurate representation of the world, they share their thoughts with others, further reinforcing the same thoughts. This gives media the power to represent attitudes and beliefs that are already present in society and package them in different ways.

Podcast:

This example is from a podcast interviewing Johnathan Owens (Simone Biles' husband). Simone Biles is a famous gymnastics star who has risen to fame in the past few years based off of her insane abilities. After this podcast Johnathan received intense backlash for stating he had no idea who Simone was until she reached out to him first.

This is an example of Agenda Setting theory because although Johnathan is an NFL player, he is not that well known for this podcast to be put in the mainstream like it was. Based on Simone's following and the fact that almost everyone knows who she is based on news coverage this clip got out. It was brought out into the public agenda making individuals think about it and share their opinions on the matter.

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Photo:

This photo is from the video of Kate Middleton about her whereabouts over the past few months. Although we are not in the United Kingdom, nor does the royalty pertain to us, the media brings attention to issues regarding all subject matters. The royals in Britain are a topic that news outlets always talk about since they generate a lot of buzz.

This represents the agenda-setting theory because we would not know about this nor talk about it as much if it were not for the media putting it in front of our faces. Seeing it and talking about it brings meaning and power to this situation.

News Article:

This news article is on the passing of OJ Simpson who is very famous for his NFL career and the infamous trial on the killing of his ex-wife. This trial created a lot of press not only in the news but on TV as well. So when he died a lot of the press that was created back then came back into circulation making individuals rethink and form new opinions and put them out there for others to respond to and see.

This therefore is another example of agenda-setting theory because without the news covering this and posting article after article about it, we would not continue to talk about his life and the stuff he has done to this day.

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X (Twitter):

Another big topic in the news right now is the idea that TikTok is going to be banned. TikTok is an entertainment social media app that almost everyone uses nowadays. This has created a lot of press coverage because of how big the app has become and how people use it every day.

This is an example of agenda setting because there are so many more bigger issues that the news should be focusing on but since everyone uses this app every day we have made this a main topic of discussion. This twitter post shows some major issues the news should be covering instead of what is popular right now.

Instagram:

Caitlin Clark a college basketball player who will be graduating from Iowa in May has made national headlines for her season this year. She was an unstoppable player who everyone could not stop talking about. Her along with many other notable players garnered several news outlets for the WNBA draft.

This was the first time the WNBA draft along with women's basketball got the amount of news coverage they did. This is another example of agenda-setting theory because we have never talked about this sport as much as we have recently.

It has been all over ESPN and other news outlets receiving tons of press sparking debates bringing it to people's attention.

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Davie, G. (2018, November 2). Agenda Setting Theory. Mass Communication Theory; Mass Communication Theory. https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/agenda-setting-theory/

‌Davie, G. (2013, December 31). Cultivation Theory. Mass Communication Theory. https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/cultivation-theory/

Instagram. (n.d.). Www.instagram.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.instagram.com/p/C5yUWp8OWph/?img_index=1

Jonathan Owens Undrafted to Starter, NFL Playoff Push, Wife Simone Biles & Mental Health | The Pivot. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmdb0RzvG7c

Kate video: Full message from Catherine, the Princess of Wales. (n.d.). [Video]. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68641335

‌light blue sparkles - Bing. (n.d.). Bing. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=kpiU6P79&id=096074DA797103D87F7850E36897E6FDA7F27ECE&thid=OIP.kpiU6P79MyZnbnWVur6XogHaGc&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fcdn.wallpapersafari.com%2f71%2f34%2fUOvt9l.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.929894e8fefd3326676e7595babe97a2%3frik%3dzn7yp%252f3ml2jjUA%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=1304&expw=1500&q=light+blue+sparkles&simid=608037820749412876&FORM=IRPRST&ck=D2F21A2D5811578E32F814E57A01395C&selectedIndex=2&itb=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

meme examples of keeping up with the kardashians - Bing. (n.d.). Bing. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=f46zVxaj&id=97D2E8A15E219E1A9C954B10DF340C74C89BC562&thid=OIP.f46zVxajrHHltnbf2OaddAHaHS&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2fa4%2fdb%2f5e%2fa4db5e2f17317c5e5ce5c72ebcf525a2.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.7f8eb35716a3ac71e5b676dfd8e69d74%3frik%3dYsWbyHQMNN8QSw%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=532&expw=540&q=meme+examples+of+keeping+up+with+the+kardashians&simid=607999582634716941&FORM=IRPRST&ck=60C6787ED3F65D87FC336448DA4D2843&selectedIndex=0&itb=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

MSN. (n.d.). https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/oj-simpson-just-died-is-it-too-soon-to-talk-about-his-troubled-past/ar-BB1lsKxU

purpose - Bing. (n.d.). Bing. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=VOxV560e&id=47C636F61BB34D8A303E1A493C329DF4DA07F641&thid=OIP.VOxV560e6TOqXSuSBxpqjgHaEl&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.soullifeconnection.com%2fstatic%2fuploads%2fimages%2f1-wffwrbmszhjg.jpg%3fmode%3dmax%26upscale%3dtrue%26width%3d1110&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.54ec55e7ad1ee933aa5d2b92071a6a8e%3frik%3dQfYH2vSdMjxJGg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=687&expw=1110&q=purpose&simid=607995996352310739&FORM=IRPRST&ck=3992F0219597AB46A8793A8A40CE3505&selectedIndex=23&itb=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

10 Criminal Minds Episodes Based On Real Cases. (2020, August 23). ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/criminal-minds-episodes-based-real-cases/

Powerpoints:

Lecture 2 - Mass Media Overview.pptx: COMS-130-A_24/SP (instructure.com)

Lecture 3 - Mass Media as a Social Institution.ppt: COMS-130-A_24/SP (instructure.com)

Work:

Assignment 3 COMS (2).pdf

Twitter:

(19) kaitlin on X: "-extremely high homelessness -groceries are sky high -daycare is unaffordable -rent is out of control -women’s health is a mess -people cannot afford to LIVE But tik tok is bad. The priorities of this country are wild." / X (twitter.com)