Media Function Essay

For individual, the function of media can be thought of as the motives or reasons. Why individual use media products? They do that in order to feel satisfactions; they receive from the use of these products Herta Herzog 1944 She studied the motivation and gratification of radio soap opera listeners Her interest was to try to understand (why women become such ardent fans of the radio soaps The goal of the study was to determine (what satisfactions listeners Said they derived coupled with a psychological evaluation of these listeners The functional approach: sought to account for (why audiences attended to particular content on the assumption that the act of attending served some function for the individual. Herzog found that such programs served function for these women: the provided emotional release, they served as a source of advice What sorts of lessons did soap operas provide? Herzog found that the lessons of the soaps often applied in unlikely situation for ex. One women reported going to the doctor before started her diet because someone on the soap had done so Katz 1959 he relabeled the approach uses and gratification For Katz, uses and gratifications research would empirically test some of the critiques of popular culture that had been made the in 1950s. Katz 1959 he relabeled the approach uses and gratification For Katz, uses and gratifications research would empirically test some of the critiques of popular culture that had been made the in 1950s. Social function of the media Mobilization| Entertainment| Continuity| Correlation| Information| Campaigning for society’s objectives in the field of politics, war, economic development, work, and sometimes religion| -providingentertainment interestingnessand the means of relaxation- reducing social tension| -Expressing the dominant culture and recognizing subcultures and new culture developments-Forming and maintaining commonality of values| -Explaining and commenting on the meaning of events and information-providing support for established authority and norms -socializing-coordinating separate activities-consensus building-setting orders of priority | Providing information about events and condition in society and the world| The assumption of uses and gratification model -The audience is active and hence use of media is goal-directed -Audience have expectation of what certain kinds of content have to offer them, and these expectation help shape their selection. That is, particular audiences can take the initiative in linking their needs to the ability of particular media products to gratify those needs -The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction (such as reading, talking with friends, taking a walk, sleeping). The needs potentially satisfied by the mass media are only part of a wider range of human needs. People are sufficiently aware of their needs, media choices, and the gratifications they receive from media use to be able to tell researchers what motivates their media behavior. -The audience is active and hence use of media is goal-directed -Audience have expectation of what certain kinds of content have to offer them, and these expectation help shape their selection. That is, particular audiences can take the initiative in linking their needs to the ability of particular media products to gratify those needs -The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction (such as reading, talking with friends, taking a walk, sleeping). The needs potentially satisfied by the mass media are only part of a wider range of human needs. People are sufficiently aware of their needs, media choices, and the gratifications they receive from media use to be able to tell researchers what motivates their media behavior. THE CRITIQUE OF FUNCTIONALISM Uses and gratification research has been serious criticisms; This approach ignores the social dimensions of media consumption and reduces media use to an individual psychological relationship In fact, uses and gratification researches offers no way of understanding the connection between individual psychological needs and social structures and processes Uses and gratification research has been serious criticisms; This approach ignores the social dimensions of media consumption and reduces media use to an individual psychological relationship In fact, uses and gratification researches offers no way of understanding the connection between individual psychological needs and social structures and processes The major work on uses and gratifications research has been to catalog the various uses and gratification that audience report obtaining from their media consumption The major work on uses and gratifications research has been to catalog the various uses and gratification that audience report obtaining from their media consumption Entertainment| Integration and social interaction| Personalidentity| information| -Escaping from problemsRelaxing-Getting intrinsic culturalFilling timeEmotional releaseSexual arousal-| -Gaining insight into circumstances of others-Identifying with others -Gaining a sense of belonging-Finding a basis for conversation and social interaction -Helping to carry out social rolesEnabling one to connect with family, friends, and society| -Finding reinforcement for personal values-Finding models of behavior-Identifying with valued others-Gaining insight into one’s self| -Finding out about events and conditions in immediate surroundings ,society, and the world-Seeking advice on functional matters or opinion and decision choices-Satisfying curiosity -Learning, self-education-Gaining a sense of security through knowledge| Narrative is another valuable tool in our textual analysis toolkit Narrative tends to be associated with the way a fictional story is told terms of how events unfold and are revealed to the audience Narrative is an important element in the construction of both fiction and non-fiction texts. Although it is a logical tool to reach for when we undertake the analysis of moving image texts In media studies, looking at narrative structure implies that we explore the way in which the inf. Contained within a text is revealed to us. It has implication for the way in which print texts, images and sound texts are constructed Narrative is another valuable tool in our textual analysis toolkit Narrative tends to be associated with the way a fictional story is told terms of how events unfold and are revealed to the audience Narrative is an important element in the construction of both fiction and non-fiction texts. Although it is a logical tool to reach for when we undertake the analysis of moving image texts In media studies, looking at narrative structure implies that we explore the way in which the inf. Contained within a text is revealed to us. It has implication for the way in which print texts, images and sound texts are constructed NARRATIVE AS AN ANALYTICAL TOOL Enigma code Roland Barthes has defined the key narrative device as enigma code, use to guess the next piece of information to be reveled Think of trailers at the cinema or cliffhangers in TV serial drama The enigma is a useful narrative device to keep the reader interested by whetting his appetite to find out more (magazine front covers are another example of enigma code Work as narrative in the sense of offering a frozen moment. We are invited to compete in our minds what happened before and after the frozen moment Narrative can be said to organize the flow of info on the page, determining how we read the text Enigma code Roland Barthes has defined the key narrative device as enigma code, use to guess the next piece of information to be reveled Think of trailers at the cinema or cliffhangers in TV serial drama The enigma is a useful narrative device to keep the reader interested by whetting his appetite to find out more (magazine front covers are another example of enigma code Work as narrative in the sense of offering a frozen moment. We are invited to compete in our minds what happened before and after the frozen moment Narrative can be said to organize the flow of info on the page, determining how we read the text On important aspect of the narrative is how the flow of this information is controlled. The flow of this information to the reader is controlled through the headline, the opining paragraph, or intro, the illustration and the outcome. On important aspect of the narrative is how the flow of this information is controlled. The flow of this information to the reader is controlled through the headline, the opining paragraph, or intro, the illustration and the outcome. Three main reasons for studying media narrative. One- it shifts the focus of attention from content to the structure and process of storytelling Two- it allows us to investigate the similarities and differences in narrative media forms Three-it can reveal how the meanings of the narrative forms relate to the wider disposition of social power Three main reasons for studying media narrative. One- it shifts the focus of attention from content to the structure and process of storytelling Two- it allows us to investigate the similarities and differences in narrative media forms Three-it can reveal how the meanings of the narrative forms relate to the wider disposition of social power ADRIAN TILLY argues that although story telling often appears invisible, it is in fact a complex process He points out; narrative is an important part of our socialization as it moderates our behavior The nature of media narrative and their relation to our social study situations is the object of narrative study. ADRIAN TILLY argues that although story telling often appears invisible, it is in fact a complex process He points out; narrative is an important part of our socialization as it moderates our behavior The nature of media narrative and their relation to our social study situations is the object of narrative study. PARADIGM SHIFT: FROM A RATIONAL WORLD PARADIGM TO A NARRATIVE ONE NARRATIVE PARDIGM| RATIONAL –WORLD PARADIGM| -people are essentially storytellers-we make decision on the basis of good reasons, which vary depending on the communication situation -history, biography, culture, and character determine what we consider good reasons-narrative rationality is determined by coherence and fidelity of our stories-the world is a set of stories from which we choose, and thus constantly re-create, our lives (a theoretical framework that views narrative as basis of all human communication)| -people are essentially rational-we make decision on basis of arguments -the types of speaking situation determines the course of our arguments-rationality is determined by how much we know and how well we argue-the world is a set of logical puzzles that we can solve through rational analysis(a scientific approach to knowledge that assumes people are logical, making decisions on the basis of evidence and arguments)| Encoding and decoding One of the key issues in audience studies, concern the relationship between producer, text, and audience This equation is about a balance of power: assessing the extent to which audiences are influenced by media text and what extent they appropriate them in ways quite different to the producers’ intentions Encoding and decoding One of the key issues in audience studies, concern the relationship between producer, text, and audience This equation is about a balance of power: assessing the extent to which audiences are influenced by media text and what extent they appropriate them in ways quite different to the producers’ intentions Meaning structures one Meaning structures one Meaning structures two Meaning structures two Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model In the diagram, he represents the two sides: Encoding, which is the domain of the producer Decoding, the domain of the audience The process of communicating a message requires that it be encoded in such a way that the receiver of the message is able to decoded Ex. Televisual message is encoded through the use of camera technology, transmitted as a signal and then decoded using a television set if you do not have a TV you don’t have the means to understand One reason that the encoded and decoded messages may not be the same is the capacity of the audience to vary its response to media message Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model In the diagram, he represents the two sides: Encoding, which is the domain of the producer Decoding, the domain of the audience The process of communicating a message requires that it be encoded in such a way that the receiver of the message is able to decoded Ex. Televisual message is encoded through the use of camera technology, transmitted as a signal and then decoded using a television set if you do not have a TV you don’t have the means to understand One reason that the encoded and decoded messages may not be the same is the capacity of the audience to vary its response to media message Why the audience vary in response to media message? Because they are influenced by their social position, gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, experience, beliefs, where they are, what they are doing, when they receive a message Hall categorised three kinds of audience response: Dominant- the audience agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text Negotiated- the audience generally agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading but they may disagree with certain aspects according to their social background Oppositional- the audience dis agree with dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text One concept that has been challenged subsequently by theorists is the notion of preferred reading This refers to the way the encoder would prefer the audience to interpret a media message, above all other possible readings. However, it could be argued that some texts are deliberately created to remain open interpretation Why the audience vary in response to media message? Because they are influenced by their social position, gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, experience, beliefs, where they are, what they are doing, when they receive a message Hall categorised three kinds of audience response: Dominant- the audience agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text Negotiated- the audience generally agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading but they may disagree with certain aspects according to their social background Oppositional- the audience dis agree with dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text One concept that has been challenged subsequently by theorists is the notion of preferred reading This refers to the way the encoder would prefer the audience to interpret a media message, above all other possible readings. However, it could be argued that some texts are deliberately created to remain open interpretation