Summary
Summary Media Landscape - Y
- Course
- Institution
Summary of media landscape uva course, made by a honours student. It provides a clear overview of all the lectures combined with the book. I got an 8.3!
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
flipsejans
Content preview
Summary Media LandscapeWeek 1: Introduction and Defining the Media Landscape
Media company: a company whose primary function is to produce or distribute media content
The traditional conception of media entails broadcasting, print, film, as well as advertising,
marketing, PR, and social media companies
Mass media: media in the traditional sense (radio, TV, print newspaper, magazines)
THE 5 KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS MEDIA
1) One to many, one-way: identical message to a mass audience
2) Experiential goods: value is placed into immaterial attributes (originality, intellectual property,
stories told) and it is more about the experience than the object itself
3) High fixed/ “first copy” costs: low marginal costs (cost per additional unit) economies of scale
= price per unit decreases as quantity of output increases
4) Potential for (cheap) re-versioning: re-selling in different formats, leads to economies of
scope = average production costs decrease as variety of output increases
But also: spin-offs, branded products etc (different versions of the product)
5) But, high risk!: Consumer taste is hard to predict high first copy costs regardless # of
consumers
Not just movies… newspapers, magazines, books, radio programs, television shows…. Are all mass
media products (if they have these 5 characteristics)
DEFINING THE MASS MEDIA MARKET
‘Dual-product market’: media companies produce 2 things
Content which is sold to audiences
Audiences who are sold to advertisers
‘Attention economy’: attention is the real product being sold/bought
As a result, the advertising goals influence content/strategy
Problematic for journalism, but also for the artist
Broader tension creative industries versus commercial needs ($$$$$)
THE CHANGING MASS MEDIA MARKET DUE TO TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
Convergence = previously separate channels become fused; channels, content & computing
Interactivity = two-way communication replaces one-way communication and users become
(mass) producers
Diversification = more user control and choice in the media market; expansion of content
Mobility = media “on the go” becomes norm; “always on” culture is adopted
MEDIA CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Media organizations should be socially responsible:
- Being a forum for the exchange of ideas/opinions
- Being an integrative influence for diverse societies
- Protection core values of vulnerable audiences
MCLUHAN’S OPTIMISM
The medium is the message
Technology itself matters, where new tech extends the senses
This gives more power for consumers to find information themselves
The New ‘cooler’ media is able to do the following for society:
Liberates audiences from hierarchies and isolation
Leads people away from officialdom towards “everyday talk”
Moves us closer towards a global village
, POSTMAN’S PESSIMISM
In the print age information was detailed, relevant, localized, coherent, rational
During the post-telegraph age information changed and became dazzling stories from afar which
outweighed the relevant and local stories
Consequences for information: TV/images introduced superficiality
Consequences for audiences: The attention and rationality of audiences decreased
Audiences became more passive
TECHNOLGOICAL DETERMINISM
The major critique on McLuhan and Postman is that both approaches are technological
deterministic; assuming that technological is the primary cause of social change
This simplifies and overplays technology and ignores social context
It ignores power relations behind development/use
- Optimism: tech as solution to man-made problems
- Pessimism: blames tech for social problems
MEDIA LIFE (deuze, 2011)
Media now so central that we don’t notice it
We don’t life with media, but in media
This leads to 2 manifestations:
1) Personal and individualized information space
2) Always-available global connectivity
And this leads to 2 consequences:
1) There is liquefied boundary between work/play & alone/interaction
2) Our daily lives have now changed to accommodate and exploit media
Week 2: Advertising, Ethics and Representation in Media
USE VALUE VS SYMBOLIC VALUE
In the 20th century advertising saw various changes
There was a shift from use of value (informational and product-orientated selling of a
product) to symbolic value (identity and meaning-oriented selling us ourselves)
Advertising started with selling consumers a product, and slowly became more
identity focused – who are you if you like a particular product?
There slowly developed an intermingling of consumption and identity and a rise of consumer culture:
Culture: the signifying system through which a social order is communicated/ reproduced/
experienced
Consumer culture: a form of material culture facilitated by the market; consumption allows us to
express culture, yet the economic system restricts our free choice
THERE ARE 5 ADVERTISING FRAMES (Leiss et al.)
1) Idolatry: idolising the product and sell its quality
Qualities of the product central
Direct appeal to persuasion
e.g., Toothpaste
2) Iconography: emphasis on symbolic meanings around status
Associative connotations
Emphasis still on objects
e.g., cars = modern outlook or shoes = higher status
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller flipsejans. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.78. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
60281 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now