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Summary Readings Media Theory
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Reading Media Theory – Mills & BarlowChapter 2: What is theory?
Defining Theory
Theory: a way of thinking about the world / a process.
Theorizing: engaging with the processes which produce theory.
Purpose of theory: forcing readers to look at the world anew, and inviting responses which are
engaged, informed, and help further the process of theory.
We can distinguish between (1) theory as a process and (2) the results of that process.
Williams suggests there are 3 types of theory:
1. Academic theory has a purpose of investigation and criticism.
2. Practitioners engage in reflecting and analyzing their own process and that of others.
3. Common sense theory is the kind of theorizing we all engage in every day.
What is theory for?
One of theory’s purposes: to give the impetus for newer kinds of research, which can open up a
range of debates, and further knowledge to a great degree.
2 types of theory:
1. Normative: the purpose is to help explain the world, by offering ways of thinking about it,
and proposing methods and approaches which might gain new insights.
2. Critical: the purpose is to show problems within the world and presenting solutions. Yet
critical theory is also normative, because it attempts to explain how things work.
One of theory’s main purposes: encouraging and inspiring dialogue, criticism, debate, and analysis.
Theory’s aim: to ensure we take nothing for granted.
Theory is often deliberately contentious (argumentative), giving you something to argue against or
for, and it responds to existing theory and promotes future theory.
Theory’s attempt: to ensure there is an ongoing conversation about key ideas, responding to existing
arguments as well as to changes within media and society.
Where does theory come from?
In order to be read, theory must be published.
Factors which affect where theory comes from:
- Publishing system: very specific and in order to get published, established academics must
approve your work, which might have implications for novelty and innovation.
- Theory comes out of a context: people write theory in response to what is going on around
them, and thus it is often useful to be aware of the context which may have influenced their
thinking and concerns.
- Theory is a necessary and inevitable product of society and social change: as the world
alters, it is vital that new models and ideas are proposed which attempt to makes sense of
what is going on.
Storey argues that we can define particular fields of enquiry by using 3 criteria:
1. Object of study
2. Method of analysis
3. History of the field
,Why is theory seen as difficult?
6 reasons for why you might find reading media theory difficult:
1. Theory questions everything – including yourself: it removes all the assumptions you
require in order to live an “ordinary” life.
2. Theory often refers to other theories: it is hard to find a way into all the interconnected
information if you are new to it.
3. Theory doesn’t always “work” as it often presents models (often proposals that haven’t
been fully tested): an example is the theory of evolution. You can overcome this problem by
remembering that the aim of theory is to encourage debate, reflection, and analysis.
4. Theory requires hypothetical thinking: in order to make sense of how the world is, you
need to be able to imagine how else the world might be.
5. Theory places media in bigger social and political contexts: can be difficult as it asks big
questions and requires you to see the link between the small, mundane everydayness of
media, and much bigger debates about power, equality, history and society.
6. Theory uses complex language.
Why is theory taught?
4 reasons for why you are taught theory:
1. Main reason: theory is the core of the subject of media studies.
2. Theory offers useful transferable skills: by encouraging a critical, thoughtful engagement
with material, your skills in discussion and debate are fostered; and because the material you
are working with is so open for debate, you are required to construct arguments and engage in
a manner which encourages communication skills and the ability to discuss and debate.
3. Theory explores debates central to the media and creative industries: the skills needed
within the media and creative industries are being able to work with others, communicate
clearly and efficiently, initiate and develop ideas, and have a critical and engaged mind; and
debating media theory encourages and explores this.
4. Theory helps develop you as a citizen and an individual: you will be encouraged to
become more thoughtful about the world around you and your position within it.
Chapter 3: What is reading?
Higher education foregrounds independent study in which reading is central.
Teachers will point you in the direction of key points and ideas, but you should be developing your
own ideas, your own responses, and your own ways of thinking. Reading is a key component of this.
At university, what is reading for?
Reading is one of the best ways for learning.
At university, you are assessed through your ability to discuss, think, engage, and debate.
Reading: the start of the process in which it is important what you do with the material you have
read. This is what is usually referred to as reading critically.
Critical reading: supposed to be a tool for you to develop your own thinking. Adopting a critical
approach means that you can often find material of value in readings you utterly disagree with; in
terms of maintaining motivation, this can be extremely useful.
Thinking about the aims of your reading: a useful way to set goals and priorities.
Reading and the self
There is not a single right way to read.
Reading: not a personal activity, and you need to find out what reading strategy works best for you.
,Reading must always be a reflective process:
- Think about what you find difficult in reading, but also what your skills in reading are.
- Work out ways of dealing with problems you encounter while reading.
- Think about when and where is best for you to read, working out how long reading takes you
means you can prepare and plan for each reading you are required to do.
- Think about what to do before and after reading, as well as during, is recommended.
Maker and Lenier suggest the Active Critical Thinking (ACT) method:
1. Prereading: try to get a rough overview of what the reading is about, and the problems and
successes you may have with it, so you can prepare your method of reading accordingly.
2. Reading: reading the article fully without making any kinds of notes or worrying about words
or phrases you do not understand.
3. Analyzing what your read: work through the reading again, this time making notes,
identifying key arguments, thinking about evidence, raising questions, etc.
4. Remembering what’s important.
5. Making use of what you read: discuss, debate, and apply the reading’s ideas.
6. Evaluating your critical thinking skills: think about what you’ve learned and what you still
need to learn, which can be done through feedback on assignments.
Problems when reading
It is likely to encounter things in readings which you find difficult, but this is intentional as such
reading is intended to introduce you to ideas and arguments you are unfamiliar with.
Aim of reading: for you to learn something new. You need to work out what strategy for dealing with
such problems works for you; pinpointing the precise problem often helps.
Academic language
Complex words and terms are encountered in all subjects, and media studies is no exception.
Much media theory is written for an audience who is assumed to understand these terms; it is often
not written with students in mind. Some writers deliberately play around with language, to
demonstrate the complexities of communication.
After reading
Most important thing: you should consistently have what you have read in mind, using theory to
make sense of the world around you, and simultaneously using the world around you to think about
theory. Doing this means you are likely to build up lots of responses, ideas, and examples, which can
then be drawn on when you have to write essays or do other assessments.
, Understanding Media: The Extension of Man – McLuhan
Introduction
Explosive Mechanical Ages Implosive Electronic Ages
Bodies extended into space Central nervous system extended globally
Reaction of actions were delayed for Reaction of actions occur almost at the same time
considerable periods of time (slow movement)
Western man was able to act without reacting; Western man unable to adopt aloof and
detachment was a posture of noninvolvement dissociated role; we unavoidably participate, in
depth, in the consequences of our every action
Limited association with political and social Political and social functions are involved in our
functions lives, which heightens human awareness of
responsibility to an intense degree
Partial and specialized viewpoint Forced commitment and participation, regardless
of any viewpoint, thus it is the Age of Anxiety
Inclusive image (at information level) Not only is it also the Age of the Unconscious
and of Apathy, but it is strikingly the Age of
Consciousness of the Unconscious
Age of the editorial chair, in which the chair is Mere viewpoint (at information level)
a specialist ablation of the posterior, a sort of
removal of the bum
Desire for strong statement of private outlook Century of the psychiatrist’s couch, in which the
as the natural mode of expression couch extends the integral being; it removes the
temptation to express private viewpoints and
removes the need to rationalize events
Desire for wholeness, empathy, and depth of
awareness
Revulsion against imposed patterns, we are
suddenly eager to have things and people declare
their beings totally; there is a deep faith about
ultimate harmony of all being
Chapter 4: The Gadget Lover – Narcissus as Narcosis
This chapter forms an important part of McLuhan’s answer to the question in what way media
extend our body and it reveals the cause of its numbing, narcotic effect. To explain the process of
this change, McLuhan describes the Greek myth of Narcissus. He claims that the reflection
Narcissus became fascinated and numbed with was his own extension. Narcissus being absorbed by
the intensity of this extension numbed all his other senses and being unable to turn his gaze away
from this reflection became lethal. Media appear to have similar effect on our senses: the media
technology extends one of our senses and numbs the others. McLuhan argues: “men at once
become fascinated by any extension of themselves in any other material than themselves”.
Medical researchers Selye and Jonas hold that all extensions of ourselves are attempts to maintain
equilibrium. When the perceptual power cannot locate or avoid the cause of irritation, the body
chooses the autoamputative strategy. For example, when facing a life-threatening stimulus, the brain
protects us and cuts off the organ or sense which transmits it. The result of this auto-amputation is
either the numbing or blocking of the perception.
McLuhan applied this “theory of disease” to the history of technological innovation. Media and
technology are extensions of the human body brought about by the need to overcome an increasing
stress. If the stress reaches certain critical levels, the brain creates a “counterirritant”, a technology
which is capable of coping with the increased load and pace. This technology is an amplification of
the separate function our body used to perform. For example, when one’s arms became too weak
to carry a certain burden, a sheave (wheel) and a lever (pedal) got invented. The function of one’s
arms, which were no longer capable of performing required tasks on a sufficient level, became a
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