The Reality of the Mass Media
01 Jan 2002-Journal of Communication Inquiry (Sage PublicationsSage CA: Thousand Oaks, CA)-Vol. 26, Iss: 1, pp 96-97
About: This article is published in Journal of Communication Inquiry.The article was published on 2002-01-01. It has received 292 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Mass media.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose that the ontological complexity of reality as explained by the news media has accentuated the loss of confidence in journalism as a truth-teller, and that truth is being replaced by sincerity, as an epistemological value, in people's understanding of the news.
Abstract: In recent years, many authors have observed that something is happening to the truth, pointing out that, particularly in politics and social communication, there are signs that the idea of truth is losing consideration in media discourse. This is no minor issue: Truth, understood as the criterion for the justification of knowledge, is the essential foundation of enlightened rationality. The aim of this article, based on prior research on social communication (especially as regards journalism), is to elucidate an explanation of this phenomenon, known as ‘post-truth.’ Because it is an epistemological question, the three main variables of the problem (reality, subject and truth) have been analysed by taking into account the manner in which digital social communication is transforming our perception of reality. By way of a conclusion, we propose that (a) the ontological complexity of reality as explained by the news media has accentuated the loss of confidence in journalism as a truth-teller, and that (b) truth is being replaced by sincerity, as an epistemological value, in people’s understanding of the news. The result, using Foucault’s concept of Regime of Truth, suggests a deep change in the global framework of political, economic, social and cultural relations, of which post-truth is a symptom.
16 citations
Cites background from "The Reality of the Mass Media"
...tive nature by focusing on the social processes that construct reality, turning it into a ‘social reality,’ which, according to Niklas Luhmann (2000), is the result of communicative processes....
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...Constructivist epistemology tempered this imperative nature by focusing on the social processes that construct reality, turning it into a ‘social reality,’ which, according to Niklas Luhmann (2000), is the result of communicative processes....
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Dissertation•
01 Sep 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, a meta-model is developed to assess the legitimacy of private prisons, based on principles extrapolated from various disciplines and related to particular issues, such as philosophy, sociology, and management.
Abstract: Prison privatisation was recommended to enhance efficiency, economy and innovation as mean to tackle penal crises. Private sector involvement in the prison system was authorized in Mexico without consultation process which would have informed legislators about the wider implications of this penal policy that affect its legitimation. This research examines key questions: the multidisciplinarity of legitimacy; the extent to which legitimacy of private prisons has been examined; the need for a multidimensional evaluative method of legitimacy; and the legitimating factors to be acknowledged and essential in the prison privatisation debate. Considering that policymakers, politicians and practitioners ought to be aware of the implications of prison privatisation and that the legitimisation of this penal policy is utmost, the goal of this thesis is to develop a new methodology to assess the legitimacy of private prisons, based on principles extrapolated from various disciplines and related to particular issues. Private operation of prisons in England and Wales has provided literature that, in addition to a much wider scholarly canon, will be examined to draw lessons for the Mexican case, and to establish principles underpinning particular categories of legitimacy, related to three disciplines: Philosophy, Sociology and Management. Each of these areas is linked to the participants in this phenomenon: governments, society and corporations. The purpose of this research is to add to the debate, which should enter a new stage, since recent developments in the operation of private prisons question their legitimacy. Through the construction of a new evaluative methodology in the form of a meta-model, it contributes to theory and policy about legitimacy and prison privatisation, by providing a guideline to acknowledge the implications and factors of its legitimation, in order to evaluate, re-evaluate or reform this penal policy.
16 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: This thesis is an examination of the relationship between ICT and democracy and provides the evidence to prove the following two propositions:.
Abstract: ion strips away context and meaning and the greater the level of abstraction, the more one is moved away from the tangible reality as in the financial crash in 2008 when the linkages between derivatives and other financial products and the funds supporting them were very difficult to track down. Disintermediation represents one of the great advantages for many internet users. However, it is only when the intermediaries or ‘middlemen’ are removed that their contribution is recognised and even more so today when many are calling for mediators to oversee the material appearing on social media. Carr uses the term hypermediation to indicate the number of intermediaries in internet transactions. The overall problem with our use of ICT, however, is that the emphasis is on the means rather than the ends i.e. on the technology itself rather than on what we want it to do. This indicates a lack direction on our part; we’re unsure of where we’re going or being taken because we seem incapable of asking the right questions. To quote Luhmann “we can search in vain among the social function systems for an a priori.” Meanwhile we’re allowing ICT to take the social out of society. Most of us, at least in the developed world, are connected to the Internet. It affects various aspects of our lives, in many cases transforming them. Therefore we should ask how democratic were the decisions to bring about these transformations? This thesis is my attempt to address this issue. It comprises an examination of the relationship between ICT and democracy. More specifically, I provide the evidence to prove the following two propositions:
16 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2017
16 citations
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: Guy et al. as mentioned in this paper developed a new sociological understanding of the difference between global and local relating to the phenomena of globalization, and reinterpreted the ideas of Roland Robertson about globalization to provide support to this new understanding.
Abstract: This article develops a new sociological understanding of the difference between global and local relating to the phenomena of globalization. Globalization itself is redefined as one of society’s self-description insofar as, following Niklas Luhmann’s theory, society is conceived as a cognitive system that can only handle information (about the world, about itself) only through its own specific operation (communication), so that globalization affects society solely when the later communicates about the former. This effectively happens, it is argued, because communications about globalization convey an account of society’s current state, i.e. a description of society within society, hence fulfilling the system’s need for self-knowledge. The global value then coincides with the content of the particular self-description that globalization is, whereas the local value corresponds to the content of all other self-descriptions as seen from the previous perspective. Global and local are not spatial structures (levels, scales, places, distances, etc.), but different representations of space competing against each other in a process to determine within society the reality that society is. In the second part of the article, the ideas of Roland Robertson about globalization are reinterpreted so as to provide support to this new understanding of the difference global/local. Robertson distinguished four images of world-order which can be taken as equivalent to four self-descriptions of society. Globalization is precisely one of them. Contrasts between images of world-order as imagined by Robertson himself can thus illuminate what the global and the local have in common and how they diverge from each other. What is Global and What is Local? A Theoretical Discussion Around Globalization JEAn-SeBASTiEn GuY, PhD inTRODuCTiOn Puisque l’univers n’existe qu’autant qu’il est pense et puisqu’il n’est pense totalement que par la societe, il prend place en elle ; il devient un element de sa vie interieur, et ainsi elle est elle-meme le genre total en dehors duquel il n’existe rien.
16 citations
References
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Book•
18 Jul 2003
TL;DR: Part 1: Social Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Text Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Texts, Social Events, and Social Practices 3. Intertextuality and Assumptions Part 2: Genres and Action 4. Genres 5. Meaning Relations between Sentences and Clauses 6. Discourses 8. Representations of Social Events Part 4: Styles and Identities 9. Modality and Evaluation 11. Conclusion
Abstract: Part 1: Social Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Text Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Texts, Social Events, and Social Practices 3. Intertextuality and Assumptions Part 2: Genres and Action 4. Genres 5. Meaning Relations between Sentences and Clauses 6. Types of Exchange, Speech Functions, and Grammatical Mood Part 3: Discourses and Representations 7. Discourses 8. Representations of Social Events Part 4: Styles and Identities 9. Styles 10. Modality and Evaluation 11. Conclusion
6,407 citations
Book•
15 May 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the issues in mass communication, and propose a framework for connecting media with society through a social theory of media and society, as well as four models of communication: power and inequality, social integration and identity, social change and development, space and time, and accountability.
Abstract: PART ONE: PRELIMINARIES 1. Introduction to the Book Our object of study The structure of the book Themes and issues in mass communication Manner of treatment How to use the book Limitations of coverage and perspective Different kinds of theory Communication science and the study of mass communication Alternative traditions of analysis: structural, behavioural and cultural Conclusion 2. The Rise of Mass Media From the beginning to mass media Print media: the book Print media: the newspaper Other print media Film as a mass medium Broadcasting Recorded music The communications revolution: new media versus old Differences between media Conclusion PART TWO: THEORIES 3. Concepts and Models for Mass Communication Early perspectives on media and society The 'mass' concept The mass communication process The mass audience The mass media as an institution of society Mass culture and popular culture The rise of a dominant paradigm for theory and research An alternative, critical paradigm Four models of communication Conclusion 4. Theory of Media and Society Media, society and culture: connections and conflicts Mass communication as a society-wide process: the mediation of social relations and experience A frame of reference for connecting media with society Theme I: power and inequality Theme II: social integration and identity Theme III: social change and development Theme IV: space and time Media-society theory I: the mass society Media-society theory II: Marxism and political economy Media-society theory III: functionalism Media-society theory IV: social constructionism Media-society theory V: communication technology determinism Media-society theory VI: the information society Conclusion 5. Mass Communication and Culture Communication and culture The beginnings: the Frankfurt School and critical cultural theory The redemption of the popular Gender and the mass media Commercialization Communication technology and culture Mass media and postmodern culture Conclusion 6. New Media - New Theory? New media and mass communication What is new about the new media? The main themes of new media theory Applying medium theory to the new media New patterns of information traffic Computer-mediated community formation Political participation, new media and democracy Technologies of freedom? New equalizer or divider? Conclusion 7. Normative Theory of Media and Society Sources of normative obligation The media and the public interest Main issues for social theory of the media Early approaches to theory: the press as 'fourth estate' The 1947 Commission on Freedom of the Press and the social theory of responsibility Professionalism and media ethics Four Theories of the Press and beyond The public service broadcasting alternative Mass media, civil society and the public sphere Response to the discontents of the public sphere Alternative visions Normative media theory: four models Conclusion PART THREE: STRUCTURES 8. Media Structure and Performance: Principles and Accountability Media freedom as a principle Media equality as a principle Media diversity as a principle Truth and information quality Social order and solidarity Cultural order The meaning of accountability Two alternative models of accountability Lines and relations of accountability Frames of accountability Conclusion 9. Media Economics and Governance Media 'not just any other business' The basics of media structure and levels of analysis Some economic principles of media structure Ownership and control Competition and concentration Mass media governance The regulation of mass media: alternative models Media policy paradigm shifts Media systems and political systems Conclusion 10. Global Mass Communication Origins of globalization Driving forces: technology and money Global media structure Multinational media ownership and control Varieties of global mass media International media dependency Cultural imperialism and beyond The media transnationalization process International news flow The global trade in media culture Towards a global media culture? Global media governance Conclusion PART FOUR: ORGANIZATIONS 11. The Media Organization: Pressures and Demands Research methods and perspectives The main issues Levels of analysis The media organization in a field of social forces Relations with society Relations with pressure and interest groups Relations with owners and clients Relations with the audience Aspects of internal structure and dynamics The influence of personal characteristics of mass communicators Role conflicts and dilemmas Conclusion 12. The Production of Media Culture Media-organizational activities: gatekeeping and selection Influences on news selection The struggle over access between media and society The influence of sources on news Media-organizational activity: processing and presentation The logic of media culture Alternative models of decision-making The coming of convergence culture: consumers as producers Conclusion PART FIVE: CONTENT 13. Media Content: Issues, Concepts and Methods of Analysis Why study media content? Critical perspectives on content Structuralism and semiology Media content as information Media performance discourse Objectivity and its measurement Questions of research method Traditional content analysis Quantitative and qualitative analysis compared Conclusion 14. Media Genres and Texts Questions of genre Genre and the internet The news genre The structure of news: bias and framing News as narrative Television violence The cultural text and its meanings Conclusion PART SIX: AUDIENCES 15. Audience Theory and Research Traditions The audience concept The original audience From mass to market Goals of audience research Alternative traditions of research Audience issues of public concern Types of audience The audience as a group or public The gratifi cation set as audience The medium audience Audience as defi ned by channel or content Questions of audience reach Activity and selectivity Conclusion 16. Audience Formation and Experience The 'why' of media use A structural approach to audience formation The uses and gratifi cations approach An integrated model of audience choice Public and private spheres of media use Subculture and audience Lifestyle Gendered audiences Sociability and uses of the media Normative framing of media use Audience norms for content The view from the audience Media fandom The end of the audience? The 'escape' of the audience The future of the audience The audience concept again Conclusion PART SEVEN: EFFECTS 17. Processes and Models of Media Effects The premise of media effect The natural history of media effect research and theory: four phases Types of communicative power Levels and kinds of effects Processes of media effect: a typology Individual response and reaction: the stimulus-response model Mediating conditions of effect Source-receiver relations and effect The campaign Conclusion 18. Social-Cultural Effects A model of behavioural effect The media, violence and crime Media, children and young people Collective reaction effects Diffusion of innovation and development The social distribution of knowledge Social learning theory Socialization Social control and consciousness formation Cultivation Media and long-term social and cultural change Entertainment effects Conclusion 19. News, Public Opinion and Political Communication Learning from news News diffusion Framing effects Agenda-setting Effects on public opinion and attitudes The elaboration-likelihood model of infl uence The spiral of silence: the formation of climates of opinion Structuring reality and unwitting bias The communication of risk Political communication effects in democracies Effects on the political institution and process Media influence on event outcomes Propaganda and war Internet news effects Conclusion EPILOGUE 20. The Future of Mass Communication Origins of the mass communication idea The end of mass communication? The survival of mass communication The consequences of new media for mass communication Conclusion
2,040 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the point of journalistic production in one major news organization and shows how reporters and editors manage constraints of time, space, and market pressure under regimes of convergence news making, drawing connections between the political economy of the journalistic field, the organizational structure of multimedia firms, new communications technologies, and the qualities of content created by med...
Abstract: A paradox of contemporary sociology is that the discipline has largely abandoned the empirical study of journalistic organizations and news institutions at the moment when the media has gained visibility in political, economic, and cultural spheres; when other academic fields have embraced the study of media and society; and when leading sociological theorists have broken from the disciplinary cannon to argue that the media are key actors in modern life. This article examines the point of journalistic production in one major news organization and shows how reportersand editors manage constraints of time, space, and market pressure under regimes of convergence news making. It considers the implications of these conditions for the particular forms of intellectual and cultural labor that journalists produce, drawing connections between the political economy of the journalistic field, the organizational structure of multimedia firms, new communications technologies, and the qualities of content created by med...
273 citations
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a method to compute the probability of a given node having a negative value for a given value of 0, i.e., a node having no negative value is 0.
Abstract: Для числа ε > 0 и вещественной функции f на отрезке [a, b] обозначим через N(ε, f, [a, b]) супремум множества тех номеров n, для которых в [a, b] существует набор неналегающих отрезков [ai, bi], i = 1, . . . , n, таких, что |f(ai)− f(bi)| > ε для всех i = 1, . . . , n (sup ∅ = 0). Доказана следующая теорема: если {fj} – поточечно ограниченная последовательность вещественных функций на отрезке [a, b] такая, что n(ε) ≡ lim supj→∞N(ε, fj , [a, b]) < ∞ для любого ε > 0, то {fj} содержит подпоследовательность, которая всюду на [a, b] сходится к некоторой функции f такой, что N(ε, f, [a, b]) 6 n(ε) при любом ε > 0. Показано, что основное условие в этой теореме, связанное с верхним пределом, необходимо для равномерно сходящейся последовательности {fj} и “почти” необходимо для всюду сходящейся последовательности измеримых функций и что многие поточечные принципы выбора, обобщающие классическую теорему Хелли, вытекают из этой теоремы, а также приводятся примеры, иллюстрирующие ее точность. Библиография: 16 названий.
188 citations
TL;DR: Several recent studies document the rapid growth and success of ethnic or minority media in, for example, North America and Western Europe as mentioned in this paper, and scholars in the field tend to attribute this trend as an...
Abstract: Several recent studies document the rapid growth and success of ethnic or minority media in, for example, North America and Western Europe. Scholars in the field tend to attribute this trend as an ...
185 citations