Quick think! How do these pictures link with Mass Media?
Which keywords can you link?
How have technological
developments changed the
way we are manipulated by
the media?
What is mass media & how
has it changed?
Mass
Media
How do politicians
manipulate the media?
How does the mass media
secondary socialise us?
How do the media
gatekeepers control what
information we receive?
Session 1 – Mass Media & Technological change
Key concepts revised today
 Define mass media and give examples
 Describe the relationship between the mass media and
its audience and explain how this may be affected by
new technologies
Starter: Explain what sociologists mean by the term new
media. (4 marks)
What have been the main
changes to the mass media
in the last 30 years?
Key terms: traditional media, new
media, technological developments,
digital broadcasting, interactivity,
convergence,
Changing patterns of consumption
Have the following gone up or down?
•
•
•
•
Newspaper readership?
Household internet access?
Digital TV usage?
Radio listening?
What are some of the criticisms of
these technological changes?
• Hyperreality
• Information overload
• Alienation
Exam Questions
• Identify two reasons why people might watch
television. (2 marks)
• Identify two types of digital media (2 marks)
• Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of
the growth in mobile phone use amongst young
people (2 marks)
• Explain what sociologists mean by the term ‘new
media’ (4 marks)
Session 2 – Mass Media as an agent of socialisation
Key concepts revised today
 Explain how the mass media is an agent of socialisation and how
this affects people's political views and social identities
 Awareness of social debates e.g. whether media encourages
violence
Quick think
What is the difference between the three phrases:
• Agency of socialisation
• Agency of social change
• Agency of social control
Extension: Which terms apply to Mass Media?
How do we receive information from the mass
media?
Hypodermic syringe approach – we receive
daily injections of information, which has a
powerful effect on what we think and how we
think. (Marxist)
Uses & Gratifications approach – people get uses or
benefits from the media e.g. information,
entertainment, escape from reality (hyperreality etc)
(Functionalist)
Decoding approach – the audience actively decodes the message from TV programmes i.e.
inteprets or makes sense of it. Programmes might
mean different things for different people depending
on their age, gender, social class or ethnicity.
In what ways is the Mass Media responsible
for …
• Gender socialisation?
– i.e. how different genders should act
• Identity?
– i.e. who we are, what we believe in, our aspirations
• Political socialisation?
– How we feel about the government, our political views
• Labelling/stereotyping?
• Folk devils/moral panic?
Task: Read pp. 66-67 of the Revision guide and complete the
gap fill task
Ext: Read pp.68-69
Discuss how far sociologists would agree
that the media encourages violence (12
marks)
TV shows, computer games, deviancy amplification,
hypodermic syringe approach, passive consumers,
agent of socialisation…
Decoding approach, uses & gratifications approach,
active consumers…
Other agents of socialisation e.g. secondary
socialisation from peers…
Exam Questions - Socialisation
• Describe one way in which the mass media stereotype males
and explain why some sociologists might argue that this is a
problem (5 marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media
represent gender roles in ways that reflect the reality in modern
Britain (12 marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that media
representations of women are still largely stereotypical (12
marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media
are the most important agent of socialisation in shaping our
identity (12 marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that a person’s
behaviour is directly affected by what they see or hear in the
media (12 marks)
Session 3 – Mass Media, Power & Control
Key concepts revised today
 Describe the power of individuals and organisations who own or control
the media e.g, agenda setting, creating positive/negative images of
particular groups organisations, eg environmentalists, animal rights
activists and lone parents (folk devils)
 Explain how the media can be responsible for stereotyping and labelling
Quick think: Who is
Rupert Murdoch and
how does he link to
Mass Media?
Who controls what information we receive?
Pluralist approach – there are a range of different
newspapers and tv channels owned by different
people and each showing a range of different
views. We (the consumer) influence what
information we receive by choosing which
newspaper to buy/tv channel to watch. We call this
market power.
Conflict approach – Press owners (gatekeepers)
are in a strong position to put their own political
views across and those that support their economic
interests (e.g. favour those who donate money).
The press is now mainly owned by multimedia
conglomerates i.e. huge international companies
with lots of different types of media such as tv,
newspapers etc.
Agenda setting – the news media have the power to ‘set the
agenda’ i.e. focus on some issues but ignore others.
1)
2)
Would this correspond with the conflict approach or pluralist approach?
What would be an argument against agenda setting?
Norm referencing – the news media can influence the way we
think of different types of people by presenting them in a
positive or negative image. It also has the power to create
folk devils.
1)
Can you think of a subculture within society that has been presented in a
negative image recently?
Hegemony – A marxist theory stating that our mass culture (i.e.
the culture of society) has been manipulated by the ruling
classes & the gatekeepers to reflect what they want society to
be.
Exam Questions – Manipulation & Power
• Describe one way in which the mass media can present a negative image of
groups such as animal rights protesters and explain how this can be a
problem in a democratic society (5 marks)
• Explain what sociologists mean by political socialisation when studying the
effects of the mass media on political opinion (4 marks)
• Describe one process through which editors and journalists can influence
what appears in the news and explain why this might lead to bias when
covering an event. (5 marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the mass media are the most
important agent of socialisation in shaping people’s political opinions (12
marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the political views presented
by the mass media are those of the rich and powerful in society.
How has technological change affected
our relationship with the mass media?
1) Are we now more active or passive?
2) In what ways have technological changes made it
easier for politicians/gatekeepers to manipulate
what we think?
3) In what ways have technological changes made it
harder for politicians/gatekeepers to manipulate
what we think?
Exam Questions – Political participation
• Describe one way in which individuals or groups could
use the internet in order to participate in the political
process and explain how this might give them power. (5
marks)
• Describe one way in which the mass media cold have a
negative effect on turnout in a general election and
explain why this could be a problem in a democratic
society. (5 marks)
• Describe one way in which digital media have given
more power to ordinary people and explain why this may
cause problems for governments (5 marks)
• Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the rapid
growth of the internet and other digital media has
increased freedom of speech in our society (12 marks)
Task: Complete these questions using pp64-67 to help you