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Mass Communication and Media Literacy
Tiffin University
Joshua Batanian
February 28, 2013
Online Cohort 11FB BBA
COM-241 Intro to Mass Communications
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There are many changes that I would like to see with media today. It is becoming
increasingly harder for the public-at-large to determine truth from fiction, news from opinion,
and sometimes fantasy from reality. Biases are also disrupting the messages media outlets are
sending and it poses many issues for society. By highlighting on the popular stories, hyped up by
buzz and other complex public relations maneuvers, media providers have much more control
than many realize and something has got to give. When media converges with media, new ways
to disseminate information alter the way the public-at-large receive information, making it vital
for the public to be made aware of the effects the changes in the media have on principles,
expectations, and ethical boundaries.
Media is changing the way society receives news. Television is still a popular way to
receive the news. There are many different stations that broadcast the news on a local, national,
or global level. Each news station chooses the stories that will be aired and at what times. This is
called gatekeeping. According to Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport (2013), gatekeepers “[c]an
squelch new ideas and suppress the news of events that other might find important.” (p.47). With
the amount of competition in the media, it is difficult for one gatekeeper to have a major impact
because gatekeepers from other media companies may find something deemed unimportant by
one newsworthy.
There are many ways to receive the news besides on television; online, Facebook,
Twitter, mobile applications. Having multiple ways to access the news can be extremely
beneficial for those with busy schedules, but everything comes at a price. The internet has
allowed news-seekers to easily access anything from classifieds to weather. The user-friendly
websites and mobile applications are attractive features because they allow users to pick and
choose what news they want to see. When a user logs onto the application or website for a new
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or media companies, there is a main page that will usually have a search bar, functional links,
headlines and advertisements. Everything is carefully placed on the screen in order to influence
the user experience. This is known as framing and media experts according to Straubhaar,
LaRose, & Davenport (2013) “[d]ecide which tone, words, and facts to include, but also the
conceptual framework, concept, and interpretation of the facts.” (p.49). Framing gives great
power to media to affect how people think about specific topics.
There should be stricter guidelines that require media to inform the public what is fact,
fiction, and opinion. I understand this can be difficult because as new technology is created, new
platforms for media are arising as well. New platforms will always give media experts an
advantage to find new ways to influence the public. News is supposed to be informative, not
persuasive. There are often news stories that are persuasive to viewers. One network may have a
view that differs from another network, but the news should be consistent. Media literacy is
defined by Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport (2013) as “[l]earning to think critically about the
role of media in society.” (p.39). There should be more governmental support for educating
people on media literacy due to the impact media has on society.
Information can be obtained by a simple Google search. Instantly, results come up from a
number of sources. Determining the validity of sources can be difficult at times, especially in
instances where some truth is embedded within many untruths. Wikipedia is an example of an
easily altered web database of information. Millions of people add, delete, and alter information
based on their areas of expertise or interest. While some may be highly educated and qualified to
inform on certain subjects, there is no requirement, which allows anyone to alter information. I
have found that the information on Wikipedia should never be trusted for this reason. Even if I
were to cite something that I retrieved off the website, there is no guarantee the information will
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not be altered afterwards, or if the information hadn’t been already. I happen to have had an
education that taught media literacy so that I could protect myself from receiving false
information and thinking it is truthful. If there were stricter guidelines on what could be passed
off as truthful information, it would help to make sure people were receiving the information
they requested. In my opinion, there should not be resources available online that are not backed
by truth. Citations are used for credibility, meaning credit is given to the author or creator and
credibility about where the information came from is also supplied.
I would recommend more public protection when it comes to information sharing online.
Media evolves as rapidly as technological advancements. The government must be equally rapid
in protecting the public from potential harm that media can cause. Media outlets such as social
media and internet forums make it very easy to willingly share information, but what information
is being shared that the general public is not aware of? The social media websites like Facebook
attract millions of people with the power to connect, communicate, and share easily on a global
scale. What many do not know is that private information is being stored, tracked, and
disseminated by companies like Facebook. Every time a user logs on, updates personal
information, or shares a picture with a friend it is being recorded. All this information can be
used by media experts to track trends, better enabling them to calculate ways to persuade
consumers. Facebook has even been involved in a lawsuit for improperly using information
obtained from users. ABC news writer Ducey (2013) stated “The class action claims Facebook
unlawfully used names, profile pictures, photographs, likenesses and identities to advertise or
sell products and services without obtaining permission”. (n.pag.).
Many companies, including media companies are owned by larger parent companies.
Parent companies typically acquire smaller companies to add to the value chain. There are
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different strategies and reasons for acquiring other companies, even if they completely differ
from the parent company altogether. News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch used strategies such as
horizontal and vertical integration to build an empire. Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport (2013)
stated “Conglomerates are big businesses or corporations that own seemingly unrelated holding.
They are made up of diverse parts from across several media industries.” (p.198). Some
examples of conglomerates include Buena Vista (Disney) and TriStar (Sony). When adding to
value chain, conglomerates try to bring value by dominated more than one market. If Disney is
making films, television and broadcasting news their value goes way up because now the
company has the opportunity to reach out to many different demographics.
Part of the value chain for Disney includes ABC news, Good Morning America, the
History channel, and Buna vista. Having a value chain gives corporations a chance to reach
many different kinds of demographics. Some people that watch the History channel may not
watch Good Morning America, but they may watch the local ABC news which is owned by the
same company. There is a wider reach for the company if different kinds of companies are added
to the chain. Having a variety attracts different kinds of interested consumers. The greater the
reach, the more people can be manipulated by the media.
There are many potential problems that can come out of having a dominating interest in
the media. Persuading people into thinking a certain way can have effects on the entire economy.
Politically, the media has a major impact on elections. If executives in a conglomerate company
have specific views on issues, they may translate into the media in many ways. Promoting one
issue over another is one way that media affects political issues. If one issue is of importance to a
company it may be highlighted in news stories from companies within the same chain, advertised
on cable television, or even through the plot of the next cinema movie. If one local news station
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is supporting an issue by giving it some airtime, it may not have a major impact depending on
the amount of people viewing the news. If there are several news stations running stories on the
issues that matter to a parent company, every owned network advertises on their stations, and
major blockbuster movies are advertising issues through careful scripting, dialogue, plot, etc., it
will have much more of an imprint on society than one local news station. There must be a way
to control the media from monopolization over society.
It is important to understand how media affects society because we are allowing media to
determine everything from what is news to what is popular. Movie stars are often idolized. Many
people determine what is hot or a fad based on what celebrities are doing or wearing. The media
plays an important role here as well. The media highlights celebrities by talking about them and
having them interviewed on television shows and news shows. Messages are being sent to
consumers not just by the movie stars or celebrities, but the conglomerate companies as well.
Having a super-star who supports a cause on a popular show can increase the following of the
company by using the celebrity status to bring even more attention. Not only do celebrities carry
their own following of consumers, they can create a lot of attention from others as well due to
their popularity. I believe that if there was less focus on domination of the media market and
more on company specific goals society would be less blinded by the media.
I would like many things in the media to be changed. We live in an information age, but
the media has made it much more difficult for consumers to determine what information is good
information. Facts and fiction come together, public opinion is becoming corporate opinion, and
the lines of reality are blurred. There are biases inserted into media that can be difficult to
determine with conglomerate companies dominating the market. Imposing stricter guidelines for
labeling fact from fiction, news from opinion, citing sources and better informing and educating
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consumers on media literacy will help to keep the media from placing rose colored glasses over
all of society. When media converges with media, new ways to disseminate information alter the
way the public-at-large receive information, making it vital for the public to be made aware of
the effects the changes in the media have on principles, expectations, and ethical boundaries.
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References
Ducey, ABC15. 2013. Facebook settlement emails: are the Facebook class-action lawsuit
settlement emails a scam? Retrieved from:
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/science_tech/facebook-settlement-emails-arethe-facebook-class-action-lawsuit-settlement-emails-a-scam
Straubhaar,J., LaRose,R., & Davenport, L. 2013. Media now: Understanding media, culture, and
technology.7ed.Wadsorth, Cengage Learning. Boston, MA.