Sociology Now 1 st Edition Kimmel/Aronson *This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performances or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Politics and Media 13 c h a p t e r

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Politics: Power and Authority –politics  art and science of government –governmentand authority Class, Status, and Power –authority –situational/contextual limits of authority

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Politics: Power and Authority Traditional Authority –legitimacy drawn from tradition Charismatic Authority –personal characteristics of leader Legal-Rational Authority –voicing a set of laws

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Politics: Power and Authority Power/Knowledge –Strategies used by authorities to limit our own power/knowledge Hierarchical observation Normalizing judgment Examination

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Political Systems Authoritarian Systems –Monarchy –Oligarchy –Dictatorship –Totalitarianism Democracy –participatory democracy –representative democracy –universal suffrage

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Political Systems Problems of Political Systems –Corruption Outside interests donate large sums of money Obey special interest groups instead of the people Misuse of government funds for personal gain –Bureaucracy –Class, Race, Gender, and Power Citizenship

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 The Political Systems of the United States political parties American Political Parties –two-party system Federalists Republicans Party Affiliation: The Politics of Race, Class, and Gender Class Education Race Gender

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Interest Groups –a.k.a., special interest groups, pressure groups, and lobbies –protective groups –promotional groups –political action committee (PAC) The Political Systems of the United States

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 The Political Systems of the United States

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Political Change Social Movements –further common interest –secure common goal –“outside” established institutions Revolutions –attempt to overthrow/replace existing social order –immiseration thesis –relative deprivation –coup d’état –political revolution –social revolution

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Political Change War and the Military –root causes of most wars (Wright) Political objectives “Wag the dog” rationale Perceived threats Moral objectives Absence of alternatives Terrorism

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Everyday Politics Being Political: Social Change –“personal problems are political problems” racism, sexism, and homophobia friendships across social lines social labels support/non-support of worker exploitation

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Everyday Politics Civil Society: Declining, Increasing, or Dynamic? –civil society –new forms of political activism --> civic engagement Shift to the marketplace Preference for hands-on activity Preference for supportive activity

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Everyday Politics Politics and Media: Interdependence –public opinion and media coverage –Do media shape or reflect the political scene? –Do they create or reflect the public opinion on which political decision-making is based? –In what ways do the media shape or reflect our society?

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 What Are the Mass Media? –media (plural of medium) ways of communicating with each other –mass media press, radio, television, computer Types of Mass Media –Print Media printing press – 8 th century China, 15 th century Europe newspapers and magazines

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 What Are the Mass Media? –Blogs: Online Print Journalism short for “Weblog” 39% of all Internet users read blogs

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 What Are the Mass Media? –Radio, Movies and Television average U.S. households have more television sets than people world is brought closer together –Video Games, Gambling, and Porn: Guy Media replacement of social interaction (boys) versus changing patterns of social interaction with others

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 What Are the Mass Media? –The Internet change from computer as business tool to mass medium Internet has transformed mass media and is a new form increased social isolation or new form of “community”?

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 What Are the Mass Media? Saturation and Convergence: The Sociology of Media –the average American has: 3 TVs 1.8 VCRs 3.1 radios 2.6 tape players 2.1 CD players 1.4 video game players

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Media Production and Consumption Culture Industries –culture industries –“the logic of safety” (Gitlin) –some mass media producers do have artistic vision, challenge preconceptions, stereotypes, and ideologies Multicultural Voices –mass media as tool to pass along cultural traditions –gay youth connections

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Media Production and Consumption Media Consolidation –media consolidation smaller number of companies huge conglomerates The Importance of Advertising –association with product and desirable qualities/activities –engine of media production –relationship between producers and consumers?

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Media Production and Consumption

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Media Production and Consumption Celebrities –celebrity stories sell magazines and products –mass media created celebrity

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Consuming Media, Creating Identity goals of consumption of media –Surveillance –Decision making –Aesthetics –Diversion –Identity –interpretive community

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Globalization and the Media –global village What is Media Globalization? –instant communication over vast distances –availability of cultural products Cultural Imperialism –cultural control of one country over another New Media, New Voices Politics and Media in the 21st Century

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Globalization and the Media