Further research for power and the Media

Look at the following terminology for POWER AND THE MEDIA

Media Power – The ability of media institutions to influence audience beliefs, attitudes, and behavior.

Ideology – A system of values and beliefs often promoted by dominant institutions.

Hegemony – Dominant ideologies are accepted as common sense or natural (Gramsci).

Cultural Imperialism – The dominance of one culture’s media and values over another.

Gatekeeping – The process through which information is filtered for dissemination.

Agenda-Setting – The media's role in determining which issues are considered important.

Framing – How media presents and structures information to influence interpretation.

Media Convergence – The merging of previously distinct media technologies and platforms.

- Rhetoric 

- Narrative 

2. Ownership & Control

• Media Conglomerate – A large company that owns many different media outlets.

• Vertical Integration – A company controls production, distribution, and exhibition.

• Horizontal Integration – A company acquires or merges with competitors in the same industry.

• Oligopoly – A market dominated by a small number of large companies.

• Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) – Media funded by the public, meant to inform and educate (e.g., BBC).

• Commercial Media – Media driven by profit, advertising, and audience size.

• Monopoly – When a single company dominates a particular media sector.

  
  

  3. Regulation & Censorship

  • Media Regulation – Rules and standards that govern media content and distribution.

  • Censorship – The suppression or control of media content.

  • Self-Regulation – Media industries policing themselves rather than being regulated by governments.

  • Regulatory Bodies – Organizations that enforce media laws (e.g., Ofcom, FCC).

  • Freedom of the Press – The right of media to publish without government interference.

  • Moral Panic – A widespread fear, often exaggerated, about a threat to societal norms, amplified by the media (Cohen).

    
    

    4. Power + Media Audience  

    • Passive Audience – Audiences who accept media messages without question.

    • Active Audience – Audiences who interpret and respond to media in varied ways.

    • Uses and Gratifications – Theory that audiences use media to fulfill needs (e.g., entertainment, information).

    • Reception Theory – Audiences interpret texts differently depending on context and background (Hall).

    • Negotiated Reading – An interpretation partly aligned with the intended message, but with some resistance.

    • Oppositional Reading – An interpretation that completely rejects the intended message.

      
      

      
      

      6. Media Theorists to Know (Name + Idea)

      • Stuart Hall – Representation; Encoding/Decoding model.

      • Antonio Gramsci – Cultural hegemony.

      • Marshall McLuhan – "The medium is the message"; technological determinism.

        Jenkins (participatory culture

        
        

        CASE STUDIES 

        
        

         Media Ownership & Control

        Disney / The Walt Disney Company

        • Focus: Media conglomeration, horizontal & vertical integration, cultural imperialism.

        • Theory Links: Hesmondhalgh (cultural industries), Adorno & Horkheimer (culture industry).

        • Key Points:

          • Ownership of Marvel, Lucasfilm, ESPN, 20th Century Studios.

          • Cross-platform synergy & global reach.

          • Dominance in children’s content and ideological influence.

            
            

            
            

            Audiences & Power

             #BlackLivesMatter and Social Media Activism

            • Focus: Audience empowerment, alternative narratives.

            • Theory Links: Jenkins (participatory culture), Hall (oppositional readings).

            • Key Points:

              • BLM’s use of platforms like Twitter and Instagram to bypass mainstream media.

              • Power shift from institutions to grassroots movements.

              • Challenge to dominant representations of race and justice.