MEDIA, POWER, & CULTUREJMC 20001Spring 2012

AN OVERVIEW

First Amendment MPC

Media Power Culture

THE FIRST AMENDMENTCongress shall make no law respecting:

an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to

assemble, and to petition the Government for a

redress of grievances.

CULTURE

The symbols we use to give order to our lives and to express our values

EFFECTS OF CULTURE Liberating

Provides us with useful guidelines for behavior Can help us make meaningful decisions about right

and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, good and bad, attractive and unattractive, etc.

Limiting Unwilling or unable to move past patterned, repetitive

ways of thinking, feeling or acting

CULTURAL SYMBOLS

• Fashion• Music• Sports• Architectur

e• Religion• Media• Customs• Etc.

MEDIA

the vehicles that produce and deliver many of those cultural expressions to large, distant audiences

MEDIA Books Newspaper

s Magazines Radio Recordings Movies TV Internet

POWER The power the media have The powers that shape media decisions The power of the audience (us)

POWER THE MEDIA HAVE Shape our values and opinions Influence what we think about Influence how we spend our time

POWERS THAT SHAPE MEDIA DECISIONS Profit Concentration of Ownership Technology

POWER THE AUDIENCE HAS Don’t read, buy, watch, listen Educate ourselves about how media

work Think critically about media messages Be an activist Spread opinions Reach our own mass audiences

GOAL To obtain media literacy by

understanding:• message form• difference between message and messenger• the motivation for a message• the limitations of the media• the traditions of the media• popular myths about the media