Media Spectacle: The Modern Weapon of Mass Consciousness
In a global networked society, media spectacles proliferate instantaneously, become virtual and viral, and in some cases become tools of socio-political transformation, while other media spectacles become mere moments of media hype and tabloidized sensationalism. In an environment of intense competition, with 24/7 TV networks, talk radio, Internet sites and blogs, and continually proliferating new media like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter, competition for attention is fierce. This often leads the corporate media leaning on sensationalised stories which they construct in the form of media spectacle in an attempt to attract maximum audiences for as much time as possible, until the next spectacle emerges(Michael J. Wolf, 1999: 28). During times of turmoil and war, media spectacle becomes an important instrument for political propaganda. Starting in the United States with Black September in 1970 and epitomised after 9/11, politicians have notoriously used spectacles of terror to promote military power and geopolitical
…show more content…
I will then go on to discuss the South African #feesmustfall campaign and the methodologies, effects as well as dangers of the use of social media by students to create a …show more content…
The media has the ability to create imagined communities - as with the french flag of support on Facebook - as well as play on people sense of national identity while speaking to a variety of global audiences. The media after all, are the mediated eyes through which we, the masses, ultimately experience the extended world. It is through that device that we ultimately shape our worldview and it is through that device that the mass consciousness is the new weapon of mass
In this article Bruce Miroff explains what a presidential spectacle is and how it relates to the government of the United States and its presidents. A spectacle is a kind of symbolic event, one in which particular details stand for broader and deeper meanings. At spectacle also presents intriguing and often dominating characters not in static poses but through actions that establish their public identities. A spectacle does not permit the audience to interrupt the action and redirect its meaning. The most distinctive characteristic of a spectacle is that the actions that constitute it are meaningful not for what they achieve but for what they signify. What is important is that they be understandable and impressive to the spectators. The mass
Media directs the thought processes of society. Daya Kishan Thussa says, “US popular culture… is steeped in Hollywood spectacles on war, battles and conflict, as evidenced by the international success of films about war, conflict, and battles between good and evil,” (p.265 reader). Hollywood –the media—portrays war as a conflict between good and evil, redefining war and conflict to be something that is black and white, with a sure winning side. The show 24, produced after 9/11, at the start of the War on Terror, represents a conflict between the good and the evil by paralleling the distrust and suspicion of the real world with the distrust and suspicion of the world in the show. By using elements such as windowing, zooming and panning into faces, dark lighting, and slow, eerie music, Season 2, Episode 1 of 24, creates an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust similar to post 9/11 United States that explains why officials tried to resolve conflicts even without all relevant information present.
Richard Grusin argues that news now “premediates”: it is a predictor or maker of future events, rather than just an outlet to tell of events that are currently happening or have already taken place (1). Events now seem to be inevitable because they are so hyped up before they even happen (Grusin 1). Grusin’s rational behind this occurrence is that it will help to avoid the devastation that comes from large events that take place such as the attacks on September 11th, 2001. By over-sensationalizing upcoming or potential conflicts - such as invading another country, drone strikes, a large shift in administrative policy, etc - the media outlets are desensitizing the public to avoid the outrage once the event actually takes place. The example Grusin gives in his interview is the Iraq War following the 9/11 attacks (Grusin 1). Even with a large base of citizens opposing the id...
Looking the historical moment we are living at, it is undeniable that the media plays a crucial role on who we are both as individuals and as a society, and how we look at the...
Kony 2012 is a prime example of how new technology is changing the effectiveness of political documentaries. Production costs are decreased because digital cameras and editing software are easily accessible. The video was released on Youtube, a streaming platform, which has changed distribution models for documentaries by enabling videos to expand their reach tenfold. Additionally, because Kony 2012 was produced by a founder of Invisible Children there was a synergy between the documentary and the activist group, which legitimized their multiplatform distribution plan and guerilla media strategies, allowing a new model of political effectiveness to take shape through the network public sphere. However, Kony has not been captured and the movement has since died down. One must ask, what is the effectiveness of this political do...
The media was an institution that had hegemonic power to create and distribute dominant meanings onto the mainstream media (Louw & Carah, 2015). Hegemonic power links directly to the ideology which aims to provide a
America is being overrun by a silent plague. No matter where you go, what you do, or who you are; you will find a horrendous fiend who victimizes every teenager and family no matter the social class! Who is this evil nemesis who preys on the living? To find the answer to this question, you may need to look no further than your purse or pocket. I am addressing, not only cellular devices, but all forms of media throughout the United States. Media, another term for mass communication, has been spreading like the plague thanks to new twenty-first century technology and outlets. Though media has existed for quite some time, it was never fully recognized as a possible conundrum until technology made indulgence in mass media nearly effortless. Many people have their own opinions on the matter, so it was only a matter of time before the topic became controversial! Though media has its advantages, teenagers who overuse and abuse the international medium maybe subjected to a significant amount of distraction, could face educational consequences, and can become a victim of cyber bullies, mobile threats, and additional technological dangers.
In extreme situations, journalists choose the angle they can find, tick the boxes to the news worthiness, but never having a stand. According to Kempf, journalists fulfill certain criteria of newsworthiness and fake empirical evidence, which implements propaganda and in the journalists’ defense “that it did not matter the pictures were faked since they only showed what people already ‘knew’ and since they served the goal of opening the eyes of the public” (Kempf 2002, p. 60). Various examples from the War on Terror, where journalists and reporters would fake evidence just to gain more audiences but examples like this could elevate the issues, and it is as if this responsibility of Journalism of Attachment only adds fuel to the fire and this is done in the name of peace (Kempf 2002).
Lowrey, W. (2004). Media Dependency During a Large-Scale Social Disruption: The Case of September 11. Mass Communication & Society, 7, 3, 339-357.
In fact, most media content are no longer merely artistic and informational – they are meant to engage the masses thus to exert profound influence not only on individual development but also on social advancement. No one can deny that in the contemporary world, media, composed of dynamic and various platforms, is widely perceived to be the predominant means of communication. Noticeably, the term media is first used with the advent of newspaper and magazines; yet with the passage of time, the term is broadened by the inventions of radio, television, video and internet, which are all adapted as forms of media that bring the world closer to us. Indeed, media depends on its wild audience coverage, active public engagement and open, two-way communication to create a highly interactive platform through which “humanity, fully connected, collaboratively build and share a global world”(McLuhan 160).Without doubt, media presents a strong impact upon individual and society in the proc...
Nowadays the media have transformed its main mission of reporting news that actually happened in an accurate and objective way into covering stirring and controversial issues as news stories due to capitalistic motives. Moreover, today’s media took the motto “If it bleeds it leads” as a criteria to report any story. The aim of following this motto was to achieve high viewership rates and as a result gain more advertisers which will ultimately increase the profits. However, this motto changed the media from reporting facts into reporting sensational-fearful news. Thus, this paper will demonstrate the effects of sensational news, and how the media plays on the cultivation theory using sensationalism to increase viewers.
Media is used by dominant powers to spread their ideological beliefs and to help maintain social control. Althusser (1971) explains that, as an ideological state apparatus, media doesn’t use pressure as a way to bind society together under one dominant ideology, but instead uses the will of the people to make them accept the dominant ideology. However, media is also used as a way for people to challenge the dominant ideology. Newspapers, for example, will have articles that openly criticise and oppose the dominant ideology for what it is, whilst at the same time providing perspectives and opinions on different ideologies (such as feminism) that society can believe in. Although these alternate ideological perspectives exist, they are usually overlooked and only ever reach small audiences. Ideology can also help us understand the media because of the way in which it distributes ideology. A lot of different types of media, such as film and TV; reflect different ideologies, though we are not always aware that they are doing so. An example of this would be action/adventure films, which shows that using force or violence to solve problems is acceptable and reflects upon certain ideologies. This helps us to understand the media because the ideology that is reflected in these films is capable of reaching big audiences through the use of TV and film, thus allowing for it to become a more common belief within
The mass media has played a key role in shaping people’s lives. The modern society’s use of mass media including TV, radio, newspaper, as well as print media has largely influenced people’s ideas regarding themselves and the society at large. This is evident from their behavior towards themselves and their community as well as their treatment of the environment. While some experts believe that the media is to blame for most of the negative behavioral traits among the active members of society, the majority agree that the media makes people understand and develop a positive sense of association with their society within which they live, making it easy for them to identify and get their role in it.
Hence, the power of media has touched its apex in today’s age. Its societal, political and economic functions reflect its unparallel capacity to affect the human life in all spheres.
To sum it up, in my opinion mass media in process of globalization has definitely got a lot of positive and negative aspects, but however the advantages are way more and therefore there is a remarkable progress in development in all-economic, social, political, cultural and traditional aspects. Moreover it is grateful to say that the world as a global village has come to stay and mass media have played special role in this.