Sociology GCSE Mass Media

GCSE Sociology

Mass Media:

Key terms:

Agenda Setting: The ability of the media to focus public attention on partictular topics and therefore direct the public discussion and debate on these topics

Amplification of deviancy: the process whereby social reaction from the mass media and public leads to an increase in deviance by provoking more of the same behavoiur

Conglomerate: A huge coperation made from the merging of different firms

Convergence: when the tecnologies of media, telecommunications and computing come together (converge) into one product

Democracy: Government by the people

Digital Divide: a division between those who have access to new media and those who donot

Folk Devil: A group that is defined as a threat to societies values

Gatekeepers: the program controllers, editors. journalists and owners who decide what to cover and how to present it. 

Globalization: the growing interconnections between different countries, regions and people as the consumer goods and brands stretch across the globe

Identity: How we see ourselves and how others see us

Interactivity: The consumers ability to internact with a media product

Mass Media: Forms of communication that reach large audiences

Moral Panic: A media fuelled reaction over social groups, for example, "hoodies"

News Values: Media professionals values about what topics are considered "newsworthy"

Norm Referencing: The ability of the media to present some behaviour, views and groups in different lights: for example positively or negatively, this therefore shapes publiv opinion on these groups or ideas

Pluralism: An approach which argues that a range of views an opinions exist in society and this is reflected in a range of media products

Political Socialization: process cia which we aquire our political values and preferences

Power: An individuals or groups ability to get what they want despite opposition from others

Pressure Group: a group of people who try to persiade the fovernment to adopt a particular policy or to influence public opinion about an issue

Sexuality: refers to the way an individual expresses themselves and behavaves as a sexual being. This also means the persons sexual preference

Stratification: The way society is tructured and divided into a heirarchy

The Press in Britain:

• There are 3 catagories of newspaper
  • Quality Broadsheets such as The Guardian
  • Middle Market Tabloids such as The Daily Mail
  • Mass Market Tabiods or "Red Tops" such as The Sun

Broadcasting in Britain:

• There are 2 ways of funding a broastcasting company
  • The first is through a TV licience, such as the BBC
  • The second is through adverts, such as ITV 
• THERE WAS A SWITCHOVER FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL (2008-2012)
• Freeview provides channels for free

Electronic Media:

• Anyone can put things on the internet through...
  • Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter
  • Articles and online projects such as Wikipedia

Tecnological Devolpments in the media:

• Multi-channel television with high quality sound and picture
• Digital TV offeres interactivity
  • For example, viewers can push the red button to enter competitions 
  • Another example is the fact you can now text in to your favourite shows and…