OVERVIEW

Beginning of the 15th century, inventors in Korea first

created the cast metal type that made printing possible.
In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg made printing more practicable
Converted a winepress into the first printing press with movable type.
Cast metal type

Gutenberg’s printing press

LIMITATIONS OF PRINT MEDIA:

For several centuries, print media (books, newspapers, pamphlets) were the only
means for reaching a wide audience from a distance.
•The need for physical distribution limited print media products.
•News traveled only as fast and as far as a horse, train or ship could carry it
•It took 4 to 8 weeks for information to travel from Europe to the USA.
•The only way to communicate across such distances was for messages to travel
physically between the 2 locations.
DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION

- 1840: invention of the telegraph.

•Near instant communication over long distances that were physically wired together,
•But telegraph did not reach a large audience (expensive)
•It did speed up the dissemination of information
•Reporters could send news stories instantly over a long distance to newspapers that
would then print and distribute the story locally.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA SOCIOLOGY

The invention of telephone in 1876 opened the way for more widely accessible
personal long-distance communication as well as facilitating the work of reporters

19th century: Improvement of transportation technology (trains and boats)

It still took several days for news to travel from one city to the next.
SOUND RECORDING

1877:Thomas Edison developed the phonograph

In 1887 phonograph records
Other forms of sound recording:
1920s magnetic tape
Cassettes in the 1960s
1980s CDs (digital sound recording)
Dominant recording format
Late 1990s, digital file formats, MP3
Music to be more speedily distributed via the internet and stored on mobile MP3
players (IPod)
FILM

- 1895,Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinematograph

•Led to “moving pictures”
•the need to assemble a viewing audience in a particular location limited the reach of this
new medium
•But movies were very popular
•1928 the first “talking picture”
•1970s videocassette recorders (VCRs)
• allowed people to purchase or rent movies to watch in their own homes.
• They also enabled to record television broadcasts and to film their own home videos.
EARLIER DIGITAL ERA

- 1997s digital video disk (DVD) Shift of film to digital format.

- 2000 digital cameras and related software made it relatively easy for the general
public to record and edit their own movies.
- Websites such as YouTube provided accessible spaces for the upload of these
amateur films
- Commercial films were increasingly available via online streaming options (Netflix)
BROADCAST MEDIA

-Mid 19th early 20th century: Radio: first broadcast medium

-No longer did media producers have to physically distribute their products
(newsstands, bookstore, movie theaters)
-Nor did the public had to travel physically to these locations to have access to mass
media.
- Communicators could use the airwaves to transmit a media product directly to
anyone who owned a radio receiver.

- Communicators could now cast media messages broadly.

TELEVISION

- 1940s first TV sets

- Medium with images
- 1998 the first digital television broadcasting
THE DEVELOPMENT OF BROADCASTING ALTERED PATTERNS OF MEDIA CONSUMPTION

Before broadcast media, consuming media or other forms of entertainment

were often social activities, such as attending movies or going to concerts.
Today, a possibility of a largely privatized and individualized media experiences (in
your home).
These public activities have been supplemented by TV, video, and DVD rentals, and
recorded music, which people usually experience in the privacy of their own
homes
EVOLUTION OF MEDIA

Traditional media forms have changed.

Before, there were books, newspapers, over the air radio, films in
theater and broadcast, cable and satellite, TV,
They were all separate media.
Now media can be in digital format and they all start to merge.
Books, newspapers, over the air radio, films in theater and broadcast,
cable and satellite, TV, all continue to exist.
DIGITAL ERA AND AFTER/?

However, these once separate media can now all be delivered in

digital form over the Internet.
Sometimes the boundaries between these mediums are blurred
Journalists now routinely produce content for their newspapers, then add a video and
audio and written features in their newspaper’s website.
The digital revolution has also transformed the delivery of media content
A newspaper story, television program, or musical recording can be delivered via:
the Internet to desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and other devices.
This too has blurred the distinction between once-separate forms of media.
Digitization, computers and the Internet have also enabled greater interactivity
between media users and media content.
In some cases, this allows users to:
-make more choices,
-provide responses,
-customize media products and delivery options and even produce and share their
own media content.
Changes in technology do not determine the evolution of media.
Technology is only one of a number of interacting factors that shape the
development and uses of media
MEDIA + SOCIOLOGY = MEDIA SOCIOLOGY

Mass media consists of the various means by which information is communicated to

reach a large number of people, through various mediums.
Sociologists in the field of media are interested in studying mass media to see how
it shapes people's values, beliefs, perceptions, and behavior.
A common understanding of Media sociology as the study of media influence on
various aspects of an individual life as well as it’s influence on society at large.
IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA SOCIOLOGY

Mass Media is a significant force in modern culture, particularly in America.

Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and creates
the culture.
The moods and attitudes of our society are influenced by messages delivered
through mass media channels.
These messages promote not only products, but:
a sense of what is and is not important. ( Agenda Setting Theory)
Mass media and advertising affect our actions, thoughts, and values ( Branding)
Mass media makes possible the concept of celebrity: without the ability of movies,
magazines, and news media to reach across thousands of miles, people could
not become famous.
In fact, only political and business leaders, as well as the few notorious outlaws,
were famous in the past.
It is only in recent times have actors, singers, and other social elites become
celebrities or “stars.”
DISCUSSION : TELEVISION AND SOCIETY

Today, one can find a television in the poorest of homes, and multiple TVs in most
middle‐class homes.
Not only has availability increased, but programming is increasingly diverse with
shows aimed to please all ages, incomes, backgrounds, and attitudes.
This widespread availability and exposure makes television one of the primary
focus of most mass‐media discussions until the evolution of Social Media that
has literally overtaken that role.
Television has the potential to generate both positive and negative effects, and
many studies have looked at the impact of television on society, particularly on
children and adolescents.
An individual child’s developmental level is a critical factor in determining
whether the medium will have positive or negative effects. Not all television
programs are bad, but data showing the negative effects of exposure to violence,
inappropriate sexuality and offensive language are convincing
TV AND LEARNING
Television viewing frequently limits children’s time for vital activities such as
playing, reading, learning to talk, spending time with peers and family, storytelling,
participating in regular exercise, and developing other necessary physical, mental
and social skills.
Still, television can be a powerful teacher . Watching ’Sesame Street’ is an
example of how toddlers can learn valuable lessons about racial harmony,
cooperation, kindness, simple arithmetic and the alphabet through an
educational television format
Example: https://youtu.be/783EsrHchXA
TV VIOLENCE
More than 1000 studies confirm that exposure to heavy doses of television violence
increases aggressive behaviour, particularly in boys
Other studies link television or newspaper publicity of suicides to an increased suicide
risk
The following groups of children may be more vulnerable to violence on television:
• children from minority and immigrant groups;
• emotionally disturbed children;
• children with learning disabilities;
• children who are abused by their parents; and
• children in families in distress
Since television takes time away from play and exercise activities, children who watch
a lot of television are less physically fit and more likely to eat high fat and high
energy snack foods.
Television viewing makes a substantial contribution to obesity because prime time
commercials promote unhealthy dietary practices
Commercials for healthy food make up only 4% of the food advertisements shown
during children’s viewing time
Television can also contribute to eating disorders in teenage girls, who may emulate
the thin role models seen on television
MUSIC VIDEOS
Music videos may have a significant behavioral impact by desensitizing viewers to
violence and making teenagers more likely to approve of premarital sex .
Up to 75% of videos contain sexually explicit material, and more than half contain
violence that is often committed against women.
Women are portrayed frequently in a condescending manner that affects children’s
attitudes about sex roles.
Music lyrics have become increasingly explicit, particularly with references to sex,
drugs and violence.
ASSIGNMENT #1
*** Select a specific Media Content ( a music video , a cartoon, a program,
etc….and write an brief analysis discussing the following elements :
- Main Theme or idea of the program/ media content
- Target audience
- Gender portrayals ( how males and females are portrayed in this content)
- Negative and Positive viewing impact
- Submit a sample of this media content next week in an open class discussion