(Desai, 2011)
The conflict perspective is founded mostly on the works of Karl Marx. He believed that the distinctions between the classes and conflicts of interest created issues. This theory promulgates that society is ruled by a certain number of dominant groups and classes. It is argued that society is not truly unanimous in its value system, as debated by the functionalist mindset. The conflict view point states that this "consensus" is artificial and the "values" have been enforced upon society by the influential entities that operate in it. It questions the very foundation upon which society is built and wonders who truly is benefitting within society.
The channels of communication are usually owned by the wealthy or those that can be classified as "dominant and influential parties. Media can be used to build disagreements between variant factions residing in the community. Under this theory, it may target certain age brackets into purchasing certain kinds of products that will appeal to their self-esteem and ego. ." It chooses to direct the content of the broadcasts, programs and other media related tools as they wish. By doing so, they are only serving their own personal interests instead of the welfare of society. It disagrees with the functionalist perspective that states that each element operates within its boundaries.
No matter what the media outlet asserts in its public disclosure statements, there is always an angle, a point-of-view, and a position behind choices of stories and information. In the view of Duggan and Martinelli, the media slant with regard to political elections is created by editors who hire talent, assign stories (and sometimes kill stories that do not fit with their slant) and decide where that story should be placed. This theory holds that most viewers already know the particular slant of the media outlet. For example, a businessman reading the Wall Street Journal knows that Rupert Murdoch owns it and hence that reader knows it has a conservative slant. On the other hand, a businessman reading the New York Times knows it will have a progressive slant. That having been said, the salient point of this theory is that in a two-candidate election, the media that favors the "front-runner" will present stories that are "unlikely to deliver a surprise" while media favoring the underdog will "gamble for resurrection" (Duggan, 2011, p. 640). Balanced media, showing both candidates with equal objectivity, may be "worse for voters than partisan media" because the implication in this theory is that voters need a slant to firm up their beliefs. (Martinelli J. a., 2011)
Progressive media outlets contrast dramatically...
Goad (1997) notes the use of stereotypes helps reduce uncertainties one may have with their own status or relationships in society. He goes on to suggest people use the term "redneck" to reduce their anxiety and insecurities they may have about their own ability or socio-economic status, or their concerns about the welfare of their own ethnicity in an environment where they may feel outnumbered (Goad, 1997). To resolve
In creating a brand it is impossible for Pr campaigns to lie. People however tend to divide PR in good and bad. A PR campaign trying to convince people to wear the seatbelt fastened while driving is considered good, a PR campaign trying to discredit a political candidate's opponents is considered bad. If the former case is pretty clear, the latter one makes s wonder where the border between
He is concerned that as the social sciences increasingly becomes more quantified, they loffer less understanding into the concepts behind symbols. This is especially of concern, since symbols have played such an important role throughout history. Duncan gives examples of symbol misunderstandings such as: confusion of the symbolic and subjective, failure to study symbolic forms, and sociologists' inability to use non-mechanistic models. Even worse, there is no agreement between
Depression and Internet Usage Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being? With the advent of the World Wide Web, a network of computers previously relegated to the world of science, engineering, and business opened to U.S. And international households. By 1998, approximately 40% of all households owned at least one computer and one third of these homes had access to the Internet. Many sociologists, communication theorists, technologists, and
Scientology Introducing a New Religious Movement, one must be as objective as possible. I, for instance, could choose to tell you that L. Ron Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology in 1954 and marketed it as an organization for social reform that essentially became the global force it is today, with (young, professional, stylish, racially-diverse) adherents providing positive sound bites on Scientology.org that promote (in naturalistic, community-oriented settings) the religion as
They predict age and gender variations relate to bullying concerns. Of the 25 cartoons implemented in the study, two depict characters with different shades of skin color where skin color appeared to be an issue. One cartoon relating to sexual orientation was not used in several countries. Smith et al. report Olweus to assert bullying to be characterized by the following three criteria: 1. It is aggressive behavior or intentional
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