Sociology of Mass Communication

Abstract

Mass communication has always been an object of interdisciplinary study, butit is currently gaining a greater degree of autonomy. The paradigm that is emerging has probably been more influenced by sociology than by any other discipline. This review deals with literature, mainly published during the last five years, chosen according to the significance or representativeness of the main themes. Among thesc is media theory, where the field has proved very sensitive to wider debates within the social sciences, especially those provoked by the advocacy of more critical theory and research and by attacks on positivism. The cultural studies approach has gained ground, and there has been more interchange between humanistic and scientific approaches. The question of media power has remained very much at the center of debate. The critical-cultural developments mentioned have made some contribution to a reconceptualization of the problem and to the adoption of new research strategies that pay more attention to long-term, institutional effects of media.The range of social issues associated with the study of mass communication has widened, with special attention given to questions of women in society, international communication, and the social consequences of new information technology.

Celebrity Firms: The Social Construction Of Market Popularity

“…We have argued that celebrity provides a firm with a valuable intangible asset, which is distinct from other intangible assets based on stakeholder perceptions, by creating stakeholder attention and excitement. Our model is rooted in theoretical and empirical work on the sociology of mass communications, in which scholars have examined the complex roles of the media (Gans, 1979;McQuail, 1985;Peterson, 1976Peterson, , 1979. By focusing on the media as producers of cultural products, our model departs from the predominant perspective adopted in organizational research that the media are a relatively objective and authoritative source of information about firms (Deephouse, 2000;Elsbach, 1994;Lamertz & Baum, 1998;Pollock & Rindova, 2003).…”

“…Finally, our model also stresses that media accounts are cultural products designed to retain and expand the size of the audience for these products. Whereas the idea that the media are engaged in cultural production is well established in the sociology of mass media (see McQuail, 1985, for a review), few organizational theories and models have considered this perspective or have developed its implications for firms and markets. Our model provides one example of how viewing the media as producers of culture enables scholars to explore the interplay between factual content and fictional structure, and between objective reality and constructed reality in media accounts of firms.…”

Hacia una antropología digital en los Andes peruanos: teorías y estudios

“…Esta perspectiva se enfocó en estudiar a los medios ya no como si fueran divinidades autoritarias omnipotentes, sino, más bien, como campos de interlocución de tribus mediáticas segmentadas, prosumidoras, negociantes y globalizadas (McQuail, 1972;Hall, 1973;Maffesoli, 1988;Jenkins, 1992;Thompson, 1995;Morley, 1996). Por lo tanto, el enfoque de estudio ya no se centraba en la producción, sino en los consumidores como individuos que resisten activamente los intentos de manipulación mediática, negociando u oponiéndose a los contenidos hegemónicos.…”

De invloed van partners op elkaars mediagebruik: Een tijdbestedinganalyse van huishoudens /Partners' influence on each other's media use: An analysis of time use in households

“…Jaren geleden al wees Denis McQuail (1969) erop dat mediagebruik voor moderne westerse samenlevingen een veel 'normaler' fenomeen is dan bijvoorbeeld het uitoefenen van een beroep en de deelname aan het arbeidsproces. Vrijwel iedereen maakt immers nagenoeg continu gebruik van de media, hun boodschappen en diensten (Huysmans et al, 2004), terwijl maar een fractie van de populatie -en dan ook maar voor een bepaalde fase in het leven -ook een beroep uitoefent en zodoende aan het arbeidsproces deelneemt.…”