Category: Media

Legal definition of the Crime

Domestic Violence is defined by the (Family Law Act 1975) as ‘violent, threatening or other behavior by a person that coerces or controls a member of the persons family or causes the family member to be fearful’ (AMA, 1998). “…any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty” (United Nations, 1993).

Statistics on Family Domestic Violence

A national survey (ABS, 2017) showed that one in six women and one in seventeen men have experienced sexual or physical assault from a current or former partner. Around two thirds of the households where domestic violence are occurring have children living with them. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Personal Safety Survey (ABS, 2013) found that 21 per cent of women living outside capital cities had experienced violence from an intimate partner since age 15 years, versus 15 per cent of women living in a capital city. (The Australian Longitudinal Survey on Women’s Health, 2014) found that more women aged 18-23 years living in rural, regional and remote areas (15-16 per cent) had experienced partner violence than women living in capital cities (12 per cent)

Thesis Statement

This media analysis will exhibit the trouble of home violence is a complicated one, plenty more complex that the term may convey. Indeed, domestic violence is complex in terms of its very definition, complicated in phrases of gender and complicated in terms of interventions to envision and deal with its occurrence. It will also explore the impact and importance the media has reportage and broadcasting of Family Domestic Violence whether it be newspaper articles, news reports via television or on broadcasting stations and networks. Sensationalism in media can also be defined by the volume of passionate responses from the public. There are also many news stories of domestic violence that aren’t reported on, for whatever reason, due to lack of sources or just lack of interest, bury our heads in the sand mentality. Media in Australia have the potential to be more precise in reflecting the reality of family violence and in turn, ease the communities concern as to how is it reported. Points to be covered on this topic include Family Violence, the role the media have on reporting these incidents and the impact it has on the community and how it affects the public on a whole. Professor Jenny Morgan of Melbourne University (Vic Health p. 1) states there is little doubt that media coverage matters. Women are more likely than men to experience domestic violence and family violence and be injured as a result. (Webster, K., 2016).

Content Analysis from three sources, ABC News, The Guardian and The Age for 9News on Domestic Violence.

This content analysis will be looking at the devastating effects Domestic Violence has on the victims, extended families and the wider community which has been reported through various media outlets in the last eighteen months. There has recently been a vicious attack on a mother and her three children resulting in their deaths and a suicide of the alleged killer, her estranged husband. Various news outlets have reported on this horrific crime and to analyse the dozens of reports this topic needs to start at the beginning. The common theme in these news stories are the victims, the mother and her three children. The media frame the discussion of the issue by repeating the elements of the story and by using common comparisons such as quoting family members reflections of the victims with local MP’s comments, stating more should be done to prevent more people dying. (The Guardian, 2020). Nine News political reporter Fiona Willan (Nine News, 2020) interviewed two members of parliament, Rebekha Sharkie, member of the Australian House of Representatives and Zali Steggall, OAM, Australian Politian and Lawyer in family Law, and discussed their disbelief and shock at the events that took place while also not surprised the system failed, and continues to fail many unprotected families. This report was outlining the shortcomings of the system the government has in place, mentioning the social, emotional and financial hardships many families experience while feeling isolated from family and friends. There are also the devastated families, holding vigils, trying to make sense of such an overwhelming circumstance. However, there is no reporting in any articles regarding domestic violence inflicted on men. A national survey (ABS, 2017) stated that one in six women and one in seventeen men experienced domestic violence from a current partner or formal partner. This is not reflected during reportage of domestic violence or family violence in any of the articles researched. Some articles were overflowing with tributes to the deceased mother and her children, which also printed family photos in happier times. The reports state the actual crime, describing in some detail the events that unfolded on the day but instead reporting on the support for the family of the victim. The constant use of the word ‘alleged’ or ‘accused’ was found to be used throughout the articles but instead the content language used in The Age was ‘funding’ and ‘need more resources’. This in turn delivers to the reader a compassionate and bias view of the day in question and leave the reader feeling the injustice women and children suffer at the hands of men. It must also be said that each report and content researched ended with a variety of support networks and hotline numbers that can offer support if needed. ABC News headline, Brisbane vigil for Hannah Clarke and her three children hears a ‘beautiful’ mum and her ‘joyous’ kids leads in to the tragic deaths of a mother and her three children who were burnt alive in an alleged domestic violence attack in Brisbane in February. This news story was inundated on social media posts and talk shows in response to domestic violence and why this alleged killer, Rowan Baxter, was able to carry out this vile act with a DVO, Domestic Violence Order, in place at the time of the offence.

The ABC News article was overflowing with tributes to the deceased mother and her children, which also printed family photos in happier times. The report states the actual crime, describing in some detail the events that unfolded on the day but instead reporting on the support the family of the victim, Hannah Clarke, received at a vigil held in honour of her and her children, Aaliyah six, Trey three and the youngest child Laianah four. It also covered a political side with Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington expressing their heartfelt despair at the ‘Domestic Violence epidemic’ gripping the nation. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner also expressed his despair, saying the community failed the victims. This could be seen as a political opportunity to reinforce to the public the support the government does or does not contribute. The was also a call to fast track a recommendation from Quentin Bryce’s Not Now, Not Ever report to tackle the issue. The report made 140 recommendations based on the insights gathered from 5 months of engagement with communities and individuals. (Bryce, 2015) If anything comes out of this I want it to be a lesson to everybody that family violence happens to everybody no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are, it happens to anyone and everyone (Marshall et al. 2014).

Lastly the article ended with various support helplines and Family Violence support services, yet no representative was quoted or sourced for comment regarding such a nationwide outcry for the end of Family Domestic Violence.

References

1. ‘Family Law Act 1975’. Legislation Australia. Commonwealth Government of Australia. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
2. ABS Personal Safely Survey, Australia, (2013).
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Personal Safety Survey, Australia, 2016. ABS.http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4906.0
4. Australian Medical Association. Position statement on domestic violence. Canberra: AMA, 1998.
5. Easteal P, Holland K, Judd K. Enduring themes and silences in media portrayals of violence against women. Women’s Stud Int Forum. 2015;48:103–13
6. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-23/hannah-clarke-brisbane-camp-hill-vigil-domestic-violence/11992398
7. https://www.csyw.qld.gov.au/campaign/end-domestic-family-violence/about/not-now-not-ever-report
8. https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/rowan-baxter-hannah-clarkes-killer-had-planned-to-murder-expartner-and-son/news-story/5a8632ce994364e82b2c98b05f6e7fb3
9. https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/rowan-baxter-hannah-clarkes-killer-had-planned-to-murder-expartner-and-son/news-story/5a8632ce994364e82b2c98b05f6e7fb3
10. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/20/brisbane-car-fire-hannah-baxters-family-say-they-tried-to-rescue-her-and-children-from-violent-husband
11. https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/search/top-journalists-honoured-at-eliminating-violence-against-women-media-awards
12. Marshall, Konrad, Rania Spooner, John Silvester, Jessica Wright, and Mex Cooper. 2014. “Father Kills 11-Year-Old Son. Mother’s Grief and Compassion – Tyabb Tragedy.” The Age, February 14. [Google Scholar]
13. Sutherland, G., et al (2015) A state of knowledge review of the evidence on media representations of violence against women. Sydney, NSW: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).
14. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (2014)
15. Webster, K. (2016). A preventable burden: measuring and addressing the prevalence and health impacts of intimate partner violence in Australian women (ANROWS COMPASS, 07/2016). Sydney: Anrows. hhtp://media.aomx.com/anrows.org.au/s3fs-public/28%2010%2016%20BOD%20Compass.pdf
16. Wooley, S., F 2020 https://7news.com.au/politics/qld

The Media’s Role in Glorifying Serial Killers

Ted Bundy, one of the more infamous and prolific serial killers in history, was said to have killed 36 people, but what leads one to commit such heinous acts? Serial killers are all influenced by similar social experiences throughout life and learn from the environments around them to become serial killers. A sociological perspective explains how the media’s portrayal of serial killers motivates serial killers to start or continue killing. Anthropology provides insight on how similar cultural conditions impact the rise of serial killers in a given culture. Lastly, psychology develops the idea that serial killers are a product of nurture.

The rise of mass media creates conditions for the rise of serial murder in the modern world. The media’s portrayal of serial killers often glorifies and gives serial killers the attention or fame they may seek. About 0.5% of all serial killers kill for attention and a majority of serial killers remain in constant contact with the global press (FGCU). For decades now, serial killers have taken center stage in the news and entertainment media, allowing serial killers to achieve celebrity status. Our society has produced a celebrity culture in which individuals are recognized for their bad acts, and in the public’s condemnation of them, a reverence for them emerges. Rather than being shamed by their actions, serial killers often revel in their celebrity status and actively seek out media attention (Bonn). In condemning them publicly, the media eulogizes the murderers by giving them what they crave—recognition (Kass-Gergi).

Selective Media Coverage and Its Consequences

Secondly, the rise of serial killer is a product of biased and selective media coverage. Black people account for 13.3 percent of the US population but are victims to 24 percent of all serial killers (FGCU). Female sex workers are 18 times more likely to be killed by a serial killer than someone who does not participate in sex work and those who kill primarily prostitutes, kill for slightly longer periods of time. (Reid and Lee). FBI data shows that there is a marked under-representation of African American children in media reports relative to non-African American children and a subsequent study found that girls from minority groups were the most underrepresented in these missing-children news reports by a very large margin (Min and Feaster). An increase in media coverage leads to the increased interest of the general public which pushes the police to find the killer faster and stop the killings. However, lower-class or marginalized victims do not receive as much attention in the media or in society which provides opportunities for serial killers to get away with targeting vulnerable populations.

The Copycat Effect: Media’s Influence on Criminal Behavior

Lastly, media outlets play a key role in the proliferation of modern copycat serial killers. The copycat effect is the tendency of sensational publicity about violent murders to result in more of the same through imitation.The term was first coined around 1916 due to the crimes that were inspired by Jack the Ripper, a notorious killer at the time, who received extensive newspaper coverage. Media coverage plays a role in inspiring other criminals to commit crimes in a similar fashion, and even for non-criminals to begin committing crimes when they otherwise might not have done so (Coleman). About one out of four juveniles report having attempted a copycat crime and are significantly more likely to credit the media as both a general and personal influence (Surrette). By providing lurid details, posting step-by-step ​recaps, media provides instructional models to predisposed individuals and shapes the stylistic form the crime takes on. The media attention allows people to learn about new violent acts and methods, and as society becomes a more mediated, celebrity-focused, social media-dominated culture, copycats and serial killers, in general, will continue to increase.

Cultural Influences and the Emergence of Serial Killers

Anthropology focuses on how serial killers may be a product of cultural conditions, as shared values, beliefs and norms influence the manner people learn, live, and behave. The invasion and colonization of Western culture leads to the rise of serial killers in non-Western cultures. In serial killing, the USA with a figure of 1,948 serial killers stays at the top position, and England with 109 serial killers is second globally and is followed by Japan, South Africa, and India (FGCU). Based on research, the majority of serial killers in non-Western culture was raised and committed murder in a time when their nations were already invaded by Western ideals. For example, Japan’s first serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki was born in 1962 and killed four girls between 1988 and 1989. The Western world began invading Japan long before then and already had many influences in the Asian culture during Miyazaki’s youth (Japan Today). Another serial killer who came out of a non-Western nation years after the Western cultural invasion is Jimmy Marketta, a man born around 1964 in South Africa and was found guilty of 16 counts of murder and 19 counts of rape (Dolley). South Africa was invaded by Britain in the 1800s, the Dutch in the 1600s, making the nation a blended mix of Western and non-Western ideals (Cobbing). Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe, establishing colonies and spreading their influence across every inhabited continent (Hoffman). Foreign societies tend to adopt changes in their own social systems relative to Western ideology and lifestyle, and due to the overwhelming rise of serial murders occurring in areas of Western culture, shifts in non-Western culture patterns can instigate the promotion of serial killers. Secondly, the phenomenon of the serial killer has arisen concordant with the rise of urbanization due to Westernization. The start of the Industrialized Revolution in Europe and the USA during the 1800s and 1900s led to a surge of urbanization, population, and economy (Pilson). Through Westernization, a process whereby societies come under or adopt the Western culture, industrialization spread to the rest of the world (Thong). Industrialization leads to urbanization by creating economic growth and job opportunities that draw people to cities (Investopedia). In South Africa, the British joined the Dutch and started increasing urbanization by bringing in new technologies and expanding the economy. From the 1870s, urbanization increased rapidly in Japan and Pakistan as well (Pilson). In pre-modern societies individuals knew one another by name, often having intimate knowledge of their neighbor. Strangers were rarely encountered and the average medieval citizen might have only met 100 strangers during the course of their entire life. The rise of industrialism and related processes of mass migration to urban centers resulted in individuals being immersed in a sea of strangers. This development proved to be a key precondition for the emergence of serial murder, given that a defining attribute of serial killers is that they prey on strangers. Thus, dense modern urban environments represent ideal settings for the routinized impersonal encounters that operate as a hallmark of serial killing (Haggerty and Ellerbrock). Lastly, serial killers are created due to Westernization increasing the inequalities between social classes. The Gini index, which measures income inequalities, shows that the economic inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa rose by 9% between 1993 and 2008, China’s score soared by 34% over twenty years, and few countries decreased the inequalities (W). Westernization is a key contributor to widening the gap between the rich and the poor. As Western countries industrialize poorer countries, they often employ skilled workers and pay high wages. A report from the OECD found that average wages paid by foreign multinationals are 40% higher than wages paid by a local firm. By contrast, unskilled workers, or poor ones in rural areas, tend not to have such opportunities, resulting in inequality (W). The UNODC (2011:30) reports that ‘countries with large income disparities (Gini Index higher than 0.45) have a homicide rate almost four times higher than more equal societies’ (Wilkinson and Pickett). Wide class differences and rigid social hierarchies might increase the ‘social distance’ between individuals, thereby reducing the levels of social cohesion and increased aggression and violence (Frank and Aitken). Therefore, the wider the income inequalities caused by Western influences, the more likely serial killers will increase.

Psychological Factors: The Nurture of a Serial Killer

In psychology, nurture is the influence of a person’s environment, family life, childhood, and social interactions from infancy to adulthood on his or her behaviors and thoughts. Childhood abuse is a huge factor in creating serial killers. In 2001, 3% of the general population was reported to have suffered sexual abuse, in contrast, 26% of serial killers have reported abuse (Mitchell and Aamodt). According to Sigmund Freud, the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood will influence behavior for the rest of one’s life. Childhood abuse contributes to feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, and their crimes compensate for this by providing a sense of potency and often social revenge, by giving them a feeling of power (Arikan). Isolation from family and other children causes severe loneliness and increases the risk of serial killers. The FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit found that 71% of the murderers they profiled experienced a “sense of isolation in their childhood,”(Federal Bureau of Investigation). The danger with loneliness is that the incipient serial killer has the time and space to dwell on these homicidal fantasies of revenge, power and dominance and can find comfort in these thoughts. At some critical point in their life, either as children or adolescents, these individuals take their fantasies on a test run into the world of reality. An estimated range of 21% to 73% of serial killers abuses animals before killing. If the child finds the commission of the act satisfying or sexually exciting, it could be a matter of time before the test runs become full-blown acts of homicide (Vronsky). Adoption also plays a factor in generating serial killers. The FBI estimates that of the 500 serial killers in the US, most are American-born and adopted. This is alarming because only 2-3 % of the population (5-10 million) are adopted people (Federal Bureau of Investigation). The idea of infant bonding is imperative to personality development, and a common characteristic of serial killers is that they were adopted. For the adopted child the suffering is experiencing being left and abandoned while feeling the sense of being unwanted and unloved even if they are wanted and loved in their adoptive families (Carlis). This trauma may intensify and can manifest in depression, substance abuse, acting out, anger, and in a small number of cases, serial killings. Improper nurture can lead to aggressive behavior and violence later on as retaliation against a world that had treated them unfairly.

Conclusion: The Multifaceted Origins of Serial Killers

Factors related to the lifestyle and background an individual encounters, largely influence the creation of serial killers. Sociologically, the attention and spotlight around serial killers in media give incentive for serial killers. Anthropology states that the transmission of similar cultures has repercussions in breeding serial killers. Lastly, psychology demonstrates that the nurture a child receives influences serial killer behavior. During a child’s development, there are important periods to learn about love, trust, empathy and basic rules about how to interact with other human beings. If these traits aren’t imprinted upon the child during that period, it may impossible to learn them later in life. Therefore, the environment a child grows up in and the type of nurture they receive can significantly shape the life choices made, including becoming a serial killer. As a result, psychology offers the most reasonable rationale as to why serial killers do what they do.

Do you open media every time you are free ? Did it become the first thing your eyes see in the morning and the last thing you see before you sleep ? I am sure yes. Media became one of the main ways of communication for our next generation. Social media that provided for people pictures and news that are unrealistic to what is considered beautiful in today’s society forced people to take extreme and harmful things which led to death. I strongly believe that media is the main effect on society’s perception of women in a negative way because media focuses on the body of women and they portray women in a certain role and should be dependent on men.

Media influence the way people think and how women view about themselves . This is because how media projects images of women that have been technologically edited. These impracticable women have a greater effect on society’s perception. It is a strong view on how we should look, the more we look to perfect body images and find ideal characteristics not found on ourselves , the more we feel inferior. Starting comparing ourselves to unrealistic body images so there will be more risk to control our body which means extreme dieting , exercises and eating disorder. Images are being of fashionably clad women, , tiny waists, large breasts, perfect skin for example Kardashian and Beyoncé fame , all with no greater than 59 kg. But yet still we are told that these bodies are normal, desirable, required , and achievable. A women that is thin, tall and muscular has become the one who is successful , hardworking , popular and beautiful as for the one who is fat and short is associated as ugly , lazy and weak. Can you imagine that media influenced our mindsets of women and made us to think this way. The media sets sexualized beauty standards and sends out the message that they need to be beautiful in the eyes of the men to be accepted so this makes women feel depressed because they do not look sexy like the models they see that the men are attracted to.

Women roles in media such as advertising , television and news are stereotyped, it present women in stereotyped ways that limit the society’s perception of human possibilities. The study by Lilit Grigoryan, Arevik Ghalumyan and Mane Adamyan entitled “Women’s Image in Armenian Advertisements” and funded by Open Society Foundation illustrates that 78 % of images of women in advertisements belong to the “young” age group (under 30) ,only 10 % of women portrayed in magazines are medium-structured, only 6 % of women in advertisements are portrayed at workplace. Women in advertisements are being located in an unclear environment for example most advertisements include women who is portrayed at home . Society’s perception is based on these advertisements that let them think that women should be at home , housewife. This type of stereotypical representation of women in media can have a negative impact on young girls who identifies themselves with their role model shown in these commercials. Media is affecting the dreams of women of what they like to do and taking their freedom which means letting others control their choices because of what is seen in media. Still not all advertisements include women at home but just 10% of women that are portrayed in working place so it is still a small percentage. Do you know that 70 % of TV staff is men for example directors, camera people, producers, computer designers, etc… and only 30 % is female such as apparel design, makeup, administrator, etc… ?If media doesn’t t stop stereotype the role of women then the society’s perception of women will not change and stay the same so media is the main effect on the way people are viewing the role of women.

In some commercials they always sexualize women where they are mostly given the roles such as not making important decisions at home , depend on men always and need men protection. Media portrayed women as a status who are expected to do everything for men and with the help of men. Media is trying to convey to society that women can’t take essential , main and significant choices while men can.

Media is affecting women perception in a negative way so we all shouldn’t follow and believe what is being presented. Achieve , accomplish and reach your goal and dreams don’t let your life be based on what media is offering for you. Stop comparing yourself with others because you are unique , do whatever makes you feel good and comfortable. Shout back to the media and you can change the perception of women .Never underestimate the power within you, because you may be the only person in the entire universe to solve a specific problem. – Gift Gugu Mona .

‘The medium is the message’ is a phrase by Marshall McLuhan. This phrase is about the way we deliver, direct and obtain information. Expanding from the phrase is the medium more important than the information itself? Is what’s been communicated less important than the way you communicate it? Is Marshall McLuhan Really saying, the message given is actually how it’s formed? Developing from these points is the information given the content itself or the form it takes? We are going to explore what this is saying through this piece. This piece is extracting the core themes and developing and expanding them and understating what they are and how are they affecting the world we live today and how is affecting the future.

The information given is important but the context of the information and how it is given can overpower the information itself. The information good be amazing but the way you delivered the information could be poor that no one cares, from this you have made a gold bar a pile of poo, so the context, timing, and medium used can either help or hinder the information given.

The consequence of private and public medium is it has become an extensions of our selves this is because of the modern medium of technology that has made the information we are given more accessible and right in our hands it’s become a part of our lives, it’s become a part of us with feel like we are missing something when we leave the house without technology the medium of the information. The technology that communicates the message changes us. It changes the society, the individual, the family, work and leisure because it is an extension of our selves that feels like it is us, makes us feel like one entity, one body, one being and it makes us feel united together with our self’s and with everyone else.

The information given is in most people’s eyes is more important, that it’s the main part of the message. Within the last few years technology has increased and is becoming more of a part of our lives, this means that we are becoming more visual than verbal. This means that we are subconsciously caring more about the medium than the information supplied to us.

The medium today has become bigger and bigger and more noticeable due to the increase of technology, with this everyone all around the world has been coming together using technology to communicate. The medium is important as people are saying “it has not happened unless you have a photo to prove it”. Therefore, this proves that the medium is the message as people will not take it seriously when it is spoken to them until it is shown to them. This shows that the medium is what people what and the medium helps to get the information across to people. This also helps when it comes to people speaking different languages as the medium (images in this case) speak a language that is unified by everyone.

Typology 1: Phone call (talking to each other) Audio (ear)

Phone call typology is the premise of talking to one another with distance between each other, which is not far off just talking to each other face to face. With talking to each other you can have a few people talking to each other, you end up talking about the same thing for a time. With talking you have the reaction of the person talking and the person receiving, you also get the different tones from how the people are speaking allowing you to tell how people are felling.

With talking to people, the message is as important if not more important than the medium. When considering design for this area the message is everything. With talking it is audio therefore using the sense that’s with your ears which means that this is message dependant rather than medium. What it is and dose is important which is the message but don’t forget the medium as it need to be use and understandable, so it need to be considered but not the main thing when coming to design.

Designing for an item that is about the message is hard as you need to understand the user and what the product needs to do, as it need to communicate the use. But you need to realise that the medium is a key part of the design as it is the form of the communication for the information for the product.

“The medium is the message” is a significant part of the design of any product. As it’s not just about the information it’s how the information looks and how the product feels. This is a key phrase even though the product is message base like the phone it still needs a medium to give the information over.

Typology 2: Internet Visual (eyes)

Internet typology is on technology like a smartphone, tablet, computer and more. What this has done is made the communication we do now more visual than audible which make this a medium over message product. As you are having to look at a screen to use the internet and product which makes you use your eyes making it medium dependent rather than message.

What it is and dose is important which is the message but don’t forget the medium which is how to use it.

“We were once consumers of information now in the 21st century we are producers of information as well.” This is due to the introduction of the internet and technology. “Conversations are being replaced with emojis news stories are being replaced with 140-character tweets.” The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan | Animated Book Review video by Eudaimonia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCr2binb4Fs.

A current problem when coming to what’s happening on the internet, what goes on the internet could last forever, what you put on the internet could be seen by everyone. You can put something up on the internet and people can comment be mean, and unforgiving also it is hard to remove something from the internet and if so, it will be unforgetful and people will bring it back up to the surface.

Designing for an item that is about the medium is easy as that is about how it looks how is, it perceives used and related. A medium lead design is what every design is, but it needs to be understandable for the user. The internet will always need designing as it is a medium.

“The medium is the message” is a significant part of the design of any product especially one to go on the internet. As it’s not just about the information it’s how the information looks as it is going to be view on screens all around the world. This is a key phrase and is one that product designers need to remember and consider with there designs.

“it is impossible to understand social cultural changes without a knowledge of the working of media”, – this is playing such an important part in today’s culture with the introduction of social media websites and technologies that push this content.

Conclusion

The medium is the message is as it states, how the message looks is how it comes about. This was coined by Marshall McLuhan. This phrase is meaning the form of a medium becomes and envelops itself with the message becoming one therefore conveying and creating a symbolic connection to the message which influences the message’s connotation.

McLuhan clams were made in 1967 about an “interactive, inter-connective village” is happening all around the world today by the help of the internet. What McLuhan is describing is like a prediction of what the internet is today but written and said before the internet was conceived. McLuhan seamed to be ahead of his times of what could be possible with the human race and what the human race wanted and needed, as today culture we could not live without the internet and all the social media that comes with it.

The medium is the message is a key thought that needs to go around every designer’s head as it is shaping and will shapes the future of the world and the way we design. As this is a way of thinking and way of living as how you present some information is how the message is going to come across so designers need to consider the medium on which they design. The designs that have this saying at their core are the designs that are successful that last that grow and that work. The medium is the message, is a message that should and will travel thought time and be a message that will change the medium we will use in the future.

To assess how successfully the American media is fulfilling its democratic function today we must look at what the media’s democratic function is from promoting democracy to political socialisation. Secondly, one must a look at whether the United States media has fulfilled its democratic functions in the past and if the same is still true today. Moreover, looking at more current events and the relationship between Trump and the media. Julia Azari and Hunt Allcott provide some insight into how the media impacted the 2016 presidential election. Lastly, how the American media does not fulfill its democratic functions. Furthermore, it is important to note how the role of the media has changed and the impact of the rise of social media, and how that relates to the media and its democratic functions.

Para 1

It is important to note the role between the media and the constitution. The First Amendment grants Americans free speech and throughout American history, it has limited censorship to almost none. However, one example was during the Nixon Administration with New York Times vs United States in 1971. This was also known as the Pentagon Papers case which banned the New York times to publish these papers and risk exposing government actions during the Vietnam War. Ultimately the Supreme Court said that preventing the publication of the report about the Vietnam war would be prior restraint. The United States is on the whole, unencumbered by government censorship, however, there is some limits to what the media put out. Moreover, for commercial reasons, there are often limitations on what is printed, especially with local news. Local news prevent offending their audience and the people watching and reading are more likely to support what the news is offering or writing about. Issues arise when political or commercial tensions stop free speech. In the 1950s, this occurred during the ‘witch hunts’ during the McCarthyite period, this was when liberal papers and TV channels did not argue against the damning of workers who did not sign loyalty oaths or those who were jailed for being associated with communism.

The media has many democratic functions today. Firstly to promote democracy and to provide the two way communicate between politicians and people. Next, to educate the voting people and inform them on the news and give them insight into how the government operates. Then agenda setting which entails defining what is news. The media operates as a watchdog and can hold the government accountable by investigative journalism and muckraking if they need to search for and expose certain politicians’ scandals. Furthermore, the media also is involved in political mobilisation, which includes parties and interest groups using media to get the message across and mobilise voters and activists. Lastly, socialise people into the regime by political socialisation and regime legitimization.

Para 2

In order to assess how successfully the American media is fulfilling its democratic functions today one must see how America has done so in the past. Firstly, the Watergate scandal showcased that the media could perform its democratic functions. Doris Graber explains how Watergate was an example of the media fulfilling its democratic functions. The media saw Watergate as a election campaign tale and that it was a partisan issue. The media, with the help of congress were able to present the scandal as a misconduct and deceit at the largest levels of government which caused upset. Penances for those who were involved in Watergate and the president himself would not have been agreed to. In order for the public to understand the issues in a comprehensible way it was important for the media to be coherent. When news reporters and people in politics changed the Watergate narrative from a ‘bugging incident’ to a scandal people started to take this issue very seriously. The media and the sources they choose for story telling prove to be essential. Depending on where media get their sources from, skewing can occur. When thinking about major public policy issues sources are an indication for media audiences as to whether a certain subject is deserving of reward. Therefore, Watergate quickly turned into a political crisis as media highlighted Republicans and members of the judicial system who recognised the severity of the Watergate scandal. Overall, the media acted democratically and made sure the Watergate scandal was investigated and the appropriate people were aware of it.

Para 3

Before the 2016 presidential election, concerns increased about the impact of fake news spreading on social media. Some data was collected about the impact social media had on fake news. Firstly, 62% of adults get news on social media meaning easier access to fake news. Also, Facebook was a large portal for fake news and the most well received fake news were more shared than the non- fake news articles. Those who read these fake news articles tended to believe them. Many argue that the fake news about Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton ultimately led to Trump’s win in the 2016 presidential election. Data on fake news was collected and the results were fascinating. Firstly, they took all the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton articles on Snopes and then all the articles from the 2016 election from PolitiFact. 156 fake news articles were found and also they could see how many times all these fake news articles were shared on facebook and then separated the articles as pro- Clinton and then pro-Trump. Furthermore, people were reading more pro-Trump fake news articles. Albeit this, Allcott notes that whether this actually affected the election outcome depends on how convincing the fake news was in impacting voters. However, the rough calculations about how much impact fake news had is conservative in other words an overstatement of the relevance of fake news. Allcott stresses the importance of how many people read the fake news articles rather than whether people bought into the stories. Moreover, the articles may not reach that many people in the first place, the fake news stories may reach a little portion of voters but they may see a high volume of stories. Furthermore, these unrefined findings does not acknowledge the fact that people who are more inclined to vote for Trump in the 2016 election would have probably shared Trump favoured fake news in the first place. Ultimately, this would not have much impact on the votes for Trump due to these people already being supporters of his.

Julia Azari discusses how political institutions relate to the media in the United States of America. The 2016 election story is related to the media dismissing the institutional structure, instead saying that large media reports meant Trump gained more supporters. Azari presents how the media affects presidential elections by working within political institutions. On entering the presidential race in 2016, Donald Trump was a very contentious runner in the Republican party. Trump had success in the primaries, winning a large majority in the primary votes and was very popular in the polls during this stage of the presidential race. Trump coordinated the Republican party by getting his message out there which in turn got enough voters on his side which led to him receiving the Republican nomination. Therefore, the media and news were vital in gaining Trump the nomination. The media is involved in the Republican Party and perhaps their network. In the last few years, Azari notes that a theory has been adopted by political scientists whereby parties are made up of interest groups. The two institutional outlooks create an interesting contradiction. The media spread Trump’s message whilst the conservative media failed to stop Trump from gaining the Republican candidate position. The media had an important role in the 2016 election by portraying a constant message. The media reported what Trump would do as president and therefore the media was pivotal in 2016 in carrying out institutional functions. Furthermore, the media has also solidified the principles and representations of the presidency. Azari notes it is hard to know whether the media really did impact on Trump getting the Republican nomination. Moreover, the media key organised job to repeat messages rather than argue with them. The media and the assumptions with it could be trialed using lab and practical experiments. These investigations, mentoring speeches and other media products, might explain how certain factors are related to the presidency in comparison to other people of political importance. In order to understand the media’s part to play in presidential elections one must understand that the media works with voters, and removes other institutions when doing so. However, in the 2016 election assessing the media’s role gives a different perspective. News media’s goal is to help put out the nominee’s message, a vital part of coordination within the party. The media can strengthen people’s comprehension about the way institutions operate and as one can see, they have achieved this at the cost of people looking for power and questions about it.

Para 4

One must examine how the American media does not fulfill its democratic functions. David McKay discusses some of the issues surrounding the media and American democracy is that the media in the US are obsessed with profits which can distort the functions it is supposed to perform. As well as profit, the media in America are very focused on ratings, as in their numbers for readers and audiences that the American media are very commercial on a world stage. Another issue is with public broadcasting which does not seem to be fulfilling its democratic functions today. The role of public broadcasting or news is to meet the needs and cater to the concerns of the public, however, instead it is not very developed and does not cover much of the media output. The media in America is also guilty of distorting certain news and some of the biggest misconceptions are American news giving superiority over foreign news, even when American forces get involved in overseas military action this oversights other foreign news. Another misconception would be finding away to have a consensus position that damages ratings or upset advertisers the least. One example of something offensive occurring was in 2004, when Janet Jackson’s nipple was caught on camera at the Super-bowl halftime show, this led the CBS network to make a public apology. There has also been accounts of the networks failing to responds to political issues such as the Iraq War. Moreover, the media making light of the news and making it simpler and distorting complicated political and public issues by putting ‘soundbite’ clips. The last distortion in the American media is the issue of Fox News, Fox News is unique to the American media as there is no similar platform on the left. This contributes to the increasing political polarisation in America. Fox News and political knowledge have an interesting relationship. Fox News viewers have less political knowledge than those who do not view Fox News. Albeit this, Cassino notes that those who tune into Fox News don’t necessarily are less informed about politics than the average population but that they would be more educated if they were following another news channel. The impact on political knowledge that Fox News has does not harm conservative watchers, but only more moderate and liberal viewers. Furthermore, the issue is not that those who watch Fox News have a lesser general scope about politics, but rather they are not informed on relevant information. Moreover, Cassino says the most comprehensible way to describe the consequences is that Fox news viewers focus on issues that are not shown on other news channels so they are not given the same political information that the rest of the population are getting and therefore are not aware of the questions arising in political knowledge realms. During the Trump administration, Fox News has been an integral part of the presidency. For example, Trump watches TV all the time, especially Fox News. Fox News presenters have also been important to Trump’s presidency, notably, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro who are both Trump fans. Trump is informed by the media and gets a lot of information from watching Fox News.

The role of the media has changed in America, in the 21st century specifically the media’s role has changed despite there being a sales decline this hasn’t stopped traditional media maintaining their relevance in newspapers or news channels showing to relevant spectators. Between 2007 and 2011, newspapers have had a dramatic decrease in sales and have been called America’s ‘fastest shrinking industry’, going down by 28.4 percent. Their also has been an expansion in online publishing, with an increase of 24.3 percent and a 24.6 percent increase in the internet industry. Not only do these rising platforms replace daily newspapers but also have caused a revised media. Traditional media has been somewhat adaptable, some taking the initiative to include new forms of media amongst their organisation, while some increased their influence as crucial channels to relevant wider audiences and mostly maintaining positions of complex journalism whether local or national news.

In conclusion, the media’s democratic functions does not look like it once did. To assess how successfully the American media is fulfilling its democratic function today, one must define what the democratic function is. Furthermore, it is important to look at how has the media has fulfilled its democratic functions in the past and if the same is still true today. Moreover, the Watergate scandal proved the media fulfilled its democratic functions in getting justice and making sure there was an investigation into the Watergate scandal and that it was taken seriously by the highest government order. In addressing whether the American media is fulfilling its democratic functions today, one must look at Trump and the media and more specifically, the 2016 election and the role the media had in that. Azari and Allcott both agree that the media may have had a part to play in Trump gaining his nomination and eventual presidency and the significance of this. Additionally Allcott assesses the role fake news and the media had on the 2016 presidential election. Finally, assessing how the media does not fulfill its democratic functions and how the role of the media has changed. The impact fox news had on the media and perhaps hindering its democratic function. Overall,

The negative news focused around teenagers drastically outweighs any positive news about teenagers. The media has constantly criticized teenagers for a period of time only to be showing that the teenagers bring a negative impact to the public, but they have not showed anything positive about them at all. As a result of this, this gives the impression that all teenagers behavior negatively.

The media plays a major role in society as it tends to represent and show media the public wants to hear and see without it being true. Violence, alcohol, drugs, bullying, gangs and even social media can change the way your teenager or any teenager behaves. According to a recent poll being record by more than one thousand people, four-fifths of fourteen to seventeen-year-old feel their age group is unfairly represented in the media (Huffpost, 2019). Also, eighty-five percent of teenagers are finding it hard to get a job as the negative impact of the media stereotyping them affects their ability to succeed.

Do teenagers use alcohol safely or even drugs safely? No! They use this as an advantage to attack the public, they blame the alcohol, they blame the drugs, but they were the ones who put themselves into this mess. Adults are more mature when it comes to handling these types of substances, but teenagers just seem to think that they can act like an adult when it comes to drinking. Thirty five percent of teenagers who are 15 years old have consumed alcohol. 15 years old! At such a young age like that drinking should not even be going through their heads at this stage, but that is what the media shows, and this is how we think of teenagers as monsters to the world as they have nothing to offer but fear for families. Drugs… Yes, I know what your all thinking, teenagers and drugs nah they would never do such a thing but that is where we are all wrong. Teenagers are the main source when it comes to taking drugs or even providing drugs as approximately 50% of teens have misused drugs.

Violence is a major issue that teenagers seem to represent a lot as they are known as violent predators. The word violence can be represented by the behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone or something but violence can be presented by the strength of emotion given by that person. Teenagers have a rising number of violent incidents as experts have pointed to the public that fights on social media are the key reasons behind why teenagers are influenced to behave the way they do. General violence and assault committed by children at the age of 13-17 has risen by 6.5% between the years 2008 and 2012. Teenagers have shown the media that they are ruthless, and they do not care about anything or anyone besides themselves, many different articles and stories around the world are all about how teens have committed an assault of some sort of crime. One story that appeared on the local nine news of Brisbane showed that three teenagers attacked a disabled man because he would not give them his mobile phone. Now you tell me what that is supposed to mean? Are we meant to protect teenagers like this? Are we meant to forgive them for the actions they have done and believe that they can change?

Gangs and teenagers, more like gangs who are made up from teens. Most teenagers but not all are involved in some type of gang in some type of way but why do they do this? Gangs are the reason why majority of violence in different countries are increasing as teenagers are the easy target but also peer pressure has also been known to make teenagers do what they do not want to do. Australia has a group well-known to everyone in this country as they go by the name of ‘Eshay’. Eshays are teenagers well known to the public as they are a group of teenagers who think it is okay to assault anyone, to steal valuables and also verbally attack someone, this group is becoming more and more of an issue as we are losing our innocent teenagers to something that is just disgraceful. A news article that appeared on a current affair, ‘The ‘Wannabe Gangsters’ Filming Brawls and Bashing’ is all about how groups of school-aged kids are uploading videos and images online of their own acts of violence, theft and drug use, prompting calls to take on juvenile criminals.

The media really does show how teenagers act in a negative way just, so they can fit into the society, not only have they made it worse for themselves to be in this position in the first place, but the influence of alcohol, drugs, violence, bullying and gang related issues really do show how powerful they are to make a teenager perform horrifying actions.

Introduction

Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things(Citation). We use our attention when processing a thought and making a decision. However, unfortunately, there has been speculation on how attention and different functions in the human mind changes through the addictiveness of digital screens, especially our smartphones. If attention is affected, and the brain generally, increasing symptoms of depression, anxiety, bullying, etc, are likely to occur. On a daily basis, an average person picks up their phone 58 times per day(citation), causing possible harm to the brain as too much attention is put on this. As the digital world is relatively new, psychologists and scientists are still in the process of finding a clear understanding of the possible consequences with attention and frequent smartphone use.

Numerous sources(Nielsen, Pew Research Center, comScore, SmartInsights) have stated that, “the average person spends over four hours a day on their devices, where half of it comes from the top 5 social media platforms” Nowadays, people sit behind their phones, preventing and disturbing both the cognitive mind and the sociocultural perspective. Making it more concerning, as according to data from Britain, it seems like young kids are ditching their basketballs and dolls for cell phones as, “70 percent of 11- to 12-year-olds use a mobile phone and this increases to close to 90 percent by the age of 14(cite).” It can be noted that doctors and educators are worried about how overexposure to touch-screen technology can impact developing brains. Not only are smartphones very addictive but also very distracting. In 2014, a 15-year-old, Nayomi Mendez, was killed in San Diego when, while using her phone, she stepped into the path of an oncoming semi-truck. These incidents occur as we pump too high levels of dopamine, a neurochemical created in various parts of the brain and is critical in all sorts of brain functions, including thinking, moving, sleeping, mood, attention, motivation, seeking and reward, while we scroll through social media, creating a desire to seek for more and only focus on one object/subject. It is very interesting how new sources are revealed on how frequent use significantly affects our brain, and creates a danger to society. It is therefore very important and critical to investigate what frequent smartphone use does to attention specifically.

Attention can be explained and supported by two well known theories; Multi-store memory model and the working memory model(WMM). The multi-store memory model(MSM) refers to that memory consists of a number of separate locations in which information is stored. The various memory stores(STM, LTM) are seen as components that operate in conjunction with the long term memory(LTM) through processes such as attention, coding and rehearsal (inthinking). The use of implementing too much screen time can create a disruption in the process of using attention efficiently, influencing one’s performance on a daily basis. Therefore, this can also affect the amount of information we can intake in the long term as attention is a big component in process information from short-term to long-term memory. The working memory model, is a hypothetical model of short term memory(STM) that includes several components in contrast to MSM. One of the biggest component, the central executive, has the capacity to focus attention, to divide attention between two or more sources and to switch attention from one task to another(Inthinking). Therefore, it is extremely important to investigate whether attention is being affected with frequent smartphone users, as it may create obstacles in switching task, multitask, and store memory efficiently, which can affect a lot of other important characteristics as well.

Results from studies on the effects that frequent smartphone use has on attention varies consistently. Some studies show a negative correlation between education and performance with frequent smartphone users, where others show the opposite. As seen in the MSM and the WMM, in order to build new memory, the majority of one’s attention needs to be active. However, studies that explore media-multitaskers and education find that attention is lost throughout the processing of finishing a task. Over the past years, more and more studies have focused on the effects of attention through the lense of media-multitaskers and education, but still receiving different findings. However, the majority of the studies demonstrate a negative correlation, arguing that frequent screen time can affect one’s attention. Therefore, this essay will investigate, “to what extent does frequent smartphone use affect attention?”

Education and Media-Multitasking

In order to fully comprehend how education and media-multitasking explain the effects that frequent smartphone use has on attention, the framework and the correlation have to be illustrated and understood first.

The concept of cognition refers to processes of thinking and decision-making, creating new memory in the short-term and long-term, and processing mental representations of experiences. Cognition is also related to one’s personal experience. As we interact with the world around us, we create mental representations – that is, conceptual understandings of how the world works(inthinking). Frequent smartphone use disturbs the cognition, creating possible disorders or general changes within the human brain. One aspect that has been tested on and will be analyzed is attention.

Attention is an important factor in the cognitive processes, as one has to focus on a task in order to think and make decisions appropriately. When it is disturbed, it is likely to affect other skills or processes as well such as performance, organization, and multitasking. Even though attention plays a significant role in the human mind, it is difficult to be measured directly. Therefore, studies may examine the performance levels, distractibility rates, or areas in the brain when implementing functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, it is usually difficult for the findings to be accurate and valid as other factors may play in the outcome other than attention. On the other, researchers usually use target population in order for some factors affecting the findings to disappear. In addition, performance which is referred to as how efficient a task is done, is usually tested on studies which focus on education.

Media multitasking(MMT) refers to the act of consuming multiple media simultaneously—for example, having a television on in the background while using a smartphone. In this case, multitasking refers to the ability to perform more than one task at a certain time. In order to do that, attention has to be active. Therefore, if performance decreases from a multitasker, we can conclude, but not fully due to extraneous variables, that attention is not effective. Performance and media-multitasking can be correlated in some studies, as due to high media-multitasker(HMM), one’s performance can decrease significantly than low media-multitasker(LMM). Media Multitasking Index(MMI), created by Ophir, which assesses a variety of different media multitasking combinations, thereby providing an account of the overall level of media multitasking during media time(citation), is also used with potential questionnaires to measure the level of distractibility and overall performance.

Media-Multitasking

A wide variety of studies have shown the negative effects frequent smartphone users develop with attentional process. Different methods and techniques are used in order to enable a better understanding of the possible consequences of attention. Cain & Mitroff carried out a study in 2011, aimed to see how media-multitasking affects attention/distractibility through an isolated attentional process by employing a singleton distractor task with low working-memory demands. Cain & Mitroff found that the link between distractibility and media multitasking habits was associated specifically with individual differences in the scope of attention and not differences in working memory. In other words, in their task, it was found that light media-multitaskers(LMM) used top-down information to improve their performance, yet high media-multitasker(HMM) did not(cite). This difference in performance in the attentional capture task, argues that HMMs maintain a “wider attentional scope” than LMMs. The findings by Cain & Mitroff helps discuss the uncertain consequences with frequent smartphone users and attention. That is, that the findings state that high media-multitaskers, have been linked to poorer ability in suppressing distractors. As a consequence, heavy media multitaskers are able to hold fewer or less precise goal-relevant representations. In correlation, Ophir, an author and psychologist, mentions, “‘a phenomenon known as ‘media multitasking’, individuals who regularly engage in this activity, heavy media multitaskers, are more affected by irrelevant information that can intrude into a primary task than light media multitaskers” (—Ophir et al, 2009 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA106 15583). This was credited through the study by Ophir in 2009 with three hundred and seventeen participants (163 male 154 Female) and an age range of 19 to 64 years old, filling out questionnaires and MMI in different samples. Ophir found that the data revealed that those who reported engaging in more media multitasking(HMM) were less able to filter environmental distractions(cite). This data therefore supports the data found by Cain & Mitroff. As these two studies used a different task and amount of participants but concluded the same findings, it strengthens the hypothesis of the possible consequences for frequent smartphone users in relation to attention. This shows, through scientists and well-founded studies, that frequent users are likely to create a barrier as they cannot focus well on relevant information and aren’t able to filter out distractions, affecting their performance. It should be noted that this is definitely related to attention as focusing and practicing are factors with the efficiency of one’s attention and seen in the WMM. However, it should also be noted that these studies are not experiments but correlational studies, meaning that we cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship but only that two things happen simultaneously.

The current generation of young people demonstrate in more media multitasking behavior (e.g., instant messaging while watching videos) in their everyday lives than older generations. Concerns have been raised about how this may affect their attentional functioning, as studies have shown that the overuse in media multitasking in everyday life may be associated with decreased attentional control. In the current study, done by Moisala et al in 2016, 149 adolescents and young adults (aged 13-24 years) performed speech-listening and reading tasks that required maintaining attention in the presence of distractor stimuli(cite). Brain activity during task performance was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Moisala studied the relationship between self-reported daily MMT, task performance and brain activity during task performance(cite). The results showed that through the distractor stimuli, a higher MMT score was associated with worse performance and increased brain activity in right prefrontal regions. In addition, it should be noted, that level of performance during divided attention did not depend on MMT. This suggests that daily media multitasking is associated with behavioral distractibility, increased activity in brain areas involved in attentional control, and that media multitasking in everyday life does not translate to performance benefits in multitasking in laboratory. This is a strength in the study, as the internal validity is high, due to it not being tested in a laboratory and the number of participants is above 150. What is also interesting is that there is an increase the external validity, as some participants still have a developing brain(13-20) and others do not, making it more generalisable to a wider range of ages. In other words, just like Ophir and Cain & Mitroff, this study shows a negative correlation.

Even though there is a wide variety of studies done on media multitasking and the attentional performance, there are also studies which limit our hypothesis. Some studies show a positive relationship between media Multitasking and performance. Such that performance increases more for HMM than LMM. In other words, some studies suggests the opposite pattern of the relationship, that high MMI scores or other tests/observation correlate with better performance on certain attentionally demanding tasks. For example, the two psychologists, Lui and Wong(2012) set up a task that required 63 participants to integrate information from, “multiple sensory modalities”(vision and listening). Their results revealed that individuals who reported HMM outperformed LMM in their ability to integrate the information(cite). This study therefore shows that there are different results in the range of studies that study the same topic, making it difficult to identify an accurate conclusion on the effects of media multitasking on attention. Findings also suggest an attentional benefit associated with HMM are also relatable with studies demonstrating positive in training, through repetitive task practice, in divided attention tasks. Another study which found the opposite relationship that contradicts negative consequences in correlation to frequent smartphone users(Ralph et al(2015), Minear et al 2013), is the study set up by Minear et al(2013) with 53 college students. He used the media multitasker developed by Ophir et al, in order to identify the HMM and the LMM. They then tested both HMM & LMM on measures of attention, working memory, task switching, fluid intelligence, self-reported impulsivity and self control. The researchers found that people who reported engaging in heavy amounts of media multitasking reported being more impulsive and performed more poorly on measures of fluid intelligence than did those who did not frequently engage in media multitasking(cite). However, no evidence was found to support the theory that HMMs are worse in a multitasking situation such as task switching or that they show any deficits in dealing with irrelevant or distracting information, as compared with LMM. Minear’s study explicitly demonstrates that through the use of implementing the same method as Ophir et al, but receiving different results, lowers the credentials of both findings, as it is now unclear whether there is a positive or negative effect on attention. This may be due to the difference in population, age, or region which may have affected the results. In addition, Lui and Wong and Minear et al external validity is relatively low, as the findings cannot be generalized to most of the other studies. Also, both studies internal validity is low as well as only 53 college students participated in Minear et al and 63 for Lui and Wong, making the results not be as valuable as the results which showed a negative correlation.

However, even as positive results may be found in the relationship between media multitasking and distractibility through tests such as the MMI, more studies, and well controlled, support that smartphone use negatively affects the attention. For example, Ralph et al(2013) used a series of online self-report measures, examining media multitasking, and its relations to three aspects of everyday attention, “(1) failures of attention and cognitive errors (2) mind wandering, and (3) attentional control with an emphasis on attentional switching and distractibility(cite).” Ralph observed a positive correlation between levels of media multitasking and self-reports of attentional failures, as well as reports of both spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering. Also, as there was no correlation observed between MMT and self-reported memory failures, the study validates the hypothesis that media multitasking is specifically related to problems of inattention, rather than cognitive processes and errors in general. However, media multitasking was not related with self-reports of difficulties in attention switching or distractibility. This demonstrates that individuals don’t notice the change in attention, inattention rates are higher, without participants noticing. This creates a bigger problem as addicted individuals to their smartphones don’t see the possible negative effects of frequent use.

Conclusively, attention, distractibility and performance are shown as significant factors influenced and altered through the frequent usage on smartphones. Even though some studies may show a positive or no outcome, the studies which show a positive correlation lack internal and external validity. Also, results that showed a negative correlation, concurred with the WMM & MSM, as participants were unable to memorize information due to the lack of attention. Therefore, under the studies on multitasking, frequent smartphone affects attention.

Education

Not only is media multitasking tested to measure the distractibility and attention rate, but also performance in education and athletics. Studies have shown negative outcomes between frequent smartphone use and attention during educational purposes.

The focus on education and performances has been quite popular in relation to attention, as a classroom is a more natural environment and not artificial, which means that it is far less likely to have extraneous variables, increasing the ecological validity. Even though athletics and education are not studied in the same environment/, they do both correlate in what they are measuring; attention and performance. Results on education and their performance may also be viable for the athletic environment. In addition, testing one’s performance in an education environment may improve the external validity as it is a higher chance that people are tested in that circumstance. Adolescents and adults are becoming lazy and not outgoing as they spent too much attention on their smartphones(cite). This also affects one’s performance in any given event as he/she loses their concentration, producing below their standard. Dozens of researchers are aiming to show how smartphones and the internet can hinder or enrich brain functions. Dr. Gary Small, head of UCLA’s memory and aging research, performed an experiment how brains change in response to frequent smartphone use. Dr. Gary made two groups: participants with a lot of computer experience and those with minimal technology experience. Through brain scans, Gary discovered that both groups had similar brain functions while reading a book. However, the tech group showed, “broad brain activity in the left-front part of the brain known as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, while the novices showed little, if any, activity in this area(cite).” The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plays a role in switching attention and working memory, meaning that it took more energy to enhance these functions.

ABSTRACT

Nostalgia refers to the mixed feelings of happiness and gloominess that occurs while reminiscing the past. In everyday life, we come across many situations or people, where there is longing for the time begone. This intense emotion has played a major role in building a set of audience for the streaming media, wherein this intense emotion of longing for the past has been put to use to influence or manipulate the preferences of the mass. The interlink between the media and human psychology has influenced the change in choice of the mass. This paper will focus on the on the domination of nostalgic focus in contemporary media and its influence on streaming preferences with the objectives of understanding the concept of nostalgia and its psychological functions,potential of streaming media in evoking the feeling of nostalgia among viewers and how it manipulates our preferences using our fascination towards ‘good-old-times’ and our obsession with the things that we missed out on in the past. The study is conducted based on the primary data collected from 150 samples in Moodbidri.

INTRODUCTION

Nostalgia is a term used to refer to that sentimental feeling of both joy and sorrow on account of a past memory. It if often accompanied by a desire to go back to those ‘good-old-days’. It is an impulse to look back to our happy times and wish that we were there. The term was coined by a Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer. It is a combination of two Greek words namely, nostos which means homecoming and algos which means pain. Thus, etymologically ‘nostalgia’ roughly translates to homecoming pain.

Nostalgia is considered as an emotional experience that triggers the longingness for the days that have gone by. This intense feeling that causes complex emotional surge is, however, at present being used as an effective marketing strategy across products and services all over the world. It plays a major role in attracting and maintaining customers as it is a very fine tool that is instrumental in effective communication. The technique of deceptive advertising wherein the understanding of human psychology is put into use to manipulate the mass by tapping on their emotional soft spot has become rampant in the day.

As known the video and music streaming applications are very popular among the youth, who are more in number in our country. These very platforms are used to induce the feeling of nostalgia among them which would trigger them to perform an action as desired by the marketer which would in turn be used to condition them to make a purchase of a product or service that is associated with it, thereby easily manipulating the preferences of the mass.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A Review of Nostalgic Marketing by Rubo Cuidiscusses the nostalgia in marketing that is “how it is used as a way to communicate with consumers and is converted into an effective marketing field. It presents the concepts and mechanism of nostalgic marketing, the target group and strategies of nostalgic marketing, etc.”

Consumer Nostalgia Literature Review and an Alternative Measurement Perspective by Justina Gineikienediscusses the “represents an attempt to comprehensively assess extant research in consumer nostalgia field, distinguish developments in the literature by summarizing the main findings of previous research and establishing theoretical trends.”

An Involvement Explanation for Nostalgia Advertising Effects by Darrel D. Muehling &Vincent J. Pascal “seeks to offer additional insights regarding why positive “nostalgia effects” in advertising may be observed, that is, why nostalgic ads tend to elicit more favorable consumer responses than do non-nostalgic ads. Using the personal relevance component of advertising involvement as a theoretical foundation, the study supports hypothesized expectations that nostalgic ads are capable of inducing greater levels of self-reflection and advertising involvement.”

OBJECTIVES

The intense emotion of has been put to use to influence or manipulate the preferences of the mass by interlinking media and human psychology. This paper will focus on the on the domination of nostalgic focus in contemporary media and its influence on streaming preferences with the objectives of understanding the concept of nostalgia and its psychological functions, positives and negatives of nostalgia, potential of streaming media in evoking the feeling of nostalgia among viewers and how it manipulates our preferences using our fascination towards ‘good-old-times’ and our obsession with the things that we missed out on in the past.

METHODOLOGY

The study originated from the need to explain the domination of nostalgic focus in contemporary media and its influence on streaming and buying preferences. Survey method was adopted in the study wherein questionnaires were given to 150 respondents between the age group of 18 to 30.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The intense emotion of has been put to use to influence or manipulate the preferences of the mass by interlinking media and human psychology. This paper will focus on the on the domination of nostalgic focus in contemporary media and its influence on streaming preferences with the objectives of understanding the concept of nostalgia and its psychological functions, positives and negatives of nostalgia, potential of streaming media in evoking the feeling of nostalgia among viewers and how it manipulates our preferences using our fascination towards ‘good-old-times’ and our obsession with the things that we missed out on in the past.

DISCUSSION

The study was conducted on the age group of 18 to 30 years to analyse how the feeling of nostalgia has been put to use to influence or manipulate the preferences of the mass.

By the results if the study, it is indicated that the majority of the people of the age group have access to internet and spend an average of more than 4 hours a day on social media platforms, streaming applications and internet surfing.

Amazon Prime is the most popular video streaming application among this age group with 23.72 percentage of people subscribing to it and Wynk Music is the most subscribed for music streaming application with 42.4 percent subscribers. 74.57 percentage of people have experienced the feeling of nostalgia triggered by various video and music streaming applications and 68.18 percent of them claim that music is the most effective component that triggers nostalgia. Lyrics(74.5) are the component of music streaming applications that induce nostalgia the most.

45.8 percent of people find themselves looking for nostalgia triggering content at times and 60 percent claim to be influenced by nostalgia and associated products while making a purchase of which the major influence is of the movies as indicated by the percentage of 39.2. The majority of people agree that nostalgia is a very effective tool of marketing.

The access to internet, the rapid growth of technology, the process of digitalisation are the major contributors to the increasing number of users for both freemium and premium streaming media.

As far as the choice of streaming applications are concerned, the preference in both video and audio streaming is influenced by the factors such as the affordability of the subscription fee, the marketing strategies and benefits associated with subscribing to them and also the influence of recommendation and trend set by the peers. The difference among male and female is very negligible as far as various dimensions surveyed about are concerned, though psychologically females are considered to be more prone to reciprocate to emotional appeals.

The influence of nostalgia is clearly seen in the consumer trends as indicated by the figures mentioned earlier. Movies, brand names and advertisements play a major role in evoking such trends.

CONCLUSION

Nostalgia undoubtedly plays an important role in altering the preferences of the mass indicating that emotional appeal, irrespective of increased education and advancement in technology still has a strong hold over human decision.

The rapid growth of technology and affordability of various gadgets plays a major role in the increasing number of streaming media users. But there is a distinction as far as subscription to freemium and premium applications are concerned that is, the majority prefers to go for those applications that provide services at minimum affordable prices or that provide a good number of benefits associated with its subscription.

The music streaming applications are more effective in evoking the feeling of nostalgia than video streaming applications. The lyrics and the background music play a major role as far as audio induced nostalgia is taken into consideration. Movies and brands are the major aspects that influence nostalgic purchases.

REFERENCES

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In such an era that information technology develops rapidly, media platforms have become the tools of mass communication and main data sources used by all to study about the society. There are many types of media such as Print Media, Broadcast Media, New Media and more. Media ought to be an independent body which give a function in reflect the reality, provide people to browse through the internet to know the latest news around the world effectively. However, the media gradually influence, which lose the fundamental reason which it serves. It also caused media bias and political spin. Notably, the behavior and beliefs of people in mass can be persuasive and consistent with the goals of some people or organizations (P.Fan, 1990). The strong interaction between public opinion and mass media with the invention of the internet. Hence, the influence on public opinion has increased. Thus, in this essay, we will examine how accurate to say that media reflects reality in the modern state under the influence of bias in media.

In general, television and mobile phone have become the essential tools to know the information and news. However, it is already a incontrovertible fact that the identical events are interpreted and shown differently in several countries. The authority will be altered to satisfy the viewer’s needs before the news shown on any platforms. Thus, it is possible to mention that a process of media bias and political bias exists. Parenti also defines mass media as “weapon” which may be wont to protect or against viewers (Parenti, 1986). Parenti persuaded that mass media is misleading belief and shifts it within the necessary reaction (Parenti, 1986). This also affect the accuracy of the media reflect the truth as different country only interpret and shows the news that benefits them. Mass media should be the tools which reflect the reality, but obviously, there are many components affecting the way of reflecting information and the rate of influence of certain factors by the alternation of data. From the author of “Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky”, It says that mass media along with educational system” weeds out people that are independent, and who think for themselves and do not understand how to be submissive because they are dysfunctional to the institutions” (Rotella, 2001). While working for mass media, people cannot use their brains because they must be submissive instead of independent. On the one hand, people often say that the media their preferred reflect the reality. They see the media as biased in their country or abroad. Some people only read the news which is reliable with their preferences instead of the reality. Some conscientious consumers are interest in discovering the truth. The truth restricts media bias. These two components were required to restrict media bias in a very competitive setting. The outcomes reveal the other. They discovered that media bias might increase when the conscientious consumers increase (Xiang & Sarvary, 2007, p. 611) .However, conscientious consumers who might able to recuperate more data from different news sources the more the outlets are biased will not get hurt by the increase of media bias (Xiang & Sarvary, 2007, p. 611) .As we will say that, the effect of media bias on the accuracy depends on how the reader process the data presented by media.

In this modern state, many political factors apply a bad influence on mass media. Money and interest become a source of power that encompasses a significant impact on mass media and also affect the accuracy of media. Mass media usually influenced by a number of the companies and businesses which may gain profits to draw in an outsized audience. Mass media is serving the interests of political and company leaders, instead of the interests of average people, whom it should have served indeed (Parenti, 1986). Political spin is one in all the tools to manage or influence communication to deliver a preferred message in politics. Spin could be a deprecatory term often employed in the context of political communicators. It refers to a particular message which is heavily biased in one’s position, which employs maximum administration of media aiming to maintain or exert control over the situation, often implying dishonesty or control. For example, Mike McCurry, who was press secretary to US President Bill Clinton and has referred to as a “spinmeister extraordinaire “for his ability to keep up appeal and wit while occasionally misleading journalists, intimidating and also courting reporters and manage a series of destructive events (Braun, 2016). However, we cannot say that political spin is totally exerting corrupt influence on media. Mass media is a good platform for public to understand the world easily. The messages presented through mass media can even encourage and produce public attention to the problem which are diverse such as the global climate change round the world. It can also be used as a platform to strengthen people’s awareness of crisis and security. Many social scientists believe that by using the facility of the internet, they might create significant operational space for themselves and use it to highlight the problems that will otherwise go unnoticed (Morozov, 2018).

In media studies, the reader should learn the way to know better the ways which media add up of our world, to people and place. Through the study of semiotics and critical discourse analysis, it can empower them to make their analyses of the media rather than accept how others interpret media. Semiotic as one of the most powerful and influential ways of thinking about media. Semiotics also help us to understand the world of sign and symbols deeply. Semiotics took place in the field of media such as newspaper, advertisement and more to know the way author produces a media content and audience interpretation toward the context. Some authors use media text rather than media content, this is because media text often understood during a variety way (Arackal, 2015).Semiotic reveals on the hidden or underlying meanings on the field of media which apply semiotic on it. For example, the Superman in a comic book represents “American” hero who stands for “justice”, “American style”, “truth” and dedicated to saving humanity from itself (Arackal, 2015) .Media representation often attracts contemporary audiences through the outfit. Semiotics is a study on the ways mass media create or recycle signs for their purpose. According to Norman Fairclough, Critical discourse analysis consists of two main structures which is internal relations and external relations. Internal relations are the way of using the vocabulary and grammar in a text. These are classified under the categories of action, identification and representation (Thomson, 2019). Fairclough states that “ the analysis of text focusing on the interaction of action, representation and identification, bringing social perspective into the center and fine detail of text (Thomson, 2019) .External relations, on the other hand, which include the author social influence and personal beliefs. Readers can also unlock the ideologies and restore the social meanings expressed in discourse (Thomson, 2019).

In conclusion, the accuracy of media depends on how the reader analyses the information presented by media. Media bias and political spin that occur do affect the accuracy of media, but readers can easily analyses in their own way through the study of semiotics and critical discourse analysis. The reflection of reality, with none bias, interpretations, adaptations and other means of misleading the people are the most purpose of mass media, and should not affect the accuracy of the media in reflecting the reality. There is no clear-cut answer but is, in the words of Stuart Hall,” “it must be explanatory-not a debate between the answer “right” and “wrong”, but between equally reasonable, despite it is sometimes competing and arguing, meaning and interpretation”. Media analysis techniques become a way to motivate readers to better understand the different perspective on reality circulating in our society.

References List

1. Arackal, F., 2015. Semiotics and Media Content. [Online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300484241_Semiotics_and_Media_Content[Accessed 18 February 2020].
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3. GeoMeans , 2015. Do our Media reflect Reality accurately?. [Online] Available at: https://geomeans.com/do-our-media-reflect-reality-accurately/[Accessed 28 January 2020].
4. Leetaru, K., 2017. Does Social Media Actually Reflect Reality?. [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2016/02/16/does-social-media-actually-reflect-reality/#34ad4bc04e43[Accessed 28 January 2020].
5. Morozov, E., 2018. Using Spin To Control Social Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/2009/11/09/social-media-politics-leadership-power-09-morozov.html#4aa841d24df9[Accessed 14 February 2020].
6. Parenti, M., 1986. Inventing Reality:The politics of the Mass Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2151380?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents[Accessed 14 February 2020].
7. P.Fan, D., 1990. Predictions of Public Opinion from the Mass Media: Computer Analysis and Mathematical Modelling. Greenwood Press. [Online] Available at: https://academic.oup.com/poq/article-abstract/54/1/144/1901801?redirectedFrom=PDF[Accessed 9 February 2020].
8. Rotella, M., 2001. Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky. [Online] Available at: https://search.proquest.com/docview/197061199/fulltextPDF/D3A7A24001E147C4PQ/1?accountid=14693[Accessed 14 February 2020].
9. Thomson, S., 2019. Differing Opinions: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Two Articles. [Online] Available at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-artslaw/cels/essays/writtendiscourse/DifferingOpinionsSThompson.pdf[Accessed 18 February 2020].
10. Xiang, Y. & Sarvary, M., 2007. News Consumption and Media Bias. [Online] Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40057083?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents[Accessed 28 January 2020].

The government and media are considered as the two most powerful institutions in the world. Media informs people about the current happenings around them, while the government leads the nation. The role of media in our society is to give updates about the current happenings around and give transparency in the government, wherein wrong-doings of politicians such as corruption (very common) can be exposed. However, the government is sagacious enough to avoid exposure. They do this by creating walls or using cash to control the media to conceal their impurities. Media is supposed to be a robust outlet of truth, the one that upholds democracy and gives bias-free information, especially during elections. However, the media seems to be controlled and directed by the strings. Above the strings are the manipulative politicians.

Today, the media don’t just spread information, they also filter information. Factual information is rare to find and limited while false information is boundless and everywhere. Information in any dimensions of mass media has been already filtered, trying to make people half-informed of what is really happening around them. What’s worse is, most people tend to believe in everything they hear, see, and read on television, newspaper, social media networks, and any other form of media. While in fact, what we see, hear, and read in any media platform is not really the exact data. These are all due to the government’s influence and authority. Though there is so-called ‘Freedom of the Press’, the government still held restrictions to fabricate information for they believe this is the way of protecting the people. The art below shows how the government controls the media, by maybe giving out money. Media and government ignite for their own benefit. Politicians will use media for them to be publicized considering that media is relatively vast and a powerful source in shaping the mindset of the people while the media uses the government to earn money and prefer to be controlled. However, conflict can still be present between the two, when the media can be brave enough to intentionally expose the wrongdoings of politicians. This is what the media should do, to give honest information to people especially in introducing political candidates, so people can choose the right leader. Media, whether they are controlled or not, can shape our lives and perception of reality. To avoid manipulation, we, as citizens should know how to evaluate, observe and know our rights.