Part 1: Digital Media and Convergence

2 The Internet, Digital Media, and Convergence

3 Digital Gaming and the Media Playground
1 Mass Communication: A Critical Aroach3
Culture and the Evolution of Mass Communication6
!ral and "ritten #ras in Communication$
The Print %evolution$
The #lectronic #ra&
The Digital #ra'
The (inear Model o) Mass Communication'
A Cultural Model )or *nderstanding Mass Communication1+
The Development of Media and Their Role in Our Society 10
The #volution o) a ,e- Mass Medium11
Media Convergence11
.tories: The /oundation o) Media10
The Po-er o) Media in #veryday (i)e11
Aenda Settin and !ate"eepin11
Surveyin the Cultural #andscape1$
Culture as a .2yscraer1$
#3AMI,I,G #T4IC. Covering "ar1&
CA.# .T*D5 The .leeer Curve22
Culture as a Ma20
Cultural 6alues o) the Modern Period27
.hi)ting 6alues in Postmodern Culture2&
Criti%uin Media and Culture&0
Media (iteracy and the Critical Process 31
8ene9ts o) a Critical Persective31
M#DIA (IT#%AC5 A,D T4# C%ITICA( P%!C#..32
G(!8A( 6I((AG# 8edouins, Camels, Transistors, and Co2e32
C4APT#% %#6I#"37
Additional 'ideos3$
Mass Communication A Critical
Aroach
In August 2+13, :e; 8e<os, )ounder o) Ama<on=com, lun2ed do-n >21+
million o) his o-n money and ?ought the 131@year@old "ashington Post, a
Aournalistic institution -hose legacy includes historic investigative reorting
on the "atergate scandal that ended the ,iBon residency= The urchase
-as a sym?olic shi)t o) sorts a maAor ,e- Media layer ?uying a dying !ld
Media icon= The daily circulation )or the storied Post had ea2ed ?ac2 in 1''3
at &32,+++ and had )allen to 0$0,+++ ?y 2+13C the aer had lost >13=$
million in 2+12 and another >0' million in the 9rst hal) o) 2+13=1 At the time
o) the urchase, 8e<os -rote: DThe Internet is trans)orming almost every
element o) the ne-s ?usiness: shortening ne-s cycles, eroding long@relia?le
revenue sources, and ena?ling ne- 2inds o) cometition, some o) -hich ?ear
little or no ne-s@gathering costs= There is no ma, and charting a ath ahead
-ill not ?e easy= "e -ill need to invent, -hich means -e -ill need to
eBeriment=E2
It sounded li2e 8e<os -as u )or an adventure@@one that may lead to an
inventive ne- -ay o) doing ?usiness )or an old conventional medium=
0
Many economists and media -atchers seemed ?aFed that a smart investor
-ould ?et on old rint media in a digital age= 8ut this convergence o) rint
and digital media does have some recedents= Ama<on used the ?oo2@@the
-orldGs oldest mass medium@@as the rimary initial o;ering )or -hat -ould
?ecome the -orldGs largest online retailer, o;ering everything )rom
aliances to -atches= 8e<os also seemed to )ollo- the lead o) investing
-i<ards li2e "arren 8u;ett, -ho ?ought t-enty@eight aers in 2+12 and 2et
?uying them in 2+13 Hsee Chater &I= !n that same -ee2@end that 8e<os
?ought the Post, hedge )und investor and 8oston %ed .oB o-ner :ohn 4enry
aid >$+ million )or the 8oston Glo?e, a aer that the ,e- 5or2 Times
Comany ?ought in 1''3 )or >1=1 ?illion=
"hat sets Ama<onGs ne-saer urchase aart is the -illingness o) 8e<os
and his comany to ste into the content and story creation ?usiness, similar
to their move into original T6 rogramming )or their online streaming
net-or2= In our digital era, eole still -ant in)ormation and stories, and
ne-saers have long ?een in the storytelling and in)ormation@gathering
?usiness@@giving them a cometitive edge= Indeed, "arren 8u;ett has
discussed his vie-s on the imortance o) ne-s: D,e-saers continue to
reign sureme = = = in the delivery o) local ne-s= I) you -ant to 2no- -hatGs
going on in your to-n@@-hether the ne-s is a?out the mayor or taBes or high
school )oot?all@@there is no su?stitute )or a local ne-saer that is doing its
Ao?=E3
Desite the limitations o) our various media, that Ao? o) resenting our local
communities and the -orld to us@@documenting -hatGs going on@@is
enormously imortant= 8ut -e also have an eJually imortant Ao? to do= "e
must oint a critical lens ?ac2 at the media and descri?e, analy<e, and
interret the in)ormation and stories -e 9nd, and then arrive at in)ormed
Audgments a?out the mediaGs er)ormance= This teBt?oo2 o;ers a ma to
hel us ?ecome more media literate, critiJuing the media not as detached
cynics -atching ?illionaires ?uy u old media ?ut as in)ormed audiences -ith
a ?ig sta2e in the outcome=
@@@@
D.ome ?illionaires li2e cars, yachts and rivate Aets= !thers li2e ne-saers=E
KC!(*M,I.T A,D%#" %!.. .!%LI, !, T4# 8#M!. D#A(, ,#" 5!%L
TIM#., A*G*.T 2+13
1
.! "4AT #3ACT(5 A%# T4# %#.P!,.I8I(ITI#. !/ ,#".PAP#%. A,D M#DIA
I, G#,#%A(N In an age o) highly artisan olitics, economic and
unemloyment crises, andN
uheaval in several Ara? nations, ho- do -e demand the highest standards
)rom our media to
descri?e and analy<e such comleB events and issuesKesecially at a time
-hen the ?usiness
models )or ne-saers and most other media are in such OuBN At their ?est,
in all their various
)orms, )rom mainstream ne-saers and radio tal2 sho-s to ?logs, the media
try to hel us
understand the events that a;ect us= 8ut, at their -orst, the mediaGs aetite
)or telling and
selling stories leads them not only to document tragedy ?ut also to
misreresent or eBloit it=
Many vie-ers and critics disarove o) ho- media, articularly T6 and ca?le,
hurtle )rom one
event to another, o)ten d-elling on trivial, cele?rity@ driven content=
In this ?oo2, -e eBamine the history and ?usiness o) mass media, and
discuss the media as
a central )orce in shaing our culture and our democracy= "e start ?y
eBamining 2ey concets
and introducing the critical rocess )or investigating media industries and
issues= In later cha@
ters, -e ro?e the history and structure o) mediaGs maAor institutions= In the
rocess, -e -ill de@
velo an in)ormed and critical vie- o) the inOuence these institutions have
had on national and
glo?al li)e= The goal is to ?ecome media literateKto ?ecome critical
consumers o) mass media
institutions and engaged articiants -ho accet art o) the resonsi?ility )or
the shae and
direction o) media culture= In this chater, -e -ill:
P Address 2ey ideas including communication, culture, mass media, and mass
communication
P Investigate imortant eriods in communication history: the oral, -ritten,
rint, electronic,
and digital eras
P #Bamine the develoment o) a mass medium )rom emergence to
convergence
P (earn a?out ho- convergence has changed our relationshi to media
P (oo2 at the central role o) storytelling in media and culture
P Discuss t-o models )or organi<ing and categori<ing culture: a s2yscraer
and a ma
P Trace imortant cultural values in ?oth the modern and ostmodern
societies
P .tudy media literacy and the 9ve stages o) the critical rocess: descrition,
analysis, inter@
retation, evaluation, and engagement
As you read through this chater, thin2 a?out your early eBeriences -ith the
media= Identi)y
a )avorite media roduct )rom your childhoodKa song, ?oo2, T6 sho-, or
movie= "hy -as it so
imortant to youN 4o- much o) an imact did your early taste in media have
on your identityN
4o- has your taste shi)ted over time to todayN "hat does this change
indicate a?out your iden@
tity no-N /or more Juestions to hel you thin2 a?out the role o) media in your
li)e, see DQues@
tioning the MediaE in the Chater %evie-=
@@@@Past@Pr s nt@/utur :
Th DMassE M dia Audi nc
In the siBties, seventies, and eightiesKthe height o) the T6
,et-or2 #raKeole -atched many o) the same rograms,
li2e the Beverly Hillbillies, All in the Family, the Cosby Show, or
the evening net-or2 ne-s= 8ut today, things have changedK
esecially )or younger eole= "hile almost all *=.= college
students use /ace?oo2 or T-itter every day, they are rarely
osting or reading a?out the same ne-s or shared eBeriences=
In a -orld -here -e can so easily customi<e our media
use, the notion o) truly DmassE media may no longer eBist=
TodayGs media mar2etlace is a )ragmented -orld -ith
more otions than ever= Prime@time net-or2 T6 has lost
hal) its vie-ers in the last decade to the Internet and to
hundreds o) alternative channels= Traditional ne-saer
readershi, too, continues to decline as young readers
em?race social media, ?logs, and their smarthones=
The )ormer mass audience is morhing into individual
users -ho engage -ith ever@narro-ing olitics, ho??ies, and
entertainment= As a result, media outlets that hoe to sur@
vive must aeal not to mass audiences ?ut to niche grousK
-hether these are conservatives, rogressives, sorts )ans,
history ?u;s, or reality T6 addicts= 8ut -hat does it mean )or
us as individuals -ith civic o?ligations to a larger society i)
-e are tailoring media use and consumtion so that -e only
engage -ith /ace?oo2 )riends -ho share similar li)estyles,
only visit media sites that aR rm our ersonal interests, or
only )ollo- olitical ?logs that echo our o-n vie-sN
7
===
'
====
assed into its digital hase -here old and ne- media ?egan to converge,
thus dramatically
changing our relationshi to media and culture=
===/urther reinventing oral culture has ?een the emergence o) social media,
such as T-itter
and in articular /ace?oo2, -hich no- has nearly one ?illion users -orld-ide=
.ocial media
allo- eole )rom all over the -orld to have ongoing online conversations,
share stories
and interests, and generate their o-n media content= This turn to digital
media )orms has
)undamentally overturned traditional media ?usiness models, the -ays -e
engage -ith and
consume media roducts, and the -ays -e organi<e our daily lives around
various media
choices=
Th (in ar Mod l o) Mass Communication
The digital era also ?rought a?out a shi)t in the models that media
researchers have used over
the years to eBlain ho- media messages and meanings are constructed and
communicated in
everyday li)e= In one o) the older and more enduring eBlanations a?out ho-
media oerate,
m
====
A Cultural Mod l )or *nd rstanding Mass Communi ation
A more contemorary aroach to understanding media is through a cultural
model= This
concet recogni<es that individuals ?ring diverse meanings to messages,
given )actors and
di;erences such as gender, age, educational level, ethnicity, and occuation=
In this model o)
mass communication, audiences actively aRrm, interret, re)ashion, or reAect
the messages and
stories that Oo- through various media channels= /or eBamle, -hen
controversial singer (ady
Gaga released her nine@minute music video )or the song DTelehoneE in 2+1+,
)ans and critics
had very di;erent interretations o) the video= .ome sa- (ady Gaga as a
cutting@edge artist
ushing ?oundaries and cele?rating alternative li)estylesKand the right)ul
heir to Madonna=
!thers, ho-ever, sa- the video as tasteless and cruel, ma2ing )un o)
transseBuals and eBloiting
-omenKnot to mention cele?rating the oisoning o) an old ?oy)riend=
"hile the linear model may demonstrate ho- a message gets )rom a sender
to a receiver,
the cultural model suggests the comleBity o) this rocess and the lac2 o)
control that DsendersE
Hsuch as media eBecutives, movie ma2ers, -riters, ne-s editors, ad agencies,
etc=I o)ten have
over ho- audiences receive messages and interret their intended meanings=
.ometimes,
roducers o) media messages seem to ?e the active creators o)
communication -hile audiences
are merely assive recetacles= 8ut as the (ady Gaga eBamle illustrates,
consumers also shae
media messages to 9t or suort their o-n values and vie-oints= This
henomenon is 2no-n
as selective eBosure: Peole tyically see2 messages and roduce meanings
that corresond
to their o-n cultural ?elie)s, values, and interests= /or eBamle, studies have
sho-n that eole
-ith olitical leanings to-ard the le)t or the right tend to see2 out ?logs or
ne-s outlets that
rein)orce their reeBisting vie-s=
The rise o) the Internet and social media has also comlicated the traditional
roles in ?oth
the linear and cultural models o) communication= "hile there are still senders
and receivers, the
?orderless, decentrali<ed, and democratic nature o) the Internet means that
anyone can ?ecome
a sender o) media messagesK-hether itGs ?y uloading a video mash@u to
5ouTu?e or ?y -riting
a ?log ost= The Internet has also largely eliminated the gate2eeer role=
Although some govern@
ments try to control Internet servers and some "e? sites have restrictions on
-hat can and cannot
?e osted, )or the most art, the Internet allo-s senders to transmit content
-ithout 9rst needing
aroval )rom, or editing ?y, a gate2eeer= /or eBamle, some authors -ho
are una?le to 9nd a
traditional ?oo2 u?lisher )or their -or2 turn to sel)@u?lishing on the
Internet= And musicians
-ho donGt have deals -ith maAor record la?els can romote, circulate, and
sell their music online=
Th D v lom nt o) M dia
and Th ir %ol in !ur .o i ty
The mass media constitute a -ide variety o) industries and merchandise,
)rom moving docu@
mentary ne-s rograms a?out )amines in A)rica to shady in)omercials a?out
ho- to retrieve
millions o) dollars in unclaimed money online= The -ord mediais, a)ter all, a
(atin lural )orm
o) the singular noun medium, meaning an intervening su?stance through
-hich something is
conveyed or transmitted= Television, ne-saers, music, movies, maga<ines,
?oo2s, ?ill?oards,
radio, ?roadcast satellites, and the Internet are all art o) the mediaC and
they are all Juite
11
caa?le o) either roducing -orthy roducts or andering to societyGs -orst
desires, reAu@
dices, and stereotyes= (etGs ?egin ?y loo2ing at ho- mass media develo,
and then at ho- they
-or2 and are interreted in our society=
Th #volution o) M dia: /rom #m rg n to Conv rg n
The develoment o) most mass media is initiated not only ?y the diligence o)
inventors, such
as Thomas #dison Hsee Chaters 0 and $I, ?ut also ?y social, cultural,
olitical, and economic
circumstances= /or instance, ?oth telegrah and radio evolved as ne-ly
industriali<ed na@
tions sought to eBand their military and economic control and to transmit
in)ormation more
raidly= The Internet is a contemorary resonse to ne- concerns:
transorting messages
and sharing in)ormation more raidly )or an increasingly mo?ile and
interconnected glo?al
oulation=
Media innovations tyically go through )our stages= /irst is the emergence, or
novelty, stage,
in -hich inventors and technicians try to solve a articular ro?lem, such as
ma2ing ictures
move, transmitting messages )rom shi to shore, or sending mail
electronically= .econd is the
entrereneurial stage, in -hich inventors and investors determine a ractical
and mar2eta?le
use )or the ne- device= /or eBamle, early radio relayed messages to and
)rom laces -here
telegrah -ires could not go, such as military shis at sea= Part o) the
Internet also had its roots
in the ideas o) military leaders, -ho -anted a communication system that
-as decentrali<ed
and distri?uted -idely enough to survive nuclear -ar or natural disasters=
The third hase in a mediumGs develoment involves a ?rea2through to the
mass medium
stage= At this oint, ?usinesses 9gure out ho- to mar2et the ne- device or
medium as a con@
sumer roduct= Although the government and the *=.= ,avy layed a central
role in radioGs
early years, it -as commercial entrereneurs -ho ioneered radio
?roadcasting and 9gured out
ho- to reach millions o) eole= In the same -ay, Pentagon and government
researchers heled
develo early rototyes )or the Internet, ?ut commercial interests eBtended
the InternetGs
glo?al reach and ?usiness otential=
/inally, the )ourth and ne-est hase in a mediumGs evolution is the
convergence stage=
This is the stage in -hich older media are recon9gured in various )orms on
ne-er media=
4o-ever, this does not mean that these older )orms cease to eBist= /or
eBamle, you can still
get the ,e- 5or2 Times in rint, ?ut itGs also no- accessi?le on latos and
smarthones via
the Internet= During this stage, -e see the merging o) many di;erent media
)orms onto online
lat)orms, ?ut -e also see the )ragmenting o) large audiences into smaller
niche mar2ets=
"ith ne- technologies allo-ing access to more media otions than ever,
mass audiences are
morhing into audience su?sets that chase articular li)estyles, olitics,
ho??ies, and )orms o)
entertainment=
M dia Conv rg nc
D
===
M dia Conv rg n and Cultural Chang
The Internet and social media have led to signi9cant changes in the -ays -e
consume and engage
-ith media culture= In re@Internet days Hsay, ?ac2 in the late 1'&+sI, most
eole -ould -atch
oular T6 sho-s li2e theCos?y .ho-, A Di;erent "orld, Cheers, or %oseanne
at the time they
originally aired= .uch scheduling rovided common media eBeriences at
seci9c times -ithin
our culture= "hile -e still -atch T6 sho-s, -e are increasingly li2ely to do so
at our o-n conve@
nience through "e? sites li2e 4ulu and ,etOiB or D6%S!n@Demand otions=
"e are also increas@
ingly ma2ing our media choices on the ?asis o) /ace?oo2, 5ouTu?e, or T-itter
recommendations
)rom )riends= !r -e uload our o-n mediaK)rom hotos o) last nightGs arty
to homemade videos
o) our lives, ets, and ho??iesKto share -ith )riends instead o) -atching
DmainstreamE rogram@
ming= "hile these otions allo- us to connect -ith )riends or )amily and give
us more choices,
they also ?rea2 do-n shared media eBeriences in )avor o) our individual
interests and ursuits=
The a?ility to access many di;erent )orms o) media in one lace is also
changing the -ays
-e engage -ith and consume media= In the ast, -e read ne-saers in
rint, -atched T6
on our televisions, and layed video games on a console= Today, -e are a?le
to do all o) those
things on a comuter, ta?let, or smarthone, ma2ing it easyKand very
temtingKto multitas2=
Media multitas2ing has led to gro-ing media consumtion, articularly )or
younger eole= A
recent Laiser /amily /oundation study )ound that todayGs youthKno- doing
t-o or more things
at onceKac2ed ten hours and )orty@9ve minutes -orth o) media content into
the seven and a
hal) hours they sent daily consuming media=& 8ut -hile -e might ?e
consuming more media,
are -e really engaging -ith itN And are -e really engaging -ith our )riends
-hen -e communi@
cate -ith them ?y teBting or osting on /ace?oo2N .ome critics and
educators )eel that media
multitas2ing means that -e are more distracted, that -e engage less -ith
each tye o) media
-e consume, and that -e o)ten ay closer attention to the media -e are
using than to eole
immediately in our resence=
4o-ever, media multitas2ing could have other e;ects= In the ast, -e -ould
-ait until
the end o) a T6 rogram, i) not until the neBt day, to discuss it -ith our
)riends= ,o-, -ith the
roli)eration o) social media, and in articular T-itter, -e can discuss that
rogram -ith our
10
)riendsKand -ith strangersKas -e -atch the sho-= Many T6 sho-s no-
gauge their oularity
-ith audiences ?y ho- many eole are Dlive@t-eetingE it, and ?y ho- many
related trending
toics they have on T-itter= In )act, commenting on a T6 sho- on social
media gre- ?y 1'0 er@
cent ?et-een Aril 2+11 and Aril 2+12='This tye o) articiation could
indicate that audiences
are in )act engaging more -ith the media they consume, even though they
are multitas2ing=
.ome media critics even osit that having more choice actually ma2es us
more engaged media
consumers, ?ecause -e have to actively choose the media -e -ant to
consume )rom the gro-@
ing list o) otions=
.tori s: Th /oundation o) M dia
The stories that circulate in the media can shae a societyGs ercetions and
attitudes= Through@
out the t-entieth century and during the recent -ars in A)ghanistan and IraJ,
)or instance,
courageous ro)essional Aournalists covered armed conOicts, telling stories
that heled the
u?lic comrehend the magnitude and tragedy o) such events= In the 1'1+s
and 1'7+s, net-or2
television ne-s stories on the Civil %ights movement led to crucial legislation
that trans)ormed
the -ay many -hite eole vie-ed the grievances and asirations o) A)rican
Americans= In the
late 1'7+s to early 1'$+s, the ersistent media coverage o) the 6ietnam "ar
ultimately led to a
loss o) u?lic suort )or the -ar= In the late 1''+s, ne-s and ta?loid
maga<ine stories a?out
the President ClintonTMonica (e-ins2y a;air sar2ed heated de?ates over
rivate codes o)
?ehavior and u?lic a?uses o) authority= In each o) these instances, the
stories told through a
variety o) media outlets layed a 2ey role in changing individual a-areness,
cultural attitudes,
and u?lic ercetion=
"hile -e continue to loo2 to the media )or narratives today, the 2inds o)
stories -e see2
and tell are changing in the digital era= During 4olly-oodGs Golden Age in the
1'3+s and
1'0+s, as many as ninety million eole each -ee2 -ent to the movies on
.aturday to ta2e
in a ro)essionally roduced dou?le )eature and a ne-sreel a?out the -ee2Gs
main events=
In the 1'&+s, during T6Gs ,et-or2 #ra, most o) us sat do-n at night to -atch
the olished
evening ne-s or the scrited sitcoms and dramas -ritten ?y aid -riters and
er)ormed ?y
seasoned actors= 8ut in the digital age, -here reality T6 and social media
no- seem to domi@
nate storytelling, many o) the er)ormances are enacted ?y DordinaryE
eole= Audiences are
)ascinated ?y the stories o) 9nding love, relationshis gone ?ad, and
?ac2sta??ing )riends on
such sho-s as Jersey Shore, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and the Real
Housewives series=
!ther reality sho-s li2e awn Stars, !he "eadliest Cat#h, and "u#$ "ynasty
give us glimses
into the lives and careers o) everyday eole, -hile amateurs entertain us in
singing, dancing,
and coo2ing sho-s li2e !he %oi#e, "an#ing with the Stars, and !op Che&=
"hile these sho-s are
all ro)essionally roduced, the er)ormers are almost all ordinary eole Hor
cele?rities and
ro)essionals er)orming alongside amateursI, -hich is art o) the aeal o)
reality T6K-e are
?etter a?le to relate to the characters, or comare our lives against theirs,
?ecause they seem
Aust li2e us=
!nline, many o) us are entertaining each other -ith videos o) our ets,
/ace?oo2 osts
a?out our achievements or relationshi issues, hotos o) a good meal, or
t-eets a?out a )unny
thing that haened at -or2= This cultural ?lending o) old and ne- -ays o)
telling storiesKtold
?oth ?y ro)essionals and amateursKis Aust another )orm o) convergence that
has disruted
and altered the media landscae in the digital era= More than ever, ordinary
citi<ens are a?le to
articiate in, and have an e;ect on, the stories ?eing told in the media= /or
eBamle, in 2+11
and 2+12, ro)essional ne-s reorts and amateur t-eets and ?log osts
a?out the !ccuy "all
.treet rotests across the *nited .tates and the -orld led to imortant
de?ates over income dis@
arity, caitalism and o-er, government, and modern democracy= In )act,
-ithout the videos,
t-eets, and ?log osts )rom ordinary eole, the !ccuy "all .treet
movement might not have
gotten the ne-s media coverage that it did=
11
!ur varied media institutions and outlets are ?asically in the narrativeKor
storytellingK
?usiness= Media stories ut events in conteBt, heling us to ?etter understand
?oth our daily lives
and the larger -orld= As sychologist :erome 8runer argues, -e are
storytelling creatures, and
as children -e acJuire language to tell those stories that -e have inside us=
In his ?oo2 'a$ing
Stories, he says, D.tories, 9nally, rovide models o) the -orld=E1+ The
common denominator, in
)act, ?et-een our entertainment and in)ormation cultures is the narrative= It
is the mediaGs main
cultural currencyK-hether itGs Michael :ac2sonGs DThrillerE video, a ost on a
gossi ?log, a /oB
,e-s DeBclusive,E a (ew )or$ !imes article, a t-eet a?out a ?ad ?rea2)ast, or
a )unny T6 com@
mercial= The oint is that the oular narratives o) our culture are comleB
and varied= %oger
%osen?latt, -riting in Time maga<ine during the 2+++ residential election,
made this o?serva@
tion a?out the imortance o) stories: D"e are a narrative secies= "e eBist ?y
storytellingK?y
relating our situationsKand the test o) our evolution may lie in getting the
story right=E11
Th Po- r o) M dia .tori s in #v ryday (i)
The earliest de?ates, at ===
====
17
/IG*%# 1=1
DAI(5 M#DIA C!,.*MPTI!, 85 P(AT/!%M, 2+13
.ource: DMedia Consumtion #stimates: Mo?ile U PCC Digital U T6,E
Mar2eting Charts,
---= mar2etingcharts=comS-S-@contentSuloadsS2+13S+&[email protected]@
Media@Consumtion@?y@Medium@2+1+@2+13@Aug2+13=ng =
===
2&
.hi)ting 6alu s in Postmod rn Cultur
/or many eole, the changes occurring in the ostmodern eriodK)rom
roughly the mid@
t-entieth century to todayKare identi9ed ?y a con)using array o) eBamles:
music videos,
remote controls, ,i2e ads, shoing malls, )aB machines, e@mail, video
games, ?logs, *.A
Today, 5ouTu?e, iPads, hi@ho, and reality T6 Hsee Ta?le 1=1I= .ome critics
argue that ostmod@
ern culture reresents a -ay o) seeingKa ne- condition, or even a malady, o)
the human sirit=
Although there are many -ays to de9ne the ostmodern, this teBt?oo2
)ocuses on )our maAor
)eatures or values that resonate ?est -ith changes across media and culture:
oulism, diver@
sity, nostalgia, and aradoB=
As a olitical idea, oulism tries to aeal to ordinary eole ?y highlighting
or even creat@
ing an argument or conOict ?et-een Dthe eoleE and Dthe elite=E In virtually
every camaign,
oulist oliticians o)ten tell stories and run ads that critici<e ?ig cororations
and olitical )a@
voritism= Meant to resonate -ith middle@class values and regional ties, such
narratives generally
it .outhern or Mid-estern small@to-n D)amily valuesE against the
suosedly coarser, even
corrut, ur?an li)estyles associated -ith ?ig cities li2e "ashington or (os
Angeles=
In ostmodern culture, oulism has mani)ested itsel) in many -ays= ===
=== Another tendency o) ostmodern culture involves reAecting rational thought
as Dthe
ans-erE to every social ro?lem, reveling instead in nostalgia )or the
remodern values o) small
communities, traditional religion, and even mystical eBerience= %ather than
seeing science
urely as enlightened thin2ing or rational deduction that relies on evidence,
some artists,
critics, and oliticians critici<e modern values )or laying the ground-or2 )or
dehumani<ing
technological advances and ?ureaucratic ro?lems= /or eBamle, in the
rene-ed de?ates over
evolution, one cultural narrative that lays out o)ten its scienti9c evidence
against religious
?elie) and literal interretations o) the 8i?le= And in oular culture, many T6
rogramsK such
as The 3@/iles, 8u;y the 6amire .layer,rr Charmed, Angel, (ost, and /ringeK
emerged to o;er
mystical and suernatural resonses to the DevilsE o) our daily -orld and the
limits o) science
and the urely rational=
In the 2+12 residential camaign, this nostalgia )or the ast -as )reJuently
deloyed as a
narrative device, -ith the %eu?lican candidates deicting themselves as
rotectors o) tradi@
tion and small@to-n values, and AuBtaosing themselves against President
!?amaGs messages o)
change and rogressive re)orm= In )act, a)ter -inning the ,evada %eu?lican
rimary in 2+12,
)ormer Massachusetts governor Mitt %omney )ramed the story this -ay:
DPresident !?ama
says he -ants to )undamentally trans)orm America= "e V%omney and his
suortersW -ant
to restore to America the )ounding rinciles that made the country great=E
8y ortraying
changeKand resent conditionsKas sinister )orces that could only ?e
overcome ?y returning to
some oint in the ast -hen -e -ere someho- D?etter,E %omney laid out
-hat he sa- as the
central narrative conOicts o) the 2+12 residential camaign: tradition versus
change, and ast
versus resent=
(astly, the )ourth asect o) our ostmodern time is the -illingness to accet
parado*= "hile modern culture emhasi<ed ?rea2ing -ith the ast in the
name o) rogress,
3+
ostmodern culture stresses integratingKor convergingKretro ?elie)s and
contemorary
culture= .o at the same time that -e seem nostalgic )or the ast, -e em?race
ne- technolo@
gies -ith a vengeance= /or eBamle, )undamentalist religious movements
that romote
seemingly outdated traditions He=g=, reAecting -omenGs rights to o-n roerty
or see2
higher educationI still em?race the Internet and modern technology as
recruiting tools or
as channels )or sreading messages= Culturally conservative oliticians, -ho
seem most
com)orta?le -ith the values o) the 1'1+s nuclear )amily, -elcome tal2 sho-s,
T-itter, /ace@
?oo2, and Internet and social media ad camaigns as venues to advance
their messages
and causes=
Although ne- technologies can isolate eole or encourage them to chase
their ersonal
agendas He=g=, a student erusing his individual interests onlineI, as
modernists -arned, ne-
technologies can also dra- eole together to advance causes or to solve
community ro?lems
or to discuss olitics on radio tal2 sho-s, on /ace?oo2, or on smarthones=
/or eBamle, in
2+11 and 2+12 T-itter made the -orld a-are o) rotesters in many Ara?
nations, including
#gyt and (i?ya, -hen governments there tried to suress media access=
!ur lives today are
)ull o) such incongruities=
CritiJuing M dia and Cultur