Media Studies: Media Manipulation
Overview
An introduction to Media Studies; students will explore how audiences are manipulated by the media they consume and the moral and ethical issues that the media holds.
Unit aims:
- To understand how audiences are manipulated by the media they consume
- To understand how music artists construct their star personas through a case study of Pharrell Williams
- To understand the basic concepts of Dyer’s Star Theory (explained below)
- To understand the basic concepts of the hypodermic needle theory
Example Key Words
Representation
The way aspects of society, such as gender, age or ethnicity, are presented to audiences. Representation is how media texts deal with and present gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience.
Ethnicity
The quality or fact of belonging to a population group or subgroup made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent.
Activism
Media activism is activism that uses media and communication technologies for social movement, and/or tries to change policies relating to media and communication (media policy activism).
Manipulation
Media manipulation exploits the difference between perception and reality.
Pacifism
Pacifism is opposition to war, militarism, or violence
Morality
Morality refers to the set of standards that enable people to live cooperatively in groups. It’s what societies determine to be “right” and “acceptable.”