Media Audiences and Media Geography - Essay Example

?Media Audiences and Media Geography The media can be broadly ified into two main types; the traditional media and the contemporary media representing the audiences of the past and those of the present respectively. The traditional media represents the traditional ways of mass communication that were adopted by the ancient societies. “Traditional media refer to the time-honored, conventional means of mass communication, such as street theater and puppetry as practiced by various global communities and cultures, or embodied in local custom or lore, generally involving the use of storytelling and especially communication arts that make up a distinctive culture, representative of a traditional way of life” (Aikat, n.d.). A potential representation of the traditional media is the folk media that projected the communication channels of the ancient societies. Modern media has a very different and advanced mechanism of mass communication. The mass media in the contemporary age is one of the most effective systems of life support that has pronounced effect on the global future and has the widest distribution all over the world. The contemporary age is essentially the age of information, in which the social and environmental issues continue to grow, that imparts the need of transition to a sustainable economy for every nation. “There has also been a healthful and general realization that the emphasis on “mass” audience – meaning an audience of individuals in lonely and direct contact with mass communication was never accurate” (Schramm, 1960, p. vii). The distinction between the audience of the past and the audience of the new age is imperative for the media to customize the content according to the every-changing and modifying needs of the audiences in an increasingly culturally diverse and globalized world. Media has a very strong influence on the society. Klapper (1960, p. 5) defined the consideration of the mass media as a compulsory and sufficient cause behind the effects observed in the audiences as short-sightedness, and recommended the consideration of media as just another influential element amidst other influences. “[I]t is the presumed power of the media to capture and sway the hearts, minds and behavior of the national public that account for both the fear and anxiety, and the hope and excitement, with which the media are regarded” (Fejes, 1984, p. 219). Media has always been both a trend-setter for and influenced by the audiences of a particular point in time. “The media are crucial in the social circulation of discourse and thus play a formative role in social and political change” (Fiske, 1996, p. 10). Media places immense emphasis on the likes and dislikes of the audiences because the success of media fundamentally depends upon the approval of the audiences of the content that the media shows. The first and the foremost basic principle that every would-be programmer is taught through every handbook is “know the audience” (Ang, 1991, p. 19). “In order for television to achieve its work – that is, to make meaning and produce pleasure – it has to draw upon and operate on the basis of a kind of generalized societal common sense about the terms of the society and people’s social location in it” (Gray, 1995, p. 9). The research culture has evolved greatly over the passage of time. Although research has been a necessary part of the spread of knowledge in all times, yet the research was never as rampant as it is today. In the past, it was easy to advertise a product by just showing the models endorsing them as the audiences understood that the technology was not quite developed to expect every product to be made after a lot of research. Besides, the audiences themselves were too uneducated and far from being the part of a research culture to think on these lines. Over the decades, there has been immense advancement in technology which has played a fundamental role in the development of a research culture all over the world. Today, scientists are equipped enough to study minute details of things, which in turn has raised the expectations of the public from them in general. Today, it takes much more to persuade the audience into buying a certain product. “The ‘power’ of any media report or advertisement is not embedded solely in the individual message itself. Each image or item of information enters a world already populated by a multitude of other sources of information” (ibid cited in Barker and Petley, 2001, p. 21). The contemporary audience wants the advertiser to prove that the product is worth buying using facts and figures. The audiences want a considerable amount of research undertaken to generate the knowledge that was used to make the product available to them. Even if a product is made after an extensive research, the audiences are educated enough to measure its benefits and side effects in comparison to other products available to them in the market that serve similar purpose. Distinction between the attitudes and response of the audiences of the past and those of the present has caused the manufacturers to be more prudent in the development of their products so that they may gain competitive advantage. If the manufacturers continued to advertise their products without distinction between the attitudes and responses of the audiences of the past and the present age, they would not be able to sell their product. This essentially means that convincing the audiences today is not as simple as it was before. To convince the audiences, “Over the years, a range of risk-reducing techniques and strategies of regulating television programming … have been developed…[which are] aimed at the codification, routinization, and synchronization of the audiences’ viewing practices, to make them less capricious and more predictable” (Ang, 1991, p. 19). The most fundamental pre-requisite of achieving this goal is distinguishing between the likes and dislikes, traits, characteristics, and trends of the audiences of the past and the audiences of the present age. The level of intelligence and engagement of the audience plays a fundamental role in the strategies adopted by the media. In the past, the audiences were not as sharp as they are today. Also, in the past, the media was not as watchful of the content it showed as it is supposed to be or at least expected to be today. The main objective of the audiences was news and entertainment. There was not much awareness, and people liked to use such things as TV and radio to know what is happening around the world and to be entertained. Since people lacked knowledge, they were like empty pots that could be filled with whatever media liked. Media projected a trend of clothing as fashion and the audiences accepted it happily. Media said something was happening at a certain location and time in a certain part of the world, and the audience would believe it because the audiences neither were equipped enough to know about those events from other sources, nor were intelligent enough to understand what might be the media’s purpose to misguide them over a certain matter. Over the passage of time, the audiences have become more critical about what is shown in the media. “The fact that respondents can actually see presenters discussing world events [unlike the audiences of the past who had to rely on radios for news] allows these viewers to feel that they can judge for themselves the authenticity or truthfulness of the accounts given” (Gauntlett and Hill, 1999, p. 60). Today, if some TV channel projects bell-bottom fashion, the audiences tend to criticize it considering it too old-fashioned and old-school to endorse. The success of a TV channel is directly linked with the number of viewers whose attention it gathers in a positive way. Accordingly, the TV channels cannot risk projecting such things and trends that are likely to gain public’s criticism. The contemporary audience has a broad range of television channels to select from, which has provided them with increased authority than they had in the past with limited options. The audiences want to make best use of their time by having instant access to the information they require. “Time famine breeds impatience, and the desire that choices should be immediately available. The developments that are producing television’s age of plenty respond to those requirements” (Ellis, 2002, p. 171). The impatience and increased authority of the audiences has encouraged the media to project new trends so that the viewership can be increased. This is not only good for the media itself, but also encourages the fashion designers to come up with unique, new, and innovative styles so that the consumers have a variety of options to choose from. A very important usefulness of distinction between the past and new age audience is the profitability of business. Like every industry, media is also an industry whose prime objective is to make money. “The US television producer is a very special kind of artist, if that is an appropriate term at all – he or she is at least as much a business executive” (Gripsrud, 1995, p. 29). In order to be successful, every business needs a careful evaluation and assessment of the trends and traditions, likes and dislikes of its stakeholders. In the case of media, the stakeholders are primarily the viewers. The time and effort invested in the distinction between the trends and traditions, and likes and dislikes of the audiences of the past and the audiences of the present age is worth it since it enables the media to make informed decisions regarding which programs to show to maximize the profits. Companies are using the distinction between the new age audiences and the audiences of the past as a means of profit-making. A potential example of this is the way media is making money by entertaining the ageing audiences. The noisy disruption caused by the models of media business in the past decade has caused a demographic transformation. Media consumers are ageing rapidly whether they watch television, read the newspapers, listen to the radio or the music. “Rather than trying to reverse this trend by attracting younger people, many companies are attempting to profit from the greying of media” (The Economist, 2011). Audiences in different parts of the world have different preferences for the programs they want to see. In a vast majority of cases, these preferences are guided by the religious beliefs, cultural values, customs, trends and traditions of the audiences. There is no doubt in the fact that different religious and cultural values dominate in different parts of the world. For example, in countries like Iran and KSA, the media is dominated by Islamic values whereas the Western media, primarily that of the USA, Canada, and Britain etc., the media is dominated by the Christian and/or Jewish values. More importantly, media of a region reflects the culture of the region. For instance, the media in countries like Iran is male dominated. The religious and cultural elements reflects in practices that include but are not limited to more male newscasters than female newscasters, burqa-clad women in TV programs, talk shows, dramas, and movies, minimal number of programs based on songs and dance, and maximal number of programs in which religious discussions are carried out. On the other hand, media in the West provides a lot of freedom of expression to the women both physically and otherwise. A vast majority of programs are based on songs, movies, and dramas. Women are just as much portrayed in the media as men, if not more. Moreover, women in the Western media are free to appear on screen wearing any length of trousers and blouses they want to. The Western media openly talks about gay rights, shows dramas in which homosexual people are shown living together like a family, conducts talk shows in which discussions about granting gays rights equal to straight people are carried out, and in a vast majority of cases, discussions in favor of gays are carried out. On the other hand, media of the East particularly in Islamic countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, and media of many Arab countries including the KSA, UAE, and Lebanon etc. gives minimal coverage to issues concerning gays. The representation of homosexual people in the media of these countries is so less that one tends to doubt whether homosexual people altogether exist in these countries. The fact is that the audiences in these countries are severely offended if the media gives coverage to the gays or discusses their rights in the programs since homosexuality is strictly prohibited in Islam as well as other Abrahamic religions whose followers form a minority in these Islamic countries. All these elements reflect the cultural preferences of the audiences watching the TV shows. “Mass media messages interact with moral judgments and broader cultural assumptions and compete with, or reinforce, messages from other non-media sources, such as the attitudes and behaviors of friends, pervasive sexism, racism or heterosexism, and the practicalities of their daily life” (ibid cited in Barker and Petley, 2001 p. 21). The usefulness of making distinction between audiences on the geographical basis is that it enables the media to broadcast programs and discuss issues that will acquire them maximum viewership, and accordingly, their profits will be maximized. Advancement of technology has played a fundamental role in the spread of cultures to the extent that many parts of the world have become culturally diverse over the passage of time. Since the advent of computers in general and the Internet in particular, the world has become a global village. The ability of individuals to interact with one another live with video calls 24/7 has significantly suppressed the significance of geographical distances. Today, there is more exchange of cultural values, trends, and traditions than there was ever before. The spread and growth of multiculturalism all over the world has yielded many positive results. The multinational companies are amongst the biggest beneficiaries of the spread of multiculturalism since the products they develop cater to a larger volume of consumers today than they ever did in the past. Multiculturalism has provided people belonging to different cultures and ethnicities to have a better understanding of those belonging to other cultures and ethnicities. As a result of this, people are able to identify the common traits between them and others and remove their individualistic and collective differences. This spreads peace in the society and mutual harmony among the people so that they can live and work together in a mutually beneficial environment. “[T]he current confluence of traditions could be useful for further theoretical, methodological and empirical developments” (Jensen, 1990). Other positive outcomes of multiculturalism include but are not limited to the end of slavery, identification of the rights of people belonging to all nations, religions, and races, and increase in trade between nations. In addition to that, people belonging to different cultures are able to understand and speak one another’s language as a result of the influence of media. For example, the rock-and-roll “brings together musical texts and practices, economic and race relations, images of performers and fans, social relations (for instance, of gender, of friendship), aesthetic conventions, styles of language, movement, appearance and dance, …It is within such contexts that the relations between audience members and cultural forms are defined” (Lewis, 1992, p. 54). Realization of these facts by the media is fundamental to its success. In the recent few decades, big metropolis like New York, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Beijing share a lot of similar traits despite the geographical distances among them and the differences of their cultures. This is evident from the fact that a lot of people in these big cities of the world have a similar lifestyle in many ways. They endorse similar fashion styles in dressing, grooming, and makeup. They have similar architecture, similar behavior, as well as similar TV programs. This essentially means that similar television programs appeal to the interests of the audiences in these big metropolis. “[T]he television program is a relatively open text (that is, a variety of meanings can be, and are, made from it), [which] may be socially determined rather than textually determined … it is through this openness and polysemy that the same program can be popular with a variety of audiences” (Fiske, 1987, p. 40). The languages in which the TV programs are broadcast may different among these cities, but to a large extent, the content shown is very much the same. Media has realized this unifying effect of globalization and the spread of multiculturalism in the present age to make programs that provide people of a certain nation with insights into the culture and lifestyle of the people of other countries. The awareness the audiences have gained by viewing such programs have provided them with all the information they need to make such informed decisions as which country to migrate to for better educational and work opportunities. Moreover, the globalized media has played a big role in reducing the culture shock for the immigrants in the present age, so that they can integrate into the host countries quickly, enhance their own lifestyle, as well as contribute to the economy of the host country in a positive manner. The importance of audiences’ interest in the potential of the media to be successful cannot be overemphasized. There are many cases that provide evidence for this. A prime example of this is the extinction of the Lollywood Film Industry in Pakistan and the growth of the Bollywood Film Industry in India. At the time of partition in 1947, both Lollywood and Bollywood were almost equal in terms of success. Neither of the industries was globally recognized, though both industries were doing good business in the respective countries because the films that were produced five or six decades ago were accorded with the interests of the audiences of the two countries. With the passage of time, Bollywood started showing more growth in comparison to Lollywood. The movies produced in Bollywood were stronger in terms of several factors including the plot, choreography of the dances, cinematography, and direction, whereas the central themes of the movies produced in Lollywood were fighting mixed with comedy and exposure. Although both countries share the same past as both were part of the Indian Subcontinent before partition in 1947, yet the cultural values of the two countries have transited over the passage of time. While the Indian audiences do not consider nudity and exposure very bad if the songs are choreographed aesthetically, the Pakistani audiences do not appreciate it since such things surpass the religious limits of the Muslims. Hoggarts describes the demoralizing effect of the new mass culture in these words, “They can be accused (as can all else for which they stand up as examples: the thin bonhomie of many television programmes, the popular film, much in commercial radio), not of failing to be highbrow, but of not being truly concrete and personal” (Alasuutari, 1999, p. 9). Besides, the storyline and direction of the films of Lollywood were too weak to let the industry sustain for long. Eventually, Lollywood Film Industry has come to the verge of extinction whereas the Bollywood Film Industry is thriving to the extent that many Bollywood actors and actresses have got global fame and recognition. Many superstars like Aishwarya Rai and Mallika Sherawat are being offered roles in Hollywood films. The failure of the Lollywood Film Industry can in part be attributed to the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic country with more conservative values as compared to India which is predominantly a Hindu country with more liberal cultural and religious values. From this example, it can be concluded that the interests, cultural and religious values of the audiences play a prime role in making the media successful. Realization of the fact that the audiences of the new media era spend a considerable time using Internet and particularly Facebook has enabled the concerned authorities to use these mediums to control the minds of the youth. A potential example of this is the public outrage among the people in general and the youth in particular of Lebanon and Egypt, who were so flared up by the constantly reinforcing campaigns run on Facebook and other social media websites that they resolved to take action against their own political leaders, thus causing the sociopolitical condition of their country to worsen. “Nearly 9 in 10 Egyptians and Tunisians surveyed in March said they were using Facebook to organise protests or spread awareness about them” (Huang, 2011). Twitter power expressed its regret for the use of social media as a medium to run the campaigns by the people in these words, “Surely the least interesting fact about them is that some of the protesters may (or may not) have at one point or another employed some of the tools of the new media to communicate with one another” (Rosen, 2011). There are numerous factors that play the role of catalysts in enhancing the influence of media on the society. “[T]he particular hypothesis that simply watching television or movies will have predictable effects on behaviour is sufficiently abstract and without obvious reason, that we can justifiably demand that some explanation should be proposed as to what the particular mechanisms held to cause imitation or other effects might be” (Gauntlett, 2005, p. 16). Michael Ryan’s case provides an explanation for this, as it is a practical example of how the incidents happening within the society enlarge the influence of media. Michael Ryan shot 16 people dead on 19 August 1987 in Hungerford, after which, he committed suicide. This was a very unusual event to happen in the town of Hungerford and raised curiosity among the public as to why this incident happened. In subsequent investigations and discussions, the character of Michael Ryan was identified with Rambo. The story of “Rambo and the Hungerford backlash” was published in the Sunday Mirror in July 1988, almost a year after the Hungerford massacre. Peter Cliff announced in the article the release of Rambo III on the anniversary of killings in Britain. Ron Tarry, the former mayor of Hungerford said in response, “A lot of people identify Ryan with Rambo. We don’t need this film as a reminder” (Tarry cited in Webster, 1989, p. 173). Carol, who did a lot to help the victims of the unfortunate incident said, “The last thing any of us need at this very emotional moment is for another Rambo movie to be released” (Carol cited in Webster, 1989, p. 173). Probably, the public feared that release of the movie on the anniversary of the killings could lead to yet another unfortunate event, or revive the memories of the traumatic incident for the least, which would have been no less painful. The media distinguishes between the tastes, traits, trends, traditions, customs and values of the audiences of the past and the audiences of the present age to keep its position as a strong and powerful influential industry since the media makes money by cashing this status. The media makes use of its resources including TV, radio, and Internet etc. to make profit. The prime usefulness of distinguishing between the passive, zombie-like audiences of the broadcast age and the active prosumers of the new media era is that the contemporary media becomes more watchful of the content it is showing, the campaigns and programs it is advertising, the news it is broadcasting, the knowledge it is transferring to the audience, and the way it is discussing the issues. The active, well-informed, knowledgeable, and culturally diverse prosumers of the new media era approach media not just as a means of entertainment, but as a source of information that they can avail to upgrade their standard of living, and gain their political and socioeconomic objectives. Agencies and authorities controlling the media have taken advantage of this rise of curiosity for knowledge and awareness among the audiences of the new age to maximize their profits by broadcasting programmes and providing the audiences with such means of interaction through which they can not only observe what is happening around the world, but also play their individualistic and collective role in it. The power of media as an influential industry calls for the development of a new generation of mass media that is socially responsible which addresses the complex and interconnected global issues using innovative strategies like entertainment education. 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