Soc. 118Media, Culture &

Society

Chapter 10Strange Days:

Popular Culture and Mass Media in the

Digital Age

Overview

Introduction Social Revolutions Medium Theory

The Media is the Message Supporting Arguments Critical Arguments

What Happens Online Doesn't Always Stay Online

Video: “Digital Nation” Digital Technology and the Media Industries The Future of Online Media and the Digital Age

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Social Revolutions

Change in society related to inventions Domestication Revolution

Plants and animals Agricultural Revolution

The plow Industrial Revolution (1800s)

The steam engine The “Modern Age”

Information or Digital Revolution (1990s )

The computer microchip The “Postmodern Age”

Medium Theory:Marshall McLuhan

Medium theory Focus on technology of media

Aside from content Technological Determinism

Technology as causal force in social change Marshall McLuhan (1964)

“The medium is the message” (“Global Village”) Impact on perceptions and social reality

Sense of time, space and direction Identity and social relationships

Debates about effects of new technologies For individuals and society

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Digital Technology:Supporting Arguments

Education theory Explicit learning

Knowledge of facts, figures, dates Collateral learning

Development of cognitive skills

Positive effects Example of video games

Goal-oriented games (Grand Theft Auto) Find order in chaos Patient experimentation Delay gratification

MMORPGs (World of Warcraft) Form social alliances Collective problem-solving Build leadership skills

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Digital Technology:Critical Arguments

Negative effects of living online Mental faculties

Can’t read deeply or thoughtfully Can’t absorb material or critically analyze Can’t concentrate, short attention span

Internet addiction Players get in the zone

Cut off from real world Dissociate, disengage from others Lack face-to-face interaction

Other media adopting Internet’s visual norms

Other dysfunctions?

Video Presentation: “Digital Nation”

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What Happens Online Doesn’t Always Stay Online

Thin border between real life and cyberspace Examples:

Corporations hold business meetings Colleges offer classes

Students can RateMyProfessors.com Celebrity sites give constant coverage

TMZ, Gawker, YouTube Social Networking sites

Strategic profiles Meeting romantic partners

Ethical questions about living online, using sites

Real world consequences

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The Future of Online Media and the Digital Age

Interrelated trends Positive and negative aspects

Convergence Content across platforms

Used for commercial purposes Participation

Audiences co-produce own media using pop culture materials

Intellectual property rights, fair use Collective intelligence

Pool resources to challenge traditional media Reliability of Wiki sites

Other promises and problems?