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Assess the role of mass media as an agent of social change. (UPSC CSE Mains 2017 - Sociology, Paper 1)
“Social Change” indicates the changes that take place in human interactions and interrelations. Any change that alters basically the established form of social relationships, thus transforming in some measure, the social structure, is social change. It includes alterations in the structure and functions of the society.
Mass media is communication—whether written, broadcast, or spoken—that reaches a large audience. This includes television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and so forth. Mass media is a significant force in modern culture, particularly in America. Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and creates the culture. Communities and individuals are bombarded constantly with messages from a multitude of sources including TV, billboards, and magazines, to name a few. These messages promote not only products, but moods, attitudes, and a sense of what is and is not important.
A society is influenced much more by type of media than by content or messages which are conveyed by it.
- Information: The media provides us with a continuous flow of information about our society and the world, from webcams and radio reports alerting us to traffic jams, to rolling weather reports, the stock market and new stories about issues that might affect us personally.
- Correlation:The media explains and helps us to understand the meaning of the information it gives us. In this way the media provides support for established social norms and has an important role in the socialization of children, providing a shared framework for the interpretation of events.
- Continuity:The media has a certain function in expressing the dominant culture, recognizing new social developments and forging common values. It acts as the mirror and watchdog of society.
- Entertainment:The media provides amusement, a diversion from the rigors of work and acts to reduce social tensions. This is essentially the function of a release valve for society, allowing people to set aside their problems and conflicts, at least temporarily.
- Mobilization:The media can be used to encourage people to contribute to economic development, to support and uphold moral rules and to mobilize the population in times of war. This can be through very direct public campaigns, but also in much more subtle ways, such as the moral tales within soap operas or movies, for example.
- Cinema has tackled current social problems like untouchability, drug addiction, AIDS, tribal identity, etc. In order to educate the masses the film division has produced documentaries dealing with health, hygiene, farming, environment, illiteracy and other subjects and screened it throughout the country. It has made people aware about their rights and duties through programmes like Atulya Bharat, Satyameva Jayte, Polio Eradication campaigns, etc.
- The Frankfurt school saw modern mass media as part of the culture industry which threatened to stifle creativity and reduces the quality of cultural products. Especially with the effect of consumer culture industry, the local languages and their indigenous part is getting ruined. For e.g. The vulgarization of Bhojpuri through popular songs.
- Because of monopoly of big corporate agencies and MNCs, which are holding the news channels, the quality and authenticity of the news is getting affected. For e.g. the heavy cost of sacrificing social issues for the sake of paid news. T.V. channels for the sake of T.R.P. (television rating point) are producing fake and sometimes superstitious believes which creates sensation in the mindset. For e.g. one hour episodes on daily horoscopes, chamatkari baba, ghost, gods and goddesses, etc.
- Jean Baudrillardargues that the news media, particularly television, creates a new hyperreality which comprises both the real world and its representations. Thompson argues that mass media have created a new form of social interaction, i.e. mediated quasi-interaction, that is more limited, narrow and one way than everyday social interaction. For e.g. addiction of messaging and chat through Facebook and Watsapp sometimes by creating fake id accounts.
- Internet has also opened the gate for porn industry, online sex, stalking, etc.· Cyber world sometimes promote fake identities with the result of which, real identity and world get sidelined.
- Crime related T.V. serials, movies, etc. can create attraction towards the crime and mafia world. For e.g. the famous Virginia Tech University case, imitation of stunt of W.W.F. by children at home which causes accident, etc.
Relations are getting more commercial, cyber, fake, practical, etc. because of this effect of mass media. Mass media is a double-edged weapon. It has pros and cons. It depends on the rational outlook of masses how to use it for the betterment of society.