Mass Communication Research Research Articles

Book Review: Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry, by Kristin J. Lieb

Kristin J. Lieb Gender, Branding, and Modern Music Industry. New York: Routledge Press, 2013. 194 pp.The introduction of MTV to world in 1981 not only Killed Radio Star (MTV's first music video) but also shifted consumption of music from a predomi- nantly audio medium, to one which highlighted visual performance of music. This subject, specifically trajectory of female pop music stars' careers, is subject of Kristin Lieb's book.Gender, Branding, and Modern Music Industry includes data gathered in twenty-one extensive interviews with industry insiders, citing identified sources as well as anonymous contributors. Their frank assessment of sexism that dominates music industry is somewhat surprising, yet assuredly insightful.Lieb's fundamental argument is that while music industry is constantly chang- ing, emphasis on female appearance, and particularly one's sexuality, is a con- stant in world of female pop music stars. By interrogating the social forces underlying patterned and problematic representation of female artists, readers can more fully understand how they become so culturally embedded in today's society (p. 164).Chapter 1 establishes theoretical basis of book by identifying relevant research in sociology, mass communication, and communication studies. Lieb intro- duces notion of Cultural Diamond based on work of Wendy Griswold. The interaction between four key elements-the social world, a cultural object (in this case female artist), creator (the music industry and artist herself), and receiver (or consumer) of music serves as a basis to understand sociological process of constructing female pop music stars. Together with theory, Lieb combines a variety of theoretical constructs to complete framework for studying female pop music stars. Here, Lieb suggests that critical theory is insufficient to explain this phe- nomenon. However, in final analysis of life cycle of female pop music stars (Chapter 6), she draws largely from critical theory scholars, so while it is true that book approaches topic with a broad scope of academic literature, critical theory undoubtedly plays a significant role in conclusions reached.Chapter 2 merges two previously separate components of branding: short-term and person brand. This concept serves as basis for much of analysis that follows. In addition, Lieb explores various strategies, such as an artist's accessibil- ity, which may be used to keep brand relevant. Chapter 3 chronicles evolving nature of music industry (post-MTV) with particular attention to success of sales operations such as Amazon and impact of new technological avenues for obtaining music.Chapters 4 and 5 explore phases through which most successful female pop music stars must traverse. Using wide-ranging examples of artists from Madonna, Brittney Spears, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and others, Lieb analyzes evolution of their careers. The phases begin with stereotypic good girl and progress through roles labeled with more explicitly sexual overtones (i.e., temptress, whore, diva) and conclude with less commonly achieved phases such as self-imposed exile, protected status (generally by a male figure), and, finally, legends. …

Content and Hermeneutical Analysis of Selected Newspapers’ Reportage of Environmental Issues in Nigeria

There has been growing concern about the environment and the need to engage sustainable environmental behavior in Nigeria. It is irrefutable that since the mass media provide much of the relevant knowledge for public knowledge, they (the mass media) determine to a large extent the kind, and amount of, as well as frequency of environmental information that reaches the public which may in turn serve as basis for increased public action concerning environmental issues and matters. Apparently, media reportage of environmental issues is inadequate in extant literature. Thus; it is very important to ascertain how environmental issues which may have implications for climatic changes have been reported by the media, given the surveillance role that the media are expected to play in a democratic dispensation. It is on this backdrop that this study was carried out to investigate the reportage of environmental issues in Nigeria by selected newspapers. The study adopted content analysis method of mass communication research and dialectical hermeneutics method of critical-cultural research in analyzing sampled editions of selected newspapers. The newspapers that were selected for the study were nationally circulated and they were Daily Trust, Guardian, Punch and This Day. Systematic and purposive sampling methods were used to select a total of 480 editions of all the selected newspapers within a period of two years, 1999 and 2000. Consequently, 520 journalistic issues and editorial items in the selected newspapers were distilled from the newspapers and subjected to content analysis and hermeneutical interpretation so as to unfold manifest and latent reportage of environmental issues in Nigeria by the newspapers within the period of the study. Four environmental issues were devised as content categories to address the research problem and they were, flood, erosion, pollution and deforestation. Straight news stories, feature stories and opinions and columns were used as the editorial items and units of analyzing the content categories. Consequently, it was discovered in the study that the selected newspapers reported environmental issues in Nigeria considerably, and erosion and flood related matters received the highest reportage of all the environmental issues. It is not surprising that erosion/flood was considered most important by the selected newspapers within the period of study, given the amount of global attention on the environmental issue of erosion and flood. Also, the selected newspapers mostly used feature stories to report on the environmental issues Thus, the selected newspapers were able to describe the environmental issues extensively and put them (the issues) in perspectives that were germane to understanding of the issues by the readers. It was also discovered that the newspapers devoted significant space to the reportage of the environmental issues, by measure of length and paragraphs of the stories. However, the selected newspapers did not give the issues considerable and enough prominence, by measure of front page and back page placements and big headline point sizes. The study concludes that the selected newspapers were socially responsible in their reportage of the environmental issues. It is recommended that the media in Nigeria should pay more attention to environmental issues. The print media, most particularly newspaper houses should set more agenda for public discussion in respect of environmental issues in Nigeria by giving more prominence by way of placements of stories on environmental matters, on front page and other premium pages. This is because how agenda for public discussion is set in respect of salient issues of development such as the environment is determined by how reportage of the issue is rich in prominence, depth of treatment and headline point sizes.

A Converging Image?

Visual imagery, while largely overlooked in mass communication research, is central to how organizations represent themselves, make meaning, create identities, and communicate with the rest of the world. This research explores visual differences between alternative and mainstream news websites along the conceptual categorization of deviance. More deviant groups have historically represented themselves through alternative media with themes of confrontation and challenge, often through violent or sexualized imagery. However, online communication is now largely commercialized and commodified in order to professionalize a consumerist aesthetic that can attract mass audiences and return a profit. This research explores the visual communication of both alternative and mainstream media in an online environment where the whole world is watching.

An empirical examination of factors affecting college students’ proactive stickiness with a web-based English learning environment

Drawing on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory, this study develops a conceptual model to investigate the determinants of college students’ proactive “stickiness” with a web-based English learning (WBEL) environment. The model was validated using a cross-sectional survey of 306 college students. The partial least squares (PLS) method was applied to validate the measurement properties and proposed hypotheses. Overall, the empirical results show that computer self-efficacy, system characteristics, digital material features, interaction, learning outcome expectations and learning climate are critical affecting factors in determining student learning gratifications with WBEL, which is crucial to a college student’s proactive stickiness with the WBEL system. This study demonstrates the value in integrating findings from cognitive science and mass communication research to understand the WBEL processes involved. The findings provide initial insights into those factors that are likely critical antecedents for promoting college students’ English learning effectiveness through web-based technologies.

Discipline in Waiting

A brief response to Professor Perloff's critique of “Discipline in Crisis: The Shifting Paradigm of Mass Communication Research” in which I summarize our many points of agreement and enlarge upon our differences in interpretation.

Progress, Paradigms, and a Discipline Engaged: A Response to Lang and Reflections on Media Effects Research

In 2013, Annie Lang argued that the field of mass communication faces a Kuhnian crisis, born from the inability of its dominant paradigm to make progress in answering questions about media effects. The present article takes issue with her analysis, arguing that the field is not in crisis, but has made impressive strides in answering media effects questions and explaining influences of media on different levels. Elaborating on how the Kuhnian paradigm-in-crisis model does not accurately describe the current state of mass communication research, this article discusses the role that the time-honored media effects narrative plays in the discipline, positive aspects of Lang's vision, and conceptual issues to consider in efforts to theorize about the constantly-changing communication environment.

Three Reasons Samples Become Separated From Their Populations in Communication Research

There are three reasons why probability samples often become separated from their putative populations in mass communication research. First, researchers sometimes believe populations must surely exist when in fact they do not exist. Yet they relentlessly pursue these phantom populations rather than heed classic warning signs that something is wrong. Second, researchers often struggle with underpowered samples. Rather than render those samples using more appropriate qualitative methods, they plow ahead using misapplied statistical methods and thus never inferentially connect to a population. Third, researchers frequently and incorrectly use random assignment rather than random selection as a sample method. This, in turn, can leave a sample unconnected to a population if the population can be drawn only through random selection. As obvious as these three errors are, researchers nonetheless stumble into them regularly. We examine why that is and what researchers can do to avoid these errors.

Evolución y desarrollo del eslogan publicitario: tercer análisis

The purpose of this work is determined by the typical interest aroused in academia by slogans and the need to study their evolution and development in the current context of Spanish advertising communication. Its aim is to portray the state of slogans in Spanish print advertising, and at the same time, to compare the results to those of previous studies in order to observe its evolution in certain areas, such as the economy of expression, the semantic density, the use of rhetorical tropes, perdurability, exclusivity, and communication efficiency. The present research is therefore in line with mass communication research, within which the technique of content analysis has proved itself to be an effective tool. To this end, an extensive corpus of advertising slogans appearing in newspapers during 2011 was analyzed. In short, it can be stated that trends noted in previous studies are reinforced: a decrease in the use of slogans, more brevity and expressive condensation, more rhetorical tropes, a more active role of the consumer in creative concepts, and an in-crease in the number of advertising slogans in languages other than Spanish.

Discipline in Crisis? The Shifting Paradigm of Mass Communication Research

This article analyzes the Kuhnian paradigmatic status in the field of mass communication. It is suggested that the field's first paradigm, Media Effects, is in a state of crisis rather than a preparadigmatic state or a state of normal science. Finally, this article proposes a description of the current paradigm-in-crisis, suggests ways in which conceptions of the fundamental nature of what we are studying may be shifting, and proposes the elements of a new paradigm which may be emerging in the field.

Reflections on Communication and Sport

In this essay, Wayne Wanta reflects on sports reporting and journalists in the context of the traditions of mass communication research and theory. The first section focuses on the importance of communication and sport and the challenges in getting respect for sports journalism. The second section focuses on influences on and the development of a research agenda on sports reporting. The focus section of the paper considers theoretical development and the challenges of finding an appropriate theoretical framework for the study of sports reporting and journalists. Here, research centered on cultivation theory, the hostile media effect, gender comparisons in coverage, the social construction of reality, agenda-setting and framing, and news gathering routines is considered. The article closes with a look ahead for communication and sport research.

Framing in Mass Communication Research – An Overview and Assessment

AbstractThis article provides an overview of the use of the framing concept in mass communication research. It focuses on the questions what a frame is and how it is measured, how variation in framing can be explained and what the effects of media framing are. Specific attention will be paid to the sociological origins of framing. The article concludes with recommendations for future research. It argues that a more systematic and conceptually precise measurement of framing is warranted and suggests how the scope of frame‐building and framing‐effects studies can be extended.

EDITORIAL

We have prepared a new issue of Contemporary Military Challenges. I am well aware that there are many topical texts and media information that catch the eye of Slovenian public more than military and defence-related subjects. This is complete- ly understandable, since we feel safe in our country, while the security situation in other parts of the world is significantly different. In those remote unstable regions, the Slovenian Armed Forces comes into play as one of NATO, EU or UN members contributing to international peace and stability. The Slovenian Armed Forces work in the service of their country. We remain fai- thfully on our track, performing our duties and fulfilling the military mission to the best of our abilities. Some of our colleagues wrote in the Doctrine of the Slovenian Armed Forces that the values of the Slovenian Armed Forces are a driving force of mission implementation. They result from general civilization values, values of Slovenian society and the nature of military operations. We often like boast about the results of the Slovenian public opinion research regarding the trust of citizens in Slovenian institutions, according to which the Slovenian Armed Forces have ranked among the highest since 2005. Moreover, since 2010, the Slovenian Armed Forces has been on top. Indeed, such an outcome can be attributed to the fact that the rate of trust in other institutions has declined. Nevertheless, it is important that the proportion of those who trust the Slovenian Armed Forces has over the past two years remained constant or even increased. I am aware that the results of the Public Opinion and Mass Communication Research Centre at the Faculty of Social Sciences are only one of the mirrors showing our quality, but this is enough to remain optimistic regarding our future work. Values are therefore an important part of the functioning of the Slovenian Armed Forces work, the state and the society. Throughout the history, they have often been put to the test and it seems so today as well. Jasna Fedran wrote an article Basic ethical terms – an attempt to make a review of (un)ethical conduct where she introduces the values that challenged discussions with Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and many others in the past and today. Her text will reveal more about the findings. A lot has been written about contemporary security challenges and changes that remain a constant and incite new security threats. In his article, Analysis of NATO 2010 strategic concept, Aljaž Fabjan describes how the Alliance defined it responses to threats around the world and what are its priorities. The article Participation of Slovenian Armed Forces in international operations and missions in light of the foreign policy of the Republic of Slovenia by Branko Podbrežnik highlights international, political and legal frameworks that affect and define the functioning of the Slovenian Armed Forces in the turbulent international environment. Srečko Zajc in his article The role of civilian experts in international operations and missions – Slovenian lessons learned in PRT – ISAF, Afghanistan shared with us his experience from the operation of Slovenian civil military experts in that part of the world. Cross-border education and risk to national security is a topic which inspired the writing of Valentina Jošt Lešer, who among other things discusses what brain drain means for national security. Impact of human resource management on the enhancement of security culture in corporate security environment was discussed by Karmen and Denis Čaleta. Security culture is therefore a value in organizations that are strongly linked and dependent on the leadership and management. Bojan Zevnik has shared some of his experiences and suggestions, which he considers to be able to contribute to the improving of the quality of action. They are presented in the article Professional superiority in the management of communicati- on and information systems in the Slovenian Armed Forces. Despite the high intensity of daily events at work and privately, we kindly invite all who are interested in defense and military contents to write, especially in our future issues. In 2013, we celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Contemporary Military Challenges (formerly Bulletin of the Slovenian Armed Forces).

Intellectual poverty and theory building in African mass communication research

After years of heated controversy over philosophical orientations among communication researchers, a consensus seems to have emerged that recognizes the value of both the American and Europeans traditions. It was in the wake of the ‘ferment’ debates among communication scholars in the late 1970s and early 1980s that African communication scholars also started to take stock of their field and take a closer look at their historical and cultural experiences. In trying to situate their own unique perspectives within the study of communication, these scholars lamented the paucity of authentic African theoretical perspectives. All human communication behaviour is grounded in culture. Hence, authentic African communication theories attempt to explain such behaviour from the African cultural context. Over the years, however, African communication researchers engaged more in ‘reactive scholarship’ than in original theory building and relied largely on Eurocentric theories to explain African realities. Our study seeks to assess what progress has been made towards theory building among African communication scholars, and to determine whether such efforts still remain largely ‘reactive’, consist-ing mainly of criticisms of Eurocentric models and theories. The data revealed that after 30 years of debate on the ferment in communication research, there is still a gaping hole in African communication research, one that is devoid of authentic African communication theories that reflect the cultural, linguis-tic and social cleavages of the African society.

Book Review: Communications Research in Action: Scholar-Activist Collaborations for a Democratic Public Sphere, edited by Philip M. Napoli and Minna Aslama

Communications Research in Action: Scholar-Activist Collaborations for a Democratic Public Sphere. Philip M. Napoli and Minna Aslama, eds. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 2011. 300 pp. $22.00 pbk.Research and praxis are great partners in theory, but less frequently in practice, write editors Minna Aslama and Philip Napoli in their introduction to Communications Research in Action. Their collection of essays aims to address the disconnect among scholarship, the media industry, and policy makers. It offers what we seldom see-an avenue for researchers, advocates, lobbyists, and community organizers alike to grasp each other's bodies of work, interests, methods, and commitments. And indeed, this book is timely and well put together.Napoli's research focuses on media institutions and media policy; he is a professor in the Graduate School of Business and director of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University, where Aslama is a researcher and lecturer. The latter holds a PhD from the University of Helsinki and concentrates on ethnographies of digital living, global media, and audience participation.Their book offers examples of scholar-activist collaborations in the hope of helping to bridge the unnecessary (the editors argue) divide between research and the industry that research is based on, and where scholarly research is applied or contested. This is a unique contribution to the fields of communication, mass communication, media scholarship, and sociological research alike.Seventeen essays make up the volume, authored by a variety of international scholarly and industry-affiliated voices, as well as one chapter written as a collaboration between members of the VozMob project. This is a partnership between the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, which impresses the reader with its grassroots focus on stories narrated via mobile phones by first-generation, low-wage immigrants, and with its reflections on power sharing and accountability in settings that involve (perceived) unequal social status.Well written and edited, the five sections of the book offer different directions to evaluate, and engage with, the question of scholar-activist collaboration. The first is dedicated to media activism and its organizational needs and impacts; the second focuses on media ownership and its effect on programming; the third section addresses alternative and community media, followed by essays on citizen and consumer rights; the final section is dedicated to assessing scholar-activist collaborations and offers concluding remarks from the editors. …

Mass communication research on China from 2000 to 2010: a meta-analysis

This study presents a meta-analysis of mass communication research on China from 2000 to 2010. It reveals patterns in authorship, methodological and theoretical approaches, medium, and area of focus, through a content analysis of 159 articles published in 20 major communication journals. Eight frameworks frequently used by communication scholars to study China are identified in a follow-up analytical review. The paper concludes with discussion on the implications of the findings and suggestions for future work.

Communication: a field in theoretical trouble

O presente artigo discute as dificuldades teóricas da constituição do campo da Comunicação, destacando que o paradigma dos efeitos ainda é o fundamento da maioria das pesquisas acadêmicas. Discutindo as contribuições da Escola de Chicago, da mass communication research, de Marshall McLuhan e da Escola de Frankfurt, entre outros, o texto defende que o prestígio de uma ciência social não se deve exclusivamente à objetividade do conhecimento por ela gerado, mas à sua produção de valor social, cultural e político. Com a publicação deste artigo, MATRIZes se agrega ao conjunto das várias comemorações pelos 70 anos de idade de Muniz Sodré.

A Grounded Theory Analysis

Grounded theory methodology is a qualitative approach that allows researchers to set aside previous research and focus only on the project at hand. The previous research is then used to help give context to the findings. It is gaining use, but is still rare, in journalism and mass communications research. Using grounded theory methodology, the authors seek to contribute to theory that addresses the representation of Hillary Clinton during her public life and trailblazing political career. News stories about Clinton broadcast on the three major TV networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—from 1993 to 2008 are examined. The authors find that two primary representations emerge: Clinton as an innovator and Clinton as voiceless. Voiceless is an inherently negative representation, and although innovator is a positive theme, the news media tended to focus on representations of Clinton in negative stories.

Experimental Methodology in Journalism and Mass Communication Research

Experiments are a powerful method for understanding causal relationships in journalism and mass communication research. In this essay, the authors examine seven aspects of experimental quality that reviewers should include as criteria in their evaluations. They note that there are complex interrelationships among these indicators. In cases where aspects of the standards are controversial, the authors attempt to summarize the conflicting arguments. Where different methodological conclusions can be rationalized as appropriate, the authors’ suggestion is that the researcher make clear what decisions were made in the experimental design and why, so that readers can evaluate those decisions.

Broadening mass communication research for enhanced media practice

This article examines how the attention which media scholarship gives to only the quantitative research method impacts on journalism practice in Nigeria. Firstly, typical mass media texts were purposively selected and presented on a titled table. Secondly Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methods were used to analyse selected texts. Thirdly e-mailing and audio recording were used to elicit comments from a reporter and an editor. The editor and the reporter who commented wrote the stories from which the selected newspaper texts were drawn. Lastly, elicited comments were used to buttress arguments as the analysis progressed. In Nigeria journalists report news without imputation. Reporting news without imputations flaws news presentation. In this article flaws in news presentation are attributed to the attention which media scholarship in Nigeria gives to only the quantitative research method. The article proposes that as the qualitative research method, more so than the quantitative method, imparts better critical skills to journalists, the qualitative method should be emphasised more in mass media research.

THE TELEVISION/AUDIENCE COMPLEXITIES: MORE THAN ENCODING/DECODING

Hall opened the article with a critique to the classical tradition of mass communication research that looked at the communication process in a linear fashion, with a model of sender/message/receiver. This classical tradition was over concentrated on the message exchange level; excessively behavioristic, in the sense of looking at communication event as solely a stimulus and response phenomenon; and forgets the complexity of the structures that exist in the communication process itself. Hall then suggested a new understanding of the communication phenomenon, especially at the level of mass communication, which is later known as the ‘encoding/decoding perspective’, in accordance with the title of Hall’s article itself.