Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in an Analysis of Media Content - Essay Example

?ANALYSING MEDIA OUTPUT What advantages are there to combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in an analysis of media content? Mention specific studies in your answer. In almost all research works that seek to draw some level of basis for the need to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyzing media content point to the fact that each of the two have some weaknesses and so by combining the two, the weaknesses of each of the two becomes catered for by the strengths of the other (Jensen, 2002). For example specific reference can be made to a study were only qualitative approach was used to study the behavioural pattern associated with the contraction of HIV in female African Americans (Crepaz et al, 2009). By the conclusion of that very study, the researchers acknowledged in their recommendations that the exclusive use of qualitative research did not make it possible for the researchers to undertake an empirical analysis of the data and so most of the findings could not be generalized to other settings where there were African Americans but the research did not cover. In effect, reliability of the study was affected. In another study where quantitative study was also used, the need for the researchers to rely solely on primary data prevented them from collecting secondary data that could answer statistical questions that the respondents in the primary research could not answer. Internal validity was therefore affected in the research. In effect, when the two approaches are combined, there is a better unification of the merits of undertaking content analysis than when only one of the approaches is used. 2. Media content can be used to map long-term social and cultural change. Discuss, mentioning the main challenges for this kind of research in your answer. Generally, the media is described as the eye of society, meaning that the media is an institution that is designated to reflecting on the happenings of society in a manner that entertains, educates and informs the populace (Machin, 2007). The media is also seen as a third party critic of society as the media is expected to belong to a line of argument that is devoid of subjective judgment but rather filled with objective criticism (Fairclough, 1995). Once the latter is done properly, the media should be referred to as an authoritative source for decision making on issues that affect society. Meanwhile, the media carries itself to the populace or audience through the content that it carries, and thus media content. If any reference is being made to the role of the media in society therefore, one could be referring directly to media content. In a recent study, it was identified that the media content has so much power when it comes to influencing social and cultural changes because of the generalized influence that the media has on the society (Riffe, Lacey and Fico, 1998). By this relation, it will be pointed out that society is made up of the social and cultural dynamics of people and so if media content can influence society, then it can easily influence social and cultural change. There are indeed a number of ways that media content can influence social and cultural change but one of the commonest of these has been found to be the manner in which long term strategic changes are made based on media content. Through means and theories such as framing theory and agenda setting theory, the media can constantly use its content to champion certain key social and cultural issues that it deems as befitting for societal adherence. Once this happens, media content will be directed towards these issues that the media is seeking to champion. The ultimate effect of the application of such theories has also been that society comes to accept the issues that the media sets aboard (Humphrey, 2001). In effect for all long term social and cultural changes that are sought, the likelihood of inculcating the view points of the media content is higher. All the discussions above notwithstanding, there are a number of challenges that can met in undertaking such an agenda of using media content to map long term social and cultural changes. Indeed, modern studies show that whether with the use of agenda setting theory or framing theory, society tends to suffer negatively from the actions of the media if the reason for which the media is setting its agenda and framing its content is to achieve a preconceived subjective and egotistical. A major challenge for thus kind of research would therefore be the test of ensuring that media content is carefully scrutinized by the public before such long term social and cultural changes are made based on them. 3. What are the specific issues that researchers face when analysing new media output? New media may not be very new a term to a researcher who is familiar with modern day media output because of the rate of popularity that new media is attaining over the years (Machin and Van Leeuwen, 2005). But to the researcher who wants to ensure high standards of practice, the use and analysis of new media output comes with so much caution and care so that the reliability of the content of the research work will not be affected. Therefore, a major issue that researcher face when analyzing new media output is the issue of authenticity of the output. Generally, there are more unsubstantiated new media sources on the internet than there are substantiated sources (Berger, 1991). This is due to the rate at which the use of new media outputs and outlets such as blogs, wikis and community forums are becoming popular. With most of these blogs, wikis and forums, there are virtually no background checks done into the authors who present media content. Therefore, for a researcher who wants to ensure reliability and validity of research, it is important to address the issue of background of new media output to come to terms with the kind of authority that authors possess in the areas in which they write about. Apart from the author or source of the main content that is presented also, a researcher may be concerned with the issue of core value presentation in the content of the new media output. That is, even if the authority behind the writer cannot be established, there should be a level of proof in the facts and arguments that are presented. One of the commonest ways in which hosts and authors using various new media outputs can do this is to make very good use of referencing and citation (Hissam and Daniel, 2009). In-text and end of text citations are very necessary for testing the generality and for that matter empirical reliability of the content that is presented (Jensen, 2002). For a writer using an ordinary wiki in the new media therefore, this writer can improve the level of validity associated with the arguments that are presented by making constant reference to existing research works from researchers whose works are found in notable academic new media portals (Gunter, 2000). In effect, in analyzing new media output, the validity of arguments also become an important issue and factor for all researchers who want their research literature to be filled with authentic sources. Interestingly, it has been said that when using such common blogs with empirical references, it is important for the researcher to refer back to the empirical source where authorities in the subject area might have written and make quotes from those sources instead (Jones, 1999). 4. Are the methodologies used for analysing new media output, new? Indeed, the methodologies used in analyzing new media output cannot be said to be new but old and existing. The only difference however is that these methodologies for analyzing new media output are refined versions of old methodologies and not entirely new methodologies in their own right (Angel, 2012). As a matter of fact, a number of instances can be given to explain or proof why the methodologies for analyzing new media are not new. In the first place, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, which are highly traditional methodologies, continue to be used in new media analysis. The only factor is that technology has been fused in several ways when it comes to the actual application of the methodologies. For example, in a quantitative methodology, instead of using a traditional questionnaire to undertake a survey, a researcher may use an online survey such as the online monkey survey to collect data from an identified sample group on a number of issues. In effect, the actual quantitative methodology and the actual survey research design remain unchanged and conforming to the old system or practice. The same scenario could be given to other research designs such as case study where a specific case may be studied using online aided portals when the key parameters of case study approach remain unchanged. Given the fact that even in new media output, methodological designs such as longitudinal and content analysis are used means that the methodologies used for analyzing new media output are not new because these are methodological designs that have long been used in traditional media output analysis (Hansen et al, 1998). Using content analysis as an example, it is common knowledge that content analysis began right from the days that graphics were invented, making the very first forms of print media available. In effect, the contents of these old forms of media were constantly analyzed, using academic and professional principles of analysis. It is not surprising that when mention is made of content analysis, the name of Alfred R. Lindesmith, who in way back 1931 developed content analysis technique is mentioned (Krippendorf, 2004). At the time, new media output were not invented and so if content analysis for example is used in modern day analysis of new media output, this cannot be referred to as a new methodology. What is more, content analysis its self as a methodological approach, is traced to qualitative analysis, which had also been used long before content analysis was introduced. One academic proof that has been used to authenticate the fact that content analysis was actually born out of qualitative analysis and so when qualitative analysis is used in new media output, it cannot be described as new is when in the 1960s, Glaser made reference to content analysis as a constant comparative method of qualitative analysis (Machin and Van Leeuwen, 2003). 5. What do content and discourse analysis studies of war reporting tell us about media - state relations during times of conflict? On several occasions, critical of the media have accused the media of being sentimental and sensational with issues of war and other violent activities as compared to general news (Rutherford, 1994). To this end, the media has been accused of putting in so much desperation in war reporting and see the real competition among themselves as a competition to get close up with the war and events in it. Meanwhile, there are two schools of thought that try to explain reasons why this is so. In the first place, some researchers have actually argued that the media is sensational with war reporting because the public generally loves to hear such news of violence and global agitations (Krippendorf, 2004). There is another school of thought that says that it is the media that has made the public come to accept the reception of violent news as part of them (Dennis, 2000). But whatever the case, the end result is that there is now a media audience that is fine tuned with news of war and violence. What this tells us about the media through content analysis of war reporting is that the media only sells to the public what it perceives the public as liking. Indeed, by presenting news that follows a discourse that the audience accepts makes media outlets have good sales because there is a general believe that bad news sells faster than good news. 6. Studies of advertising content contribute to our understanding of the changing techniques and style of advertising over time. Discuss When the number of media outlets becomes many as we see them today, the most likely effect that will be produced is that there will be a lot of changes in the way and manner in which things are done. Commonly, it will be expected that things will be done in such a way that will suit the form of media that is carrying the content. Such changes have applied to the style of advertising in a number of ways. Studies of advertising content have really been an avenue by which most of these key changes in the technique and style of advertising over the years has been established. For instance through the studying of advertising content, new methodologies and approaches have been developed that makes it possible to analyze the content of an advertisement through a number of variables. With each form of media, the variables change and so depending on the rate of change associated with each form of media, the changing technique and style becomes better understood (Devaraj and Kohli, 2000). Using a typical new media based advertisement analysis as an example, the content could be analysed through a number of variables including size in pages, brand logo, brand slogan, language, visibility of product, availability of price, actors, dress code, sexual situation, celebrity model and endorsement are all used in the analysis. 7. Critically discuss the view that content analysis is an effective methodology for understanding the nature of media violence. Even though content analysis may not be said to be the most ultimate means of understanding the nature of media violence, it remains one of the most effective methodologies in understanding the nature of media violence. There are a number of points that could be raised to support this including the fact that content analysis gives a more academic and professional bearing background to issues of violence in the media. For example, through content analysis, it is possible to really understand the intentions and purposes of a particular media violence case. Even though the media has often been criticised for fuelling media violence, the use of content analysis has actually come to give a lot of background as to why media violence has often dominated the news. Examples of the backgrounds that were conducted through research have actually showed that it is not in all cases of violence reporting that the media has wanted to fuel sensationalism but that the media uses its outfit to draw the attention of the ruler to the ruled in understanding how the ruled perceives the effect of violence and how timely the ruled needs pragmatic solutions from the ruler in addressing these (Gunter, 2000). In the same way, content analysis helps in identifying media houses whose agenda is far from the aforementioned but one that is only marked with the quest to be sensational with violence. 8. In what ways can analysis of media content contribute to our understanding of media effects on audiences? In a counter research to the framing theory, the role of the audience in the reception of information and for that matter content from the media has been clearly identified and defined. In the first place, it has been said that the audience would normally have a preconceived line of reasoning before any agenda of framing is set by the media (Fairclough, 1995). In effect, the audience is not easily carried away by a piece of information merely because the carrier of the information was so good in framing the information to suit a given circumstance or scenario. Rather, once the information is received by the audience, the audience would want to have a quick appraisal of the information to be sure that it pairs up with his or her preconceived notions. In the same way, the media effects, and for that matter, the impact that the media makes on its audience can be understood through the periscope of content analysis whereby the audience would be seen as a mature recipient of information, not just on the basis of how well the information is cooked but based on the value of the content of the information. Clearly with content analysis, the audience is often presented with the opportunity to critically scrutinizing all areas and aspects of the content to be sure of the authenticity and reliability of the content. All said and done, it will not be denied that there are some audience who are not able to go about the analysis of media content in a much mature way and so have the influence of the media impacting negatively on their ideologies and conduct (Richardson, 2007). REFERENCE LIST Angel U. T. 2012. Codes of Publishing Studies. Ultimate Press Limited: New York. Berger, A. A. 1991. Media Analysis Techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gunter, B. 2000. Media Research Methods. London, UK and Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Crepaz et al (2009). The Efficacy of HIV/STI Behavioral Interventions for African American Females in the United States: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Public Health. 99 (11). P. 2068 – 2079 Dennis J. C. 2000.. Privacy and Confidentiality of Health Information. 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