Changing Role of Mass Media: from the Past to the Present - Term Paper Example

INTRODUCTION Media plays a critical role in shaping public opinion. It is thus natural that Mass media has a primary role in presidential election campaigns. With the pervasive nature of Mass media in our everyday life, the role of the same needs to be examined with respect to the influence it has with regard to the mainstream discourse. This paper focuses specifically on the role of mass media in presidential campaigns in the US. The thesis statement of the paper is that mass media has a prominent role to play in the presidential campaigns and newer forms of media like internet (with tools like YouTube and blogs) is playing a counter role to the mainstream media that sometime defers to the interests of its sponsors who bring in the revenue streams. The crucial role of the internet in the election of Barack Obama can be gauged from the fact that his was a virtual campaign till almost the end and he relied heavily on donations solicited through the internet. And with the increasing prevalence of internet usage, dissemination of information is rapid and instantaneous with ability to cross check the veracity of statements put out by rival campaigns as well. Thus, the core issue is how mass media and its role have evolved from newspapers to television to the internet in determining the outcomes of presidential elections in the US. In this paper I argue that traditionally whoever had access to Television and News Papers had an edge over their rivals in capturing the “mind space” of the viewers and the electorate. This was made possible because the candidate with the most money could spend lavishly on advertisements and “air time” and air ads that could make or mar the success of the candidates. However, with the advent of the Internet and the associated tools like YouTube that allow for broadcast and sharing of events and news among large sections of the populace, it is no longer the establishment that rules the roost when it comes to media coverage. On the other hand, it is the candidate with the greatest outreach or whoever can communicate effectively to the larger audience that carries the day. EFFECT OF MASS MEDIA The role of the mass media has undergone a dramatic transformation beginning with newspapers and then television and now, the internet. While newspapers were for the sedate days when the impact was deemed to be in the nature of “propaganda”, the advent of television saw immediacy to the effect with live coverage making it possible for the viewers to judge the merits and demerits of each candidate for themselves. With each presidential campaign, it has been the rule rather than the exception that candidates have a camera presence and are presentable along with their articulation ranking as one of the parameters for selection. The recent campaign saw how the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee spending an outlandish amount for her wardrobe ostensibly with an eye on looking good for the cameras. With the advent of internet, the medium of information dissemination has undergone another transformation with this medium complementing the existing media and then working towards dissemination of information in conjunction with the other forms. The internet is a medium that has the ability to reach out 24/7 and wherever there is a computer which is online making it the medium of choice for those with access. The multiplicity of opinion on the internet may make us dizzy, but, it also has the capacity to provide a balance to the sometimes distorted versions put out by the mainstream media. The mass media is clearly an important part of the political system and our lives. Media are the prime source of information we have about political candidates. How media portray candidates and political issues can elect or defeat leaders. Media gives the mass access to important issues and the opportunity to cognitively assess politicians. On the other hand those with power and money can have an unfair advantage. In today’s modern world information is power and those who control the media empires have great power and a great responsibility to use that power positively. With the upsides and downfalls of mass media communication we need to as they say ‘take it with a grain of salt’ or we should always have healthy skepticism over what we hear and see. When viewing a source of media we need to be subjective and understand that what we see and hear may not always be accurate or correct. It is thus pertinent that the choice of medium plays an important part in verifying the veracity of statements put out by different sources. In the recent campaign, there were many respected commentators who via the medium of blogs ensured that there was a balance to the “spin” that was being put by the mainstream media. Websites like FactCheck.org provided invaluable service in providing the electorate with the correct reporting of claims and counter claims made by the media. In this context, it is important to note that in the 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry was done in by the media that blew up the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” campaign that was unleashed on him. Though it started on a small note, by the time the campaign reached the peak stage, there were many who switched over to the Republican camp on the basis of this ad campaign. Though the Kerry camp hotly contested the claims made in these ads, it nonetheless lacked the punch to counter them effectively. In a way, this cost Kerry the president’s job. CHANGING ROLE OF MASS MEDIA: FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT The increasing importance of the mass media has become apparent with each presidential election. When the first televised presidential debate was held on September 26, 1960 between the Democratic nominee, Senator John Kennedy (who later went on to become the president) and the Republican nominee, Vice President Nixon, it was a novelty of sorts. However, the debate between these two was thought to have played a decisive role in an otherwise closely fought election. The charismatic personality of Kennedy came across much better than Nixon and it was the for the first time that television played a role in determining popular attitudes. The mass media have since come a long way from the era of the televised debates to a situation where one candidate (Obama) goes on air directly and on all networks to buttress his point. And the fact that Obama could muster hundreds of millions in contributions from supporters via the net is a sign of things to come. And his ability to reach out in the initial days of his campaign where the mainstream media was not giving him much airtime is largely due to the internet and his deft use of tools like YouTube to spread his message. And with the growing usage of mobiles in the US, it may not be long before we have a situation where the next generation of campaign may well be on the mobile telephony front given the advances in technology in this sphere. National television networks reach 99 percent of all American homes. A look at current research also shows that American people spend from 18 to 35 hours per week watching television. It is normal to spend 3 - 4 hours per day in the company of a television set. This makes contact across the entire socioeconomic spectrum and makes TV the biggest form of mass communication. The downfall to this is that television tends to emphasize entertainment while, weeding out less entertaining topics. Coverage of public events, politics, and even law that are not considered to fall within the requirements of ‘good television,’ tend to be the ones that are left out. Television encourages coverage that focuses on the celebrity of participants and on political conflict. Over time, television stations eager to attract viewers’ focus on dramatic moments that highlight candidates mistakes, attacks on opponents and suggestions of scandal or problems. Studies have shown that broadcast media devote most of their coverage to the competition between the candidates rather than providing an explanation of issues and the candidates stances on them.         Internet however has shaped and enhanced the effects of television It has quickly become an important medium of political communication that is rivaling television. The Internet is not yet television; it employs mostly text and still pictures but still plays a major role in shaping peoples opinions. The Internet allows the media to communicate more conveniently with people. For undecided voters if they are looking to do research on candidates, it is much more accessible now. With the click of a button anyone can find out a politician’s stances on important issues along with their plans for the future (if elected). This ease to obtain information can help all campaigns. A COUNTER TO THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA As Al Gore succinctly puts it, “As long as individual citizens are not able to use logic and reason as the instruments with which they can dissect and meticulously examine ideas, opinions, policies and laws, corrupt forces will shape those policies and laws instead. It is the public’s lack of participation that empowers its abusers” (Gore 77). As Gore puts it, it is the thirty second commercial that goes a long way in shaping the attitudes of the electorate towards the presidential candidates. And these commercials are paid for by the elite that have a vested interest in propagating their point of view. As John Mcquaid puts it, “The media are constantly on the lookout for the odd moment that might capture some revealing truth about a candidate--and, ideally, create a feeding frenzy that consumes the campaign. In 2000, Al Gores exaggerated sighing during a debate, his TV makeup, and even the color of his clothing became media obsessions. In 2004, it was John Kerrys supposed cultural elitism: the windsurfing, the request for Swiss on his Philly cheese steak. The problem is, such issues are almost always essentially trivial, having little to do with substantive issues or how a candidate might actually behave once in office”. Thus, what we have is a trivialization of public discourse by a media that is increasingly caught in “feeding frenzies” that have little to do with the larger issues that face the nation (Owen, 2006). Proposed Solution The advent of the internet has been likened to the introduction of the printing press. As Gutenberg was able to print the bible in a way in which the esoteric meaning hitherto the privilege of the elites, was disseminated to the ordinary man, so the rise of the internet has empowered the individual to seek choices from the variety of news sources that are at hand and educate oneself without recourse to visuals fed by the mass media. Thus, the solution to eliminate or contain the bias introduced by the mass media or the mainstream media is to ensure that we as citizens seek out the alternative sources like the blogs and other sources of information and get the facts and sift them from the fictions portrayed by the media. Another way in which the crisis of confidence in the media can be overcome is through balanced and un-biased reporting by the mass media. In an age where corporate interests often collude with the coverage of the news, it is difficult to separate the conjunction of the news with that of views (Fivethirtyeight, 2008). Thus, what one sees on the television or reads in the newspaper is just another instance of the collusion of the media with that of the elite. What passes off for news and reporting is just another aspect of the elite dictating the news agenda. As Gore puts it, “If political and economic freedoms have been siblings in the history of liberty, it is the incestuous coupling of wealth and power that poses the deadliest threat to democracy” (Gore 72-3). As long as reason is not the method for making the choices and fear and emotions take over the dominant mindset, it is inevitable that the electorate would keep on electing the same set of elite over and over again. The solution proposed is for citizen journalists and the advent of citizen media that focuses on the real issues at hand and does not “trivialize meaning”. Thus, one needs an honest and accurate reporting of the situation on the ground without recourse to fear and emotion as the vehicle for action. The solution also envisages an overhaul of the education system that treats children as rational and emotional individuals instead of just rational and then tries to emotionally manipulate them (Elliot, 2007). Further, politics requires active participation from the public and indifference would only lead to strengthening the hands of the ruling elite. Active participation can be brought about by harnessing the power of the alternative media in mobilizing people globally and locally. This would involve participation by the “silent majority” instead of the minority hijacking the agenda. OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN The fact that Obama’s campaign was run largely by using the Internet is testimony to the power of the medium. When he started off as a Democratic hopeful, he neither had the money nor the resources to mount a sustainable campaign on the basis of his budget. It became clear to him that unless he concentrated on alternative media, there was no way the mainstream media would give me enough coverage. Thus, he started off by using the Internet to a large extent for his campaign donations as well as to spread his message. Obama’s them was “Change” and this is something that found resonance among he youth and the category of voters who would use the internet as their primary source of information and news. Historically, it has been proved that Americans spend on an average 3-4 hours per day before the TV. Hence, it was always thought that whichever candidate ruled the airwaves, would rule the election. Obama knew this very well and his limitations as a candidate of color and the obvious disadvantages that the mainstream media would bring to him (Owen, 2006). Obama entirely concentrated on YouTube in the initial stages to get his message across. The fact that this became a movement of sorts is borne out by studies that show the number of people viewing the YouTube commercials close to a million during the democratic primaries. Compared to only a few years ago, capturing and distributing audio and video files has become relatively simple and inexpensive. Video-hosting websites, such as YouTube, allow people to broadcast amateur videos to a worldwide audience. As a result, once-unknown individuals and groups have been able to reach vast audiences and rocket to fame (or infamy) virtually overnight. Video clips of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s fiery and controversial sermons have been extensively broadcast on YouTube, which led to Obama publicly addressing his relationship with the pastor. Activist organizations and individuals, taking advantage of the anonymity of the Internet, often use digital media to coordinate their efforts or broadcast their messages to supporters and the public at large. Dr. Paul Haridakis, associate professor of Communication Studies at Kent State University and a long-time scholar in the area of the impact of media on the political landscape in the U.S., is investigating the impact of hugely popular social medias impact on the upcoming presidential contest. Haridakis, who is currently conducting research with Gary Hanson, associate professor of Journalism & Mass Communication and doctoral students on the role of YouTube in elections, says that even though expenditures by candidates on television ads continue to increase exponentially, this presidential election will be the first time in which social media, such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook, will play a significant role in persuading the electorate. He adds that the technology and use of these tools is so new, that extensive study on the role of these social and mass media is still underway. Its impact on the 2008 presidential race, Haridakis says, can only be imagined (Haridakis, 2008). CONCLUSION It is now clear that the age of internet is here to stay and the effect of this medium cannot be ignored by any of the future presidential nominees. In fact, John McCain responded rather belatedly to the internet campaign and produced some videos for YouTube. However, it was a case of too little, too late. As the paper has argued, with the internet as a viable and alternative medium to the mainstream media, it is no longer the rich candidates who can buy up “air time” or put out ads in the newspapers who have the lead. Instead, it is the once considered marginal players who can galvanize public opinion to such an extent that they reach “critical mass” and the “tipping point” as far as the effect on the campaign is concerned. Not only did Obama’s campaign rely on alternative media to mobilize donations, they also succeeded in getting people out to vote using the internet. In a campaign that saw record turnout by voters that was the result of effective and coordinated action by the Obama team to bring in the voters. Like the “No Child Left Behind” theme, there was a “No Voter Left Behind” theme that ran through this year’s campaign. In conclusion, it is apparent that we are now in the digital age where a “New World” is waiting to be born that celebrates the commonality and universality of human emotions and yet acknowledges the differences as well. It is the unifying power of this medium that let Obama win the presidential campaign. Sources Elliott-Buckley, Stephen. "Democracy(tm): Challenging the Hyper-Individualism of Packaged Democracy" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the ISAs 49th ANNUAL CONVENTION, BRIDGING MULTIPLE DIVIDES, Hilton San Francisco, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA, Mar 26, 2008 . 2008-10-08 http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p254380_index.html Facts and additional research from  http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/ Gore, Al. Assault on Reason. New York: Allen Lane, 2006. Owen, Diana. Media Messages in American Presidential Elections. New York: Penguin, 2003. “Reshaping Attitudes: Mass Media Changes along with the News”. The Hoover Institution. 02 Apr 2008. 10 Dec 2008. http://www.hoover.org/research/focusonissues/focus/17249604.html “Social Media and Presidential Election: Impact of YouTube, MySpace”. Kent State University. 21 Oct 2008. 10 Dec 2008. http://www.kent.edu/media/2008newsreleases/Kent-State-University-Professor-Examines-Explains-and-Evaluates-Impact-of-You-Tube-My-Space.cfm Read More