Effects of New Media Technology on Political Thought and Theory - Annotated Bibliography Example

 Annotated Bibliography (Effects of New Media Technology on Political Thought and Theory) Loveless, M. (2009). The Theory of International Media Diffusion: Political Socialization and International Media in Transitional Democracies. Studies in Comparative International Development, 44(2), 118-136. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12116-009-9041-4. Loveless, 2009, presents evidence that sought to prove the stereotype otherwise those individuals from states on transition that are mostly exposed to western media all have ingrown attachments to the western politics. He further provides a comprehensive illustration on how individual’s democratic attitude and freedom to self-choice on market economies has no direct link to international media. Documentation in his book provides convincing evidence on the lack of relation between international media diffusion and the development of western political ideas that polishes state-person’s understanding of political socialization in transition countries. Loveless, 2009, discuss the diffusion hypothesis that explains the era of development and democratization in which the western political transformations often had a direct influence on inter-neighborhood democracies. The media employment in such eras is to bring about cultural change. The international media made a significant contribution in pre-transition of the CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) in nurturing democratic objectives. Loveless, 2009, illustrates how the new western media effectively expanded their broadcast from regional coverage to include domestic media market in an effort to generate more profit and in turn providing substantive base for democratic political socialization. The study was focusing on selected CEE states collecting data on the socioeconomic status variables, the sociopolitical tendencies that are determinants of democratic political attitude. Questionnaires used on television viewers as respondent. Focus on central and western countries limits the application of evidence from this book. Matsaganis, M. D., & Payne, J. G. (2005). Agenda Setting in a Culture of Fear: The Lasting Effects of September 11 on American Politics and Journalism. The American Behavioral Scientist, 49(3), 379-392. Matsaganis and Payne, 2005, provide a descriptive outline of the development process of agenda setting with the aim of exploring knowledge of its characteristics in workplaces. Formulating real and manufactured reality in which individuals live. The primary objective in this book is to show the dynamics of constructing mediated realities alerting the readers on the significance of improving the critical media literacy skills, which are important to the public in separating facades and facts. Agenda setting is a political process integrating social change and social security. Media system is one of the components of agenda setting as illustrated by the authors. Media as a system are not self-reliant but affects public agenda, which in turn affects the policy makers’ decision. The new media system as identified in this book seeks to address the fear of lack of media freedom. In previous studies, the focus was basing on the notion that political leaders or the president can change the information the media disclose. Matsaganis and Payne, 2005, explain how the power of the president can aid manufacturing of alternative realities as part of the agenda setting especially in the context of terrorism. The study in this book relates the literature on agenda setting to the occurrence on September 9/11. Matsaganis and Payne, 2005, outline a different perspective of media contribution to public information and the influence of politics or political powers like the presidency on media coverage. Lecheler, S., & de Vreese, C., H. (2012). News Framing and Public Opinion: A Mediation Analysis of Framing Effects on Political Attitudes. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(2), 185-204. Lecheler and de Vreese, 2012, explain a mediation analysis of effects of how news is framing for reports on opinions. Lecheler and de Vreese, 2012, recognize that politics, in any setting, has its basis mostly on opinions, giving their test for two significant mediation processes. The two mediation processes investigated by the authors include the belief importance and belief content change mainly focusing on belief content. Lecheler and de Vreese, 2012, believe that the extent to which news framing is sufficient depends on individual’s level of knowledge on politics. Framing theory described in this book illustrates how media affects citizen's understanding of politics. Lecheler and de Vreese, 2012, suggest three possible ways in which the media affects the political culture, for example, the belief importance, belief content, and accessibility. Lecheler and de Vreese, 2012, employ experimental surveys to determine the relationship between the two mediation processes they were investigating. The study was examining a sample of Dutch citizens. The participants in the survey were to complete pretest questionnaires giving information on socio-demographic variables and political knowledge. The participants were in three groups. Two groups had each handling one mediation process with the third group being a control group. Age, gender, and occupation of the group members were random. Rucker, M. L. (2012). The Media, Politics, and Ideology: A Critical-Analytical Perspective. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(1). Rucker, 2012, suggests that the media has a vital influence on transparency among members of the political class. She suggests that the media must dedicate most of their time and resources to monitoring politicians. She believes that the transparency in the corridors of power aids in identifying the ill deals like corruption that takes away citizens’ rights. The media as watchdogs in political ideologies helps in following the will of the people ensuring that there is no undermining by mischievous ideologies. The media must ensure the ideologies target promotion of citizen welfare policies, improving their economic, social, and political well-being. The author suggests that the media serves to sensitize people and have notable influence on their political thoughts. The media provide information, access, and intuition of conditions that affects the political lifestyle of individuals. Rucker, 2012, recognizes the influence of government and politicians on the nature of information that the media provides to the public. Such control hampers the transparency of information in an effort to divert viewers’ attention and enhancing politics. The in-depth coverage of the functions of ideologies in the book explains how media reports political matters with sectional interests considering individual classes and political contradictions. Rucker, 2012, explains comprehensives coverage on media relation to politics compared to the other books. Rucker, 2012, includes research from other articles in supporting her arguments. References Lecheler, S., & de Vreese, C., H. (2012). News Framing and Public Opinion: A Mediation Analysis of Framing Effects on Political Attitudes. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(2), 185-204. Loveless. M. (2009). The Theory of International Media Diffusion: Political Socialization and International Media in Transitional Democracies. Studies in Comparative International Development, 44(2), 118-136. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12116-009-9041-4. Matsaganis, M. D., & Payne, J. G. (2005). Agenda Setting in a Culture of Fear: The Lasting Effects of September 11 on American Politics and Journalism. The American Behavioral Scientist, 49(3), 379-392. Rucker, M. L. (2012). The Media, Politics, and Ideology: A Critical-Analytical Perspective. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(1). Read More