Mass Media and Technology

What this unit covers

The resources sit in the Beliefs, Media and Everyday Life strand of Sociology. They follow the usual run of media topics. Ownership and control comes first, with the quiz on ownership and control of the media, which uses Bagdikian's figures: 50 companies controlled most media in 1983, 22 in 1992 and 6 in 2014. Other sets look at new media, globalisation and popular culture, how news is selected and presented, audiences, and representations of gender, ethnicity, age, social class, disability and sexuality.

Where to start

If you are new to the topic, begin with the mind maps Mass Media and Theories of Mass Media, then move to Ownership and control of media. These give you the big picture before the detail. Next, try the flashcards on ownership and control of the media, which ask short questions about how many corporations held media ownership in different years.

1. Read a mind map on one topic, such as ownership or news.
2. Test yourself with the matching flashcard deck.
3. Take a quiz to see what you missed.
4. Go back to the map and fill the gaps.

Using quizzes and maps together

Mind maps are good for seeing how ideas link. The map on mass media and crime, for example, covers Surette's 'law of opposites' and how crime is distorted in media fiction. The map on media representation of gender explains why representations matter and how they can reinforce ideas about gender. After a map, use a quiz to check you can recall the points without it. The quiz on the media, globalisation and popular culture covers Steger's idea of a 'superficial candyfloss culture'.

For theory practice, the quizzes on the hypodermic syringe model, the two step flow and uses and gratifications model, and the cultural effects theory are short ways to check your understanding of media effects.

Technology and everyday life

The set also looks at technology in daily life. The mind map on the impact of cell phones on youth covers health, school, safety and distraction, and the notes on phones at school give a further angle. For exam practice, there is a deck of past paper questions and answers on media sociology.

Pick one topic from the list, open a map and see how far you get before you try a quiz.