Audiences? Trends? Voting? What is it all about?

Demassification. Concentration. Convergence. Interactivity. Globalization. What are these words you ask? Trends; trends found in mass communication. But what exactly do these words mean? Let’s start off by defining demassification since this will be a major part of my discussion. Demassification is defined as “media’s focus on narrower audience segments” (Vivian 11). The other trends listed above are pretty self-explanatory. In mass media, these types of trends are extremely important. They allow a company, or in my case, the political realm to become invested in their audience and gain the support needed to be sustained.

Let’s look at an example. In an article titled “The Uses of Polarization” by Thomas B. Edsall, he discusses that “a primary goal of a presidential campaign is to incrementally increase margins of support among volatile and persuadable demographic groups…" We can see that it is all about the audience and use of trends like demassification. In the online article he begins to explain the ethnic groups that the Republicans and Democrats tend to advertise towards.

In order for a candidate to gain the attention of the voter, several measures must be taken. There are about 3 that I can think of:

1)                   Pick a cause to support. 

2)                   Make said video or advertisement about the cause to draw in the voter.

3)                   Travel around the country trying to gain the respect and interest of as many

              voters as possible.

These steps seem appropriate, right? On YouTube you can find many

political ads that are linked to a certain "group" of voters. Let’s take a look at one: Can

you guess what "group" he is talking to?

      In an essay by David C. King, Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, he outlines “Congress, Polarization, and Fidelity to the Median Voter.” He describes the notions that politicians go through and makes known the difference between the stages of voting and the dedication of the politician to each voter in that stage. Does that make sense? Here is a better way to put it: “This paper tracks the relationship between a congressional district’s two-party competition and a member’s fidelity to voter interests.” According to the Clerk of the House of Representatives website, during the 2010 US Representatives Election the state of South Carolina had a total of 1,318,794 voters and the country total was 86,784,957 voters. No wonder trends such as demassification and concentration have to be used to gain the attention of such diverse and large audiences.

      In my next blog I will draw on the topic of globalization and interactivity in relation to the political spectrum. 

Sources Used:

The Media of Mass Communication by John Vivian

"Congress, Polarization, and Fidelity to the Median Voter" by David C. King

"The Uses of Polarization" by Thomas B. Edsall

Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010 by the Clerk of the House of Representatives: Karen L. Haas

In trying to answer the question, “Does Media shape Politics, or do Politics shape Media?” we have to look at the purposes and functions of media in political context…

                The media informs.

                The media persuades.

                The media builds communities.

Without media, how would the public know what is going on in the world of politics? What are the issues? Who is ahead in the polls? Media acts as the bridge between the government and the people. The only way to gain political awareness is through media consumption. There is no direct communication between the United States and the American people. The media is the informant. In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense to inform his fellow soon-to-be-Americans about the misconduct of Britain. He used mass media to provide the public with information they did not have before. As Common Sense reached more readers, the informed population continued to grow. An exigency was established. A discourse began.  A community of support emerged, as well as a community of opposition.  One pamphlet catalyzed the fight for American independence. While, Paine used the pamphlet as his medium, today, we rely on newspaper, television, radio, internet, even posters and bumper stickers for information. 

About Us

Group #2 here! We just wanted to take a few minutes and tell all our viewers out there a little bit about us. If you did not already know, our blog is going to be about Media and Politics. Overtime, our group will explore and investigate many themes, trends, theories, and structures surrounding the media and politics. We hope to find through this research the answer to one overarching question: What has more influence: media on politics? Or politics on the media? 

Now, for an introduction from each member:

 My name is Carly Grieff and I am a current sophomore here at Furman University majoring in Communications. I am from Naples, Florida where I have spent most of my life. Here at Furman I am a member of the Furman Dance Company and the Outdoors Club among other things. Mass communications and media interests me because of its wide ranging impact on the lives of everyone globally. Here in this blog, I will be focusing on the economic foundations of the media and politics. 

My name is Matthew Morris, I am a Sophomore Political Science, and Communications double major from Anderson, SC. I am involved with Student Government, Wesley Fellowship, Beta Theta Pi, Furman University Hall Staff, and the Poinsett Project. I hope to pursue a career related to political communication upon graduation. In the blog, I will be focus on the theories among media and politics.

My name is Jordan Sandwick. I am a senior political science major from Saratoga Springs, New York. I am twenty-two years old. I am especially interested in third world/developing countries and I am hoping to work with a non-profit disaster relief organization after I graduate. I am going to be focusing on media effects on politics in the blog.

My name is Taylor Smelt and I am a sophomore here at Furman University. My interests are in business and communications. I was born and raised in Tampa, FL. Apart from my rigorous academic schedule, I am FRAD (Freshman Advisor) on Housing Staff and am a member of the Greek community. In the future, I hope to be a successful business woman, ideally working with teams of people for the good of the company. I will be focusing on trends in media and politics in this blog!

My name is Mary Beth Summerall and I am also a sophomore at Furman University. I am an LA born-southern raised-yankee hailing from Philadelphia, PA. I am double majoring in Communications and French. I have a passion for urban studies and community service outside of the classroom, and like Matthew, I hope to pursue a career in political communication come graduation. I will be focusing on the purposes and functions of media in politics.

 

We hope that you will enjoy our blog!