GENDER and MEDIA CONSUMPTION by WAJID ALI Roll No. AI-746037
Oct 17, 2014
GENDER
and
MEDIA CONSUMPTION
by
WAJID ALIRoll No. AI-746037
What is Gender
Gender refers to the different sets of social and cultural characteristics that are widely, but falsely, thought to be inherent to each sex as a result of natural or biological reproductive difference.
Gender is defined by FAO as “the relations between men and women construct Gender. Gender is not determined biologically, as a result of sexual characteristics of either women or men, but is constructed socially.”
Media Consumption
Today’s fragmented media environment is
characterized by an increasing number of media
alternatives competing for consumer time.
Consumers are simultaneously engaged in using
various media formats – such as Television,
Radio, Newspapers and Internet – to get
information.
Media Consumption
Population’s heavy use of Television, Radio, Newspapers
and the Internet, highlights the importance of using
various communication channels to fulfill their needs Women usually watch Cooking Shows, Fashion Channels, Soaps
and surf through Social Media. Men usually watch sports channels, love to hear political news
and surf internet for such needs Children watch cartoons and specialized shows for kids Many people watch religious channels for their spiritual
satisfaction Entertainment media are equally popular among all types of
gender
Media Consumption
Several studies show an increase in media multitasking, or simultaneous media usage. e.g.
Use of mobile phones/ipods while reading newspapers and/or watching television etc.
Listening Music on a MP3 Player while working on computer in home or office.
Media Consumption
Use of new digital media has been increased enormously and this increase is due to
Greater access to the computers in the home, business, and educational institutes
Growing need to connect with the consumers
Advancement in Technology
Media Consumption
In the recent era, a mix of both traditional and new media communication channels is used to achieve goals and fulfill media needs
These channels have the potential to build awareness, influence attitudes and encourge the target audiences.
New and Traditional Media
Television
Radio
Newspapers/Magazines
Direct Mail
Telephone
Internet/Interactive Media
E-Newspapers
Email Marketing
SMS/MMS
New Dissemination Tools
Interactive Websites (Blogs/Forums etc.)
E-Newspapers
Organized Email Groups
SMS
RSS Feeds
Tweets
TVRadio
Inter-net
News-Papers DVR
Cinema
In-CarDVDIn-
StoreTV
LaptopVideo
VideoCell
Phone
Many forms
of
Today’s
Mass Media
8 ways
the Media Consumption
has Changed in the
Digital Age
1. Volume of information grows
2. Variety of information sources increases
3. Velocity of information speeds up
4. Venues change — times and places to experience media enlarge
5. Vigilance — attention to information and media expands
6. Vibrant — immersive qualities of media are more compelling, more attractive
7. Valence — relevance of information improves as customization/search tools emerge
8. Vivid — social networks are more evident and more important
Media Consumption in Digital Age
Research in Media
Consumption
Research in Media Consumption
Much of the Research about media consumption have focused on television, and have been conducted under the title of cultivation research (signorielli, 1989)
General viewership of Television cultivates in viewers, their opinions and attitudes towards gender equality (ibid)
Media indeed occupy a critical role in the context of the construction of gender equality issues (Shaw & McCombs, 1977)
Research in Media Consumption
Media’s framing of current problems and issues affect people’s attitudes and judgments (Domke, Shah and Wackman, 1996)
A variety of studies have examined the portrayal of women in a range of media types including print media and television.
Women are less likely than men to follow print media to follow public affairs, whereas print media is a citizen’s most important tool for increasing practical knowledge.
Research in Media Consumption
Newspaper readership is slowly declining but papers are still more significant than the internet for news gathering.
TV news viewing figures have dropped too – thanks to satellites, cable, entertainment media and increased commercial competition.
Media Consumption
Patterns
Media Consumption Patterns
The Media Consumption as a heterogeneous experience, can also be explained on the basis of following two theories:
Selective Perception Theory
Uses and Gratification Theory
Selective Perception Theory
For Selective Perception theorists, the consumption of media types is a purposive activity such that audience members with specific personality orient themselves to specific media types that are in agreement with their existing behavioral tendency. e.g. Individuals with aggressive dispositions are more likely to be drawn to violent media content.
Media content reinforces individual disposition and is chosen based on its congruence with existing beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. In addition, media content presenting counter-dispositional arguments is avoided since the individual audience member responds defensively to such messages (Atkin, 1985)
Uses and Gratification Theory
This theory suggests that the motivations of individual users drives the consumption of mass media, with media types being used to satisfy individual needs of the audience (Blumler, 1979; Perse, 1990)
The different social and psychological contexts of media consumption involve the role of variables such as “lifestyle, personality, loneliness, isolation, need for cognition, religiosity, family viewing environment and the like”. (Rubin, 2002, p.532).
In summary, this theory argues that motives are central to the selection of specific media for audience gratification and that these motives vary within the population.