Analysis Of The Critical Use Of Media example essay topic

The forthcoming analysis starts off with several definitions and confines the main emphasis of this essay to the importance of studying media and the role that media text and messages play in our everyday life. The differences between the 'critical' and 'pragmatic' approaches discussed by Sinclair will also be exemplified in this essay. My analysis will rest heavily on definitions, opinions and several substantiating examples, which will support my arguments. According to Shibata (2002), 'critical analysis' is defined as multiple abilities whereby people receive and interpret information critically through the media. It can also be defined as the ability with which people can read information critically through the media, such as Television, radio, newspapers, the Internet, and to express their opinions creatively. One other alternative way of examining 'critical analysis' is to critically read the "reality" created by the media.

An example drawn by Shibata (2002) states that the critical use of media is expected to strengthen the democratic structure in society without making the audiences passive and isolated by believing any and all information provided by the media. Knowing about how and whether we are informed about the world, about power and politics, about art and entertainment is a basic reason for an in depth study of media. Sinclair (2002), in his article argues that the media is capable of inducing 'false consciousness' through diversion and misinformation to its consumers. Media as understood is a very influential and widely used medium, it forms so much a part of the social and cultural fabric of any society. In less developed nations, the media forms a part of nation building by way of reaching out to the masses. The production and consumption of cultural representations affects the construction of our identity hence the need for nation-states to regulate content is vital in order to preserve national identity.

In such a context, 'regulation' refers to the attempts of governments to assert control over the content and / or distribution of the media, whether through the screen media, radio or print. An example would be rules set on what content could be brought in from overseas. With reference to this point, it can also be said that "nationalism" can be used to avoid the influence of Western culture in Asia. It is considered from this, that "nationalism" is regarded as a defensive cultural wall for Asians. Therefore, in Asia, the "critical" aspects of media can play the same role as "nationalism". Critical use in media in Asia exhibits a unique character - preserving Asian culture by criticising American or Western culture.

According to McKee (2001), when one performs textual analysis on a text, an educated guess of some of the most likely interpretations of that particular text is made. 'Text' as mentioned by McKee (2001) actually refers to television programmes, films, newspapers, magazines and radio programmes. Understanding the role that media plays in our lives and precisely how its messages participate in the cultural construction of our view of the world is a vital point in analysing media. The aim of analysing media might be to reveal how audiences are manipulated and deluded by stereotypical or intransigent material.

Take for example the ongoing war between the United States and Iraq. On one hand the Iraqi media is portraying numerous civilians severely injured as a result of the US bombings on Baghdad, however the United States are insisting that their bombings are only on strategic military targets. As mentioned by Bazalgette (2000), the politics of media affect our lives as much as the politics of Parliament or Congress. It not only wakes us up to the influences we previously knew about but were not fully aware of, it also challenges us to take new and alternative perspectives on any text. As expanded by Bazalgette (2000), one of the strengths of media studies is precisely that it queries us to consider texts from different and often sharply contrasting perspectives. Bazalgette (2000) also moves on to explain that what media studies really does is to open up our understanding of how things work, how people become informed or misinformed, and how the ideologies that govern our lives are created and sustained.

In Sinclair's article (2002), pragmatic approaches depicted examples of positivism and American empiricism in media. Propaganda was cited to be use as a positive force for building popular sentiment and 'public opinion' to invoke other concepts. Sinclair moves on to specify that similarly to positivism, such sciences were based on forming knowledge through direct observation and laboratory experiments. 'Content analysis' in such context was devised more as a systematic and quantifiable method for the description and analysis of the meaning of media messages. This was primarily to determine what content messages contained, and the effects it had on its consumers. One point proposed by Thompson (1995) supports the pragmatic conception of ideology.

This focuses attention on ways in which symbolic forms serve to establish and sustain relations of domination. If ideology were conceptualized in this manner, the development of media would greatly increase the capacity to transmit potentially ideological messages across extended stretches of time and space as suggested by Thompson (1995). He also moves on to discuss that as much as it is vital to emphasize on the contextual character of ideology, whether mediated messages are ideological will depend on the ways in which they are taken in by individual recipients and incorporated in their own lives. McKee also acknowledges that there could be many feasible interpretations of the same text.

In conclusion, the denotation of studying media not only aids in developing critical thinking skills, but likewise has helps us understand at first hand how media works are designed to influence and reflect on new perspectives. As pointed out in this essay, media can easily manipulate and delude its audiences and readers with stereotypical material. Even as content providers continue to push their content on users rather than users determining what they want to read and view, an analysis of the critical use of media has been expounded on in detail. We studied here, how the critical use of media is an enabling tool for audiences and readers to cope with media industries potential to "control" the recipients of their products. We were also aquatinted with other vital factors such as being aware of whether we, as consumers are being fully informed of the world's happenings. In short, media plays a crucial part in moulding the cultural structure of any nation.

Regulation in less developed nations is thus stringent as a precautionary action to preserve the national culture. Hence highlighting the importance of studying media has helped us scrutinise the role that media text and messages plays in our everyday lives..