Notes

Propaganda:
Propaganda is the deliberate attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, direct behaviors to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.
As a tool of hegemony, it also manipulates symbols and basic human emotions with a one-sided message to spread ideas that 'hegemonizes' an ideology or cause.
For example, political, commercial or religious cause manipulate the audiences' reason and emotions to persuade them to believe in something or someone, buy an item, or vote in a certain way.
If it's applied to commercial causes, a famous brand might want to boost its sales and use advertising to propagate its popularity so that it achieves hegemonic consent by getting consumers to like the brand and purchase it willingly.


+ &- of Media consumption:

The positive effects of media consumptions are that they provide education to the audiences through media content like books, educational programs, and documentaries that allow them to gain knowledge.
For instance, cultural and historical information are transmitted through the content and allowing popular knowledge to be created.
The next positive effect is that the different forms of mass, personal and new media promotes freedom of speech by allowing members of society to air their views and thoughts in the public sphere through letters to newspapers, blogs and so forth.

eg. Facebook. The social media platform that has different ways to share your thoughts to the public. like posting a status, pictures, videos or even audio clips. Hence, it promotes free speech to the mos.
Through some articles, documentaries, news available in the social media platform like Insider, National geographic , channels news, Asia, audiences are able to learn and gain knowledge from it.

On the other hand, Media consumption has negatively impacted the audiences,especially the impressionable ones by promoting falsehoods as vested interest of profit or political agendas, media content such as news report, advertisements might contain elements of propaganda, sensationalism, materialism or even diluted moral awareness.
In addition, it leads to imperialistic practices where media content from financially or technically superior countries or communities dominates less powerful ones, thereby leading to the subjugation of minority communities or less media superior countries that contribute to the erosion of certain cultural identities.
eg. Facebook: the information given on the social media platform might not be accurate, like one's opinions might not be right and the source of information also might not be credible to fully support the idea. Such as a video of food found with worms might be the person secretly put in and film it , making it looks like the issue is with the food.
Facebook pages with more likes might have more power than the page that has fewer likes and followers. Say, the page with more followers and likes posted something, the viewers will naturally think that it is credible as compared with pages that have lesser likes.

Types of media power:

Control of information flow:
this power is ascribed to the media owner, who has the power to gatekeep the flow of information.
for instance, a newspaper owner might decide not to print negative news that is detrimental to a major advertiser to protect their mutual interests.
Say, a news company, channel news Asia's sponsorship comes from London choco rolls and if there's hid negative facts about the product, the news company might not want to release the news to protect their mutual interest in earning profits.

Control of language:
The media owners control the evolving meaning of words whether its negative or positive connotations. the control and manipulation of language alter the perceptions and attitudes of members of society.
eg. In isis attack, their own country, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria they use words like "freedom fighter" for their attacks in other countries. However, in America, they used words like "terrorist" , "Violent" that can control whether it has positive or negative interpretations.

Power of Representation:
Media content is the conduit through which audiences receive most of their information about the world. For instance, through movies and tv shows , we learn about Japan and their cultures that in turn allowing us to gain knowledge even when we have not been there ourselves.
Representation is also concerned with how various groups of people are portrayed or represented in the mass media, leading to stereotypes and labels like in japan, women are meant to be housewives after they are married.

Influence of consumption:
Numerous aspects of media content mold our purchase decisions and consumers buy products and services knowingly or subconsciously. Exposure to product placements in movies and tv shows, advertising, and even news stories affects buying decisions.
For eg.,its People make use of popular shows like harry potter to sell their products by creating Harry Potter makeup brushes to sell and right now even though it's not out yet, many are already looking forward to getting the makeup brushes.

Production of Meaning:
In this cumulative media power, the control over the use of language, construction of reality and the ability to represent and even interpret for audiences indicates that media produces meaning on behalf of its owners. For instance, what the media represent as the terrorist in one country might see the same group labeled as freedom fighters in another.
Another example can say how the news phrases their words. Such as "G-Dragon is going out with Vivien" and "G-Dragon went out with Vivien" can vary different meaning.
Mean world syndrome is also one of the result from prodution of meaning.
cultural semiotic where roses are usually related with romance as we are cultivated by many movies and shows where the guy always gives roses to the lady to propose of confess their love. Hence, we know that roses are a representation of love.


Power of socialization:
Socialization is the formation of a sense of belonging, the instillation of values to the members of a group, community, organization, and nation.
It is on how the media socializes members in society in terms of identity, social roles, and social norms. This could be achieved by opening up a discourse of national values, or showing scenes or playing songs of patriotism.
like in Singapore, when you play the national song or pledge, it is normal and a must for everybody to stand up and sing or say the pledge with pride.

Power of constructing reality:
Audiences perception of reality is constantly altered by media content consumption such as movies and news. Reading news about an increase in crime makes citizens feel wary although they have not experienced crimes or when we sees news coverage of major events like war or natural disasters or reality tv the staged events are deemed to be 'real' by audiences.


Power of culture:
Cultural industries where the media owners have the power to perpetuate culture like, advertisers often promote merchandise during christmas season and thus perpetuate the christmas culture.
Media owners also cause cultural shifts, such as using public relations campaigns to modify cultural behavior, or even physical behaviors of audiences.
For instance, modeling theory where children mimic the behaviors of 'role models' on television.