Page 233 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

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utility of various types of media content. For example, research has
revealed differences in the way that computers are taught in schools;
lower-income schools focus on rudimentary computer skills such as key-
boarding, whereas affluent schools are more likely to teach complex tech-
nological and cognitive skills (Packard Foundation, 2001).
The Internet contributes to several important trends including the pro-
liferation of media, the differentiation of information channels, content
specialization, and the fragmentation of media audiences. Along with the
expansion of other media such as cable and direct broadcast television,
the Internet has scattered the mass audience in search of highly special-
ized forms of media content. The consequences, both positive and nega-
tive, are profound. On one hand, more people have access to more content
that is more personally of interest. On the other, the fragmentation of the
audience may reduce exposure to a diversity of viewpoints as individuals
seek narrowly focused sources of information that is consistent with their
own points of view. In addition, audience fragmentation has prompted
media conglomerates to diversify their holdings to recapture the scattered
audience.
There are content implications as well. For instance, cable expansion
and channel specialization have led to declining audiences for the net-
works. The shrinking network audience threatens resources available for
news production. This, in turn, may contribute to the “tabloidization” of
news in an attempt to sustain ratings, a trend that may also be affecting
the content of print media. Other potential consequences include a
greater reliance on routine news sources, like press conferences and
news releases, than on enterprise reporting. It may affect the format of
news programming as networks look to produce relatively cheap forms
of content such as talk shows. Many media critics argue that the pressure
to put profits above public services is reflective of growing ownership
concentration.
Although concentration of media ownership has been seen as a prob-
lem for more than half a century, recent corporate takeovers have added
to the problem. News has increasingly come under the control of execu-
tives whose values are shaped by their experiences in financial or enter-
tainment circles. This leads to attempts to make the news more appealing
to broader audiences, prompting stronger demands for entertainment
values in story selection and structure.
These social and political trends place considerable strain on the
media. Performance expectations have increased as media replace politi-
cal parties in the center of the political communication process. At the
same time, social trends toward change and diversity, political instability,
and the dispersion of power forces media to do more with less and do it in
a more difficult environment.