power struggles in society
Mills, Schudson, and Gitlin show different approaches to society and the role of mass media. Each approach helps illustrate a different focus on society. They each hold special relevance in a discussion of the history of societal beliefs. The Mass Society refers to the overall belief C. Wright Mills held in relation to the type of society he believed we live in. Mills began The Power Elite with a bold statement saying, "The powers of ordinary men are circumscribed by the everyday words in which they live, yet even in these rounds of job, family, and neighborhood they often seem driven by forces they can neither understand nor govern" (Mills, 1956, p.3). This opening sentence helps describe the attitude and beliefs of the entire book. A "power elite" exists in a society that is made up of three spheres. They are divided into economy, political, and military, with the same group of people interchanging between the three. This large group of elite is at the top making all the decisions, while the masses are at the bottom, unaware of the process that molds public opinion. Masses within this view of society are irrelevant and do not have any type of influence.
Schudson tracks the middle class because he fells it is the most important. "Hegemony is a historical process in which one picture of the world is systematically prefered over others, usually through practical routines and at times through extraordinary measures" (Gitlin, p. An excellent way to describe to masses can be shown by watching The Twilight Zone movie. It helps keep the reality and truth of the world obscured from the masses. Mills, Schudson, and Gitlin share few beliefs in relation to the nature of society. Gitlin's hegemony comes across as the most persuasive of the ideas. We grow up in a world that already has meaning; we must therefore decide where we belong. Society is complex in every way, but hegemony helps make it more simple to understand. People began to vote in secrecy, such as in the separate voting booth presently used. This type of society is possible because it has a common reality, shared language, common cultural forms like mass media, shared government, common education and religion, and common transportation. The media cannot be proven to have many effects on society, and the ones that exist have to do with advertising as a cultural institution. Mills explained what the media does for the masses as "they distract him and obscure his chance to understand himself or his world, by fastening his attention upon artificial frenzies that are revolved within the program framework, usually by violent action or by what is called humor" (Mills, p. Advertising reminds us of things in society and reinforces some social trends. ReferencesGitlin, Todd.
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