Media is any communication tools and outlets that is used as means of offering information and storage of data. Typically media is present in the society as print, press, reporting, news media, photography, advertising cinema, broadcasting and publishing. Television, radio, newspaper, and social media are popular products of media. Residual media is a classification of media that refers to the old form of media. It is old and almost obsolete; good examples of this media are the film cameras, film, record players, LP records, radio, letters and podcasts.
The media as a means of storing information, data and subsequently sharing it with the society has a role to help preserve the culture. The media and culture are highly interconnected. Broadly, culture can be described as the aspect of the society that incorporates all articulated symbolic practices. Culture and media are interconnected in the sense that both are used in describing a ways of life that are expressed in institutions and everyday behaviors. The residual media is more associated with cultural aspects of the society than the modern day mainstream media.
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Thesis
This paper seeks to discuss how the new media fails in promoting social and cultural growth; while residual media is an innovative way to show the impact of the media failure in preserving culture.
Media and Culture
Media would have been used to reflect on the cultural and the social life of the society and also to develop a positive mindset among its audience. It is apparent that people move to the media, mostly television, social media and radio to search for entertainment. However is it reported that entertain found in this media channels is unnatural and imaginary. Most of the entertainment that is offered on modern media is full to violence and profanity. A study shows that there is a positive correlation between the profanity present in new media and TV shows and the aggressive attitudes that the youth depict. The study done on students showed that there is a direct relation of the profanity in student’s media and their tendency to tolerate and use profanity. Therefore the modern media is failing to promote growth of culture, in the contrary modern media such as TV shows and video games promotes violence and profanity among the audience (Howitt, 2013).
According to research the media provides access to and construct social problems. The media has direct impact on people’s lives and in creating social problems in the society; it also has the capability of making its viewers a social problem. Ideally this happens when people develop behaviors and attitudes that are aligned to violence, sexism, racism, homophobia ageism and other deviant social behaviors. The media has harmful impact on children and the youth through promotion of sexism and nudity. It has also made the access to photography to be easy and consequently resulted in the degradation of women and sexuality and is criticized for promoting excessive consumerism and materialism in the society (Lule, 2016).
The promotion of negative social behavior by the media interferes with the society’s psychology. It makes the society resort into violence as means of solving the issues affecting them. When the youth become tolerant to profanity it means they support it and they will show tendency of freely suing it on other people. A study shows that such tendency to will promote aggressive behavior (Strasburger et al., 2013) Therefore too much indulgence in new media is making the audience to turn from the cultural expectations and the norms of the society. According to the norms of most societies in the world, people are taught to live in peace and harmony.
According to Ahmadu & Joshua (2016), the local African cultures in Nigeria are being invaded and tarnished by the western cultures because of overreliance of media in directing the society. The study shows that the Nigerian media and film industry has failed in its programs and communication content because it is inspired by patterns, beliefs, systems and actions of the western media and culture. A study has shown that the dependency of western culture and media in highlighting the Nigerian culture has twisted, contaminated the content and the process (Ahmadu, & Joshua, 2016).
The media has failed in promoting the African culture because it is presenting the western culture and beliefs as a measure to test the validity and application of the local cultures. The western culture is presented as a favorable and a total way of life. The media depicts the African culture as alien, primitive, and irrational (Ahmadu, & Joshua, 2016).
A study shows that the Nigerian film industry has failed in preserving the cultures of the local communities. Some of the reasons behind this failure are that the African film makers have not remained faithful to the expectation of the society. In this regard the creative directors are relying on the west to get content for the films. They are also using the western culture to measure the local cultures; this makes the latter to appear as inferior and unfavorable (Ahmadu, & Joshua, 2016).
If media would have been used properly it would have served as a useful tool in promoting and preserving culture. Through residual media such as old films and photography people learnt of Roma Gypsy dace from Spain, Ramayana and Mahabharata stories through paintings (Jain 2016). The story about the Birth of a Nation was presented as a film and was used to narrate the American civil war. The film was important in highlighting the social and cultural tension that occurred at the time. Through it the audience comes to learn of the American culture and the effects of failing to appreciate the cultural differences. Other films that served to preserve culture include “the American way” and “Flashdance”. Film has also helped to preserve culture in India and other parts of the world (Jain 2016).
Vetting For the Resources
The resources used include Ahmadu & Joshua (2016) study. It is a resourceful study because it highlights how filming is done in Nigeria. It shows the filming industry has failed in promoting and preserving culture in Nigeria. Additional resource includes Jain (2016), and Lule (2016), which shows how residual media has been successful in preserving culture.
Justification and Outline
The presentation will start off with an executive summary which highlights the use of media and definition of culture. It will then narrow down to describe the capability of media in promoting culture. The second slide will expound on the function of media in promoting social growth. The third fourth and fifth slides will show how and why the media is failing in promoting culture. The seventh slide will highlight the opportunity of media in promoting culture. Lastly the presentation will end by highlighting the benefits having media in promotion of culture. The last slide will include all the scholarly sources used in the presentation.
Quotes
“Residual media, a rich and varied collection, provides and important corrective to the prevailing rhetoric of new media”. Jay Bolter, Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Your culture is your brand” anonymous
“Social media does not change your culture, it reveals it” Sandy carter
“Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture” Allen Ginsberg
“Postman is a media and analyst and his theory is that television doesn’t influence our culture, but is our culture…and anything relies on television.” Val Kilmer
References
Ahmadu, D. I., & Joshua, D. B. (2016). The Role of Indigenous Films in Preserving Culture in Nigeria: An Appraisal of Nollywood Home Videos. Online Journal of Art and Design , 4 (1).
Howitt, D. (2013). The Mass Media & Social Problems (Vol. 2). Elsevier.
Jain S. (2016). Media- catalyst for preserving and promoting local culture. Eldis
Lule, J. (2016). Understanding media and culture: An introduction to mass communication . University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.
Strasburger, V. C., Hogan, M. J., Mulligan, D. A., Ameenuddin, N., Christakis, D. A., Cross, C., ... & Moreno, M. A. (2013). Children, adolescents, and the media. Pediatrics , 132 (5), 958-961.
