Media Effects & Multinational Corporations

The issue of media effects and the influence of mass media has been a recurring theme throughout the history of communication studies. In fact, some argue communication studies became a discipline as a direct result of concerns over media’s overwhelming power to influence people. What role do media play? Is an audience simply comprised of passive receptors waiting for instructions by media on how to live their lives? Does media have any audience impact? If so, how and how much? These are all questions theorists have been investigating and debating for decades, and as we have read this week, there is no simple or definitive answer to this age-old question.

Although Tomlinson compares and contrasts different theorists’ views of media, I'm not sure the general public would be able to make these critical distinctions. I am not trying to marginalize people or portray them as "others"; however, before enrolling in higher education, I would’ve argued media effects did exist, and that the media was responsible for agenda setting and had a direct influence on advising behaviours. Personally, although I am most definitely not an expert on the history of consumerism, I think the simultaneous rise in our consumption culture and the rise of advertising have led many, including my former self, to view the two events/movements as intertwined. Therefore, it is easy to assume that media influenced consumption patterns because consumption directly fueled the need for advertising and mass media. I will admit, it is still difficult for me to push the assumption that media effects are real into the back of my mind – it just easier to blame the media for everything instead of realizing the information purported by media must now be considered in the context of time and as a reflection of our culture.

Something else I found interesting this week was the multinational/transnational corporation and its strive toward doing its part in fostering globalization. I think there is a tendency for multinational organizations to try to improve their global corporate image by using the media to portray them as a "link" to connect different countries. This speaks to the dependency theory in which multinational and transnational corporations are central because it represents the most significant unit in the system of global capitalism. Companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds that operate in countries around the world use their corporate branding strategy to link local culture with global culture; additionally, they situate their products/brand as having the ability to erase differences, break down barriers and make an audience think it is possible (and even simple) to just live "as one".

This follows Schiller's (1979) totalising approach, which suggests media are vehicles for corporate marketing and the manipulation of audience. These companies use media to reinforce the attraction of consumerism and the "American way", and thus promote these methods as viable options for living in harmony with others. As mentioned above, while it is easy to see media this way, we need to remember there are many other factors involved in the influencing of audiences. Moreover, research has shown it is nearly impossible to measure the direct effects of media exactly because of the various factors and forms of information we receive on a daily basis.