Stephanie Waltz's Final Paper

Stephanie Waltz
Comm. 405
Final Paper
12/15/09

Media Influence and Politics: Creating a World for the Participatory Audience

Media and technology in society is ever changing. Society is influenced by media, specifically influential in the political realm. With access to the Internet, it is becoming easier and easier for people to create their own ideas and put them out for the rest of the world to see and critique. The electronic age is growing at a substantial rate and isn’t going to stop anytime soon, so it can be said that more and more people are going to be putting themselves out there for the world to see.
The two theorists I chose to use are Henry Jenkins and Manuel Castells. Both of these theorists compliment one another in that they both agree society is influenced greatly by the media; it being through any technology such as books, television, Internet, etc. I also believe that both theorists would agree upon people’s political views being somewhat influenced by the media. Castells goes into specific detail about the influence that media has on society in politics. Jenkins’ idea of the active audience and participatory audience is also a big key for the media influencing society.

I have chosen to use three different media artifacts involving politics and the media while discussing the two different theorists. The first clip is an advertisement between two different political parties using satire of both the politicians as well as through a previous advertisement shown. The second clip is being critical of the President of the United States using satire, through a satirical news network. Finally, the last clip I chose uses satire of two political parties through a dance off done by an active audience. The media artifacts that I have chosen to use are all from the Internet and are found on YouTube. I will go into more detail about each clip later on.

In this paper I will address three issues by using these three different media artifacts: What the theories say about the media artifacts, what the artifacts say about the theories, and the implications of an information society.

The first media artifact that I found is titled “Mac Ads Satire/Promo #4-‘Sarah Palin.’” This particular advertisement involves actors posing as Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. In the clip, they were showing both political satire as well as satire of the famous “Mac vs. PC” ads that are run through various technologies. I believe the demographic for this particular clip would be people liking satire and politics. I also feel that people would share this clip with friends and family. An example of this would be posting the link on Facebook. I have had personal experience with people posting certain links, such as music videos, on my Facebook because they think that it will interest me. I have, in turn, also posted clips on my friends’ Facebooks because I feel they would be interested. I feel that this is relevant because I believe that people have told other people about these clips after watching them; otherwise, why would they watch them?

In this particular clip, it is clear that Castells theory would say politics rely on the media to get their message across. Castells explains that, “the fundamental battle being fought in society is the battle over the minds’ of the people” (Castells, 2007, p. 238). I found this ideal because there is an obvious battle going on between two political parties. In this case the message that the maker of the clip is trying to convey is obvious; vote for Obama. Jenkins’ ideas about audience participation are seen through the comments that are written directly below the clip. Audience members are being critical of the media presented to them and share ideas and opinions with one another through this. I believe that Jenkins’ idea of transmedia storytelling is a definite part of this clip. He states that, “Transmedia storytelling refers to a new aesthetic that has emerged in response to media convergence-one that places new demands on consumers and depends on the active participation of knowledge communities” (Jenkins, 2006, pgs. 20-21). There was an advertisement on television debating that one computer was better than the other; the purchase of a Mac computer was a better choice than purchasing a PC, according to the commercial. This advertisement was taken from showing a computer versus a computer to a politician versus a politician. People who have seen the Mac vs. PC commercials can, more than likely, make the relation with this media artifact.

The Mac ad clip shows that, visually, one political party won the battle. It shows there is a battle over the minds of the people watching it. The clip, which is shown on YouTube, is shown to the general public, meaning that anyone can view it. Individuals may find the clip funny and therefore tell their family and friends about it through various ways of communication such as sending it in an email, posting it on Facebook, texting, etc. In this sense, the media artifact is dealing with the participatory audience that Jenkins focuses on. Not only did a supporter of Obama more than likely produce the clip, but people who had nothing to do with the making of the clip have a chance to share it with their friends and family. Jenkins says, “What we cannot know or do on our own, we may now do collectively” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 27). I believe that this clip is a good example of Castells idea of the battle over people’s minds as well as Jenkins’ point about audience participation. Both of these theorists would agree that this clip is a good example of the intertwining of politic, media, and audience participation.

The second clip that I chose to use is also from YouTube, “Newsroom/ Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner”, and was published by The Onion, which is a satirical news network. This particular clip makes fun of President Obama, saying that he uses his teleprompter everywhere he goes, even while at home. The “broadcasters” inform everyone that Obama had a malfunction while talking with his family and he doesn’t know what to say to them. I feel that the main demographic for this particular clip would be people who are subscribed to The Onion. They are more likely to view the clip than those people who aren’t subscribed to it.

I found this clip relevant to the two different theories I chose, because it shows political satire, and through this, people are expected to know this clip is completely satire, but they still find it entertaining. “Neither that the audience simply follows what the media say. The concept of the active audience is now well established in communication research” (Castells, 2007, p. 241). Both Catells and Jenkins would agree that the audience takes an active role in what they hear and watch through the media. As noted in the first clip, audience members are able to communicate their own ideas for this clip through expressing themselves using comments directly below the clip. In Jenkins’ theory, he states, “More and more consumers are enjoying participating in online knowledge cultures and discovering what it is like to expand one’s comprehension by tapping the combined expertise of these grassroot communities” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 134).

In turn, this clip confirms the theories that the two men have presented to us. People watching the clip obviously know that it is not an actual news program, but rather it services entertainment purposes. Also, most people watching the clip have some form of idea about politics; otherwise they wouldn’t be watching it. It also proves that there are what Jenkins calls, “knowledge communities” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 20), that people participate in. This is easily proven through looking at the right side of the clip, where people can subscribe, specifically, to The Onion. They can get more information through subscribing to the “knowledge community”. By doing this, they can get knowledge through being an active participant.

The last media artifact that I chose to use is also found on YouTube and is titled, “Obama and McCain-Dance Off!” In this clip, Barack Obama and John McCain (and their posses) decide to have a dance off. Each politician and their group does a dance to try and beat the other, and at the end they have a dance off between just the two of them. After they’re done there is a surprise guest (Sarah Palin) who comes in and does her own dance. As with the first media artifact, I believe that the main demographic would be people who are interested in political satire, or those who like a good laugh at politicians.

I chose this particular clip because I believe that both Castells and Jenkins’ theories reveal different points. “It is the symbolic embodiment of a message of trust around a person, around the character of the person, and then in terms of the image projection of this character” (Castells, 2007, p. 242). This can be easily identified because right at the beginning of the clip before any visuals are shown, there is a message reading that the clip is entirely fictional.

This clip shows that both Castells and Jenkins have made valid points about media and society. Right before you actually see anything in the clip, it says that the actions portrayed are fictional. The audience knows that right from the start, that they should not believe anyhing either candidate says or does because it’s not real. Also, Jenkins’ idea of the participatory media is shown. From the getgo, people realize that it is a fictional clip made by a participartory audience. It also shows that politics and media are all around us, and that the participatory audience is able to produce anything that their minds can fathom.

All in all, it’s no surprise that media influences society, specifically politics and society. Castells shows this through his ideas about politics and the media. It is relevant to note his idea of symbolically representing politics in this instance. Considering all of the media artifacts I have chosen are dealing with satire and politics, the messages could very well be ambiguous and read differently from individual to individual. Castells says, “Politics is based on socialized communication, on the capacity to influence people’s minds. The main channel of communication between the political system and citizens is the mass media system…” (Castells, 2007, p. 240). Does this necessarily mean news mass media? Can this also include that of the participatory audience? I believe that the answer clearly includes the participatory audience. It may be hard to say if the particular clips that I have chosen influence the audience watching them. More than likely, they do not, but there is a minute chance that these clips may in fact influence a small amount of society. And with all of the different media watched or read throughout the world, it’s no wonder that politics are quite dependent on the media.

So what does all of this have to do with the “social implications of an information society?” I think it is clear that politics are affected by what is put out in the media, whether it is satire or not. People are being active and participating in media technologies, such as using YouTube to get their message across. It is also clear that people have the advantage of critiquing one another through these different medias by being able to write their own comments and opinions. This shows that technology is ever-changing and isn’t going to stop any time soon. Media can be produced and shown, and is being produced and shown, by anyone willing to show their ideas. As Castells puts it, “The new media politics shows remarkable capacity to innovate, following the steps of the culture of social networking reinvented every day by web users” (Castells, 2007, p. 256). With this idea in mind, people are getting more and more involved with the media, and in turn, becoming more and more involved with politics. I think it is safe to say that upcoming presidential elections and technology is going to be more innovative and creative because of the growing technological age.


Works Cited
Castells, Manuel. (2007). Communication, Power, and Counter-power in the Network Society. International Journal of Communication, 1, 238-266.

Jenkins, Henry. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press: New York and London.

Mac Ads Satire/Promo #4-‘Sarah Palin. (2009). YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txe0AKEFBY4&feature=channel.

Newsroom/ Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner. (2009). YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXQTaWjMoFw.

Obama and McCain-Dance Off! (2009). YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyT9-9lUyE&feature=related.