Media socialization

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Under media socialization of "will process understood in the developing is subject actively with its media-dominated environment apart sets, this interpretation and is active in her acts." At the same time, however, it is also "influenced by the media in many areas of personality [...]." It is described as a very complex process, as the media-defining environment is constantly changing under historical and socio-cultural conditions. The concept of media socialization in the sense of media education must be clearly distinguished from this concept of media socialization. The latter is about the conscious and pedagogically intended acquisition of media skills, i.e. the acquisition of the active, self-determined and socially responsible ability to deal with different media.

Research examines the impact perspective of media on society. Media socialization research deals with the questions “What do media do with people?” (Media-centered perspective) and “What do people do with media?” (Recipient-centered perspective).

Emergence

Media socialization has existed since the beginning of the media. For the first time this appeared in the effect of the theater performance on the audience. Plato and Aristotle were already concerned with the question of the extent to which viewers identify with the theater performance or whether cathartic effects appear on the character when the performance affects the viewer with negative, aggressive feelings.

With the invention of technical media, more and more different social discussions and effects on people arose, especially through mass media . Cinema, radio, television, computers and the Internet were used more and more to produce positive socialization effects in people, but negative socialization effects also arose through depictions of violence , advertising and political ideologies .

Theories of media socialization

The theories of media socialization are about overcoming “media-cultural” approaches and developing differentiated, actor-appropriate social science methods. There are gaps between theories of media socialization and general theories of social structure , in particular there is a lack of research into media socialization in adulthood, while there is a lot of studies for children and adolescents.

There is not just “one” theory of media socialization, but several theoretical approaches. It is also important to note that media socialization is meant as "media-related socialization" and not "through media", which means that media socialization is not caused by media but is only influenced and related to media. Accordingly, one would simply have to relate socialization theories to media.

Among other things, the following socialization theories are mentioned, which are important for media socialization:

  • Class theory in the tradition of Karl Marx
  • Differentiation theory by Uwe Schimank
  • Critical theory
  • psychoanalytic socialization theories by Sigmund Freud , which assumes that personality development takes place essentially through drive control
  • Durkheim's sociological investigation of the upbringing where the individual acquires ideas, attitudes, but which do not belong only to individuals
  • Social theory
  • symbolic-interactionist understanding of socialism by Klaus Hurrelmann , which emphasizes the interaction of people by using symbols
  • structural genetic socialization research by Jean Piaget , where, according to him, acquire socialization on the basis of psychological constructs and procedures

Media ecology and spatial constructions

In the 21st century the question arises more and more whether media - besides construction and tools - should also be treated as space . For a better understanding, it is important to note that “rooms” do not mean actual rooms. Social spaces not only consist of relationships between people, but also of the controversial environment. Dieter Baacke describes the social and spatial environment in four zones. The young people should master these zones through their development. The first zone is defined by experiences and interactions with the family, then the living environment expands into the immediate area in the second zone. In this zone, the adolescents recognize their residential area, i.e. their surroundings and fellow human beings, as part of their living space. The first external relations arise. In the third zone, one then speaks of function-specific spaces such as in schools and in shops with their new social relationships and functions. The last and fourth zone is the ecological periphery. These are occasional contacts and unplanned encounters in mostly unfamiliar places outside the first three zones. Examples are, for example, distant relatives or holiday experiences away from home with very intense impressions. These zones were explored in 1990 and counted as part of qualitative socialization.

In the media world - especially for the Internet - spatial metaphors are often used, such as chat rooms and online forums. The first perspectives are the so-called " Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace " and the " Information Superhighway " of the Clinton / Gore administration . Both try to attract attention for important topics on the Internet. The "declaration of independence of cyberspace" is against the external control of the Internet. The “ information superhighway ” does not want the new media to be used as infrastructure . Such research can be found in Wagner's study: "Media trading in secondary schools."

Social spaces are a formative part of a child's development. Theories confirm that these spaces influence social positions and gender identities. Most of the time, these positions can no longer be changed. The differentiations in society create “isolated living spaces.” For the adolescents, the entire space is strange and meaningless. It is therefore important to create an individualized space as early as possible.

Social network services do not function as such a space, but rather as a connection - or demarcation - between multiple spaces. This connection depends on technical conditions, such as software , codes and options for action.

“Social media” has grown into a very significant part for young people these days. Online spaces build friendships , musical styles are expanded and new identities are created. Adolescents need opportunities and so-called spaces in order to be able to develop their talents . In addition to the development, they also need the independence to be able to create something themselves. Both can happen in online rooms: Young people can produce and share photos and videos themselves, and also formulate and exchange different opinions.

Social spaces open up new possibilities for self-awareness and self-development. It enables content to be produced, topics to be worked on and friendships to be cultivated. The rooms are also cultural sources and learning spaces.

Research approaches of media socialization

Media socialization has various research areas, which sociology is working on theoretically and empirically. The two most prominent areas of our time are briefly outlined below.

Movie

The film is fascinating because of its great resemblance to the social realities that are perceived and experienced, which makes it surpass any other medium. Although he only represents reality as it appears and not as it is, it is possible for him to make the abstractness and lack of transparency in society presentable.

Historically, Emilie Altenloh began exploring socialization through film in 1914 . In '' On the Sociology of Cinema. The cinema enterprise and the social classes of its visitors '' she dedicates the first part of the film production of that time and the second part to the audience. In the USA, the (negative) effects of films have been dealt with since the 1920s, as they were viewed as a significant cultural force.

In 1946 JP Mayer asked readers of a film magazine about the influence of films on dreams and personal decisions. In 'Hollywood: The Dream Factory' (1950), the anthropologist Hortense Powdermaker was able to analyze the power and dependency relationships in the film industry in a revealing way.

In 'Camera Politica' (1988) with Michael Ryan, Douglas Kellner examined the politics and ideology of Hollywood films of the 1970s and 1980s, which led them to discover that they were a very important area of ​​cultural representation in which the political struggles were fought were. Al Gore , An Inconvenient Truth '' (2006), for example, obtained by animated films and socially apocalyptic horror and fantasy films in his criticism of the ecological destruction of the earth very much support.

mobile phone

Joachim Höflich and Georg Kircher see the mobile phone as one of the most important media of our time. The cell phone is at the forefront of the most widely used media these days, even in front of the television or computer. In addition, the cell phone is used for more than just making calls. It is also used for chatting, to enter appointments in the calendar or to enter notes or telephone numbers, as an alarm clock, camera, radio or even as a television. The smartphone, like any other medium, has to be seen in the overall context of media use because it is used in conjunction with other media. The use of one medium is transformed into the use of another and vice versa. Cell phone socialization is therefore part of a comprehensive media socialization. In the course of telephone socialization, as 'socialization with the telephone', one appropriates frameworks that are connected to the use of the medium. Therefore, frames stand for an 'organization of experience'. The social arrangements of telephone socialization include certain entry and exit signals with which the caller or the called person expresses to others that he is temporarily saying goodbye to the communication process of the here and now or is available again (e.g. through physical Turning away or by looking for niches). Such arrangements reflect the general requirements associated with the use of the mobile phone. They are a manifestation of a use (supported by others) and thus of media-related socialization experiences. Due to the media penetration of everyday life and its ubiquity, mobility is more and more required of everyone. People who open up to mobile media are more flexible in everyday life. On the other hand, people who close themselves off to new media miss out on participation and participation in certain areas of a mobile society. A mediatization of social life can also lead to (new) social inequalities or intensify existing ones.

Criticism of media socialization

Media socialization is still a very open term that has received little research. The current discussions of socialization research are still lacking theoretical approaches from other social science areas, such as psychology , sociology or cultural anthropology .

One point of criticism is that under socialization research, society appears very restrictive, determined and strongly structured. Because with the help of socialization theories and empirical findings , a more complex case arises that corresponds to special socialization research. Thus new perspectives for new categories and more broadly elaborated theory with empirical examples are developed. The result is that society appears as a strongly structured construct and is dominated by the accumulation or lack of capital and blind reproduction , as well as a class habitus and media sub-worlds.

When it comes to the difficulty of the classifications , the researcher should keep reminding himself of the important task of comparing, otherwise unconscious measurement errors can arise very quickly. It is only advantageous if there is as neutral a relationship as possible when evaluating the social space in order to correspond to the classifications of society and not to include one's own subjective opinion. Research is part of the discourse and struggles over the classifications of cultural practices in society and should be constantly reflected on.

In addition, the question arises whether one can compare different media with a general theory of media socialization, because every medium has different structures. In addition, the order of the classic mass media is constantly being changed and dissolved, because there is currently a wide range of collective and cultural media.

Another problem is the few age groups that have been considered in research so far. Even if media socialization is a lifelong learning process , mostly only children and young people were considered.

Most studies pay a lot of attention to phenomena such as violence or advertising , and at the same time less research into personality development .

The last point of criticism is that very little is analyzed about the process of changing subject and medium. Often the research is conducted without the active participation of the subject or without the conscious or unconscious influences of the receiving medium.

The media educator Stefan Aufenanger calls for more empirical studies, especially longitudinal studies on the media of computers , computer games and the Internet , so that the process character of media socialization can be reflected. More practical pedagogical action is needed in order to better deal with the context of the media-defining world.

literature

  • Altenloh, Emilie .: On the sociology of the cinema: the cinema enterprise and the social classes of its visitors . Stroemfeld, 2012.Stefan
  • Aufenanger: media socialization . In: Handbook of Media Education . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2008.
  • Dieter Baacke: The 13-18 year olds. 7th edition. Beltz Verlag, Weinheim / Basel 2000.
  • Lothar Böhnisch, Karl Lenz, Wolfgang Schröer: Socialization and coping: An introduction to the socialization theory of the second modern age . Beltz Juventa, Weinheim / Munich 2009.
  • Niels Brüggen, Ulrike Wagner: Media appropriation and social space-related media action by young people . In: Mediatization and Media Socialization . Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 2017.
  • Christine Dallmann, Ralf Vollbrecht, Claudia Wegener: Media socialization from a socio-ecological perspective . In: Mediatization and Media Socialization . Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 2017.
  • Dagmar Hoffmann: Plea for an integrative media socialization theory . In: Media Socialization Theories . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2010.
  • Dagmar Hoffmann, Rainer Winter: Media Sociology. Science and Study Guide . Ed .: Rainer Winter. 1st edition. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2018.
  • Klaus Holzkamp: Sensual Knowledge - Historical Origin and Social Function of Perception . Athenaeum, Frankfurt 1973.
  • Benjamin Krämer: Media Socialization . Theory and empiricism for the acquisition of media-related dispositions. 1st edition. VS Verlag for Social Sciences, Wiesbaden 2013.
  • Winfried Marotzki: Multimedia communication architectures: challenges and further developments of research in the cultural area of ​​the Internet . In: MedienPädagogik: Journal for Theory and Practice of Media Education . Volume 14, 2007.
  • Jacob-Peter Mayer: Sociology of Film. Ed .: Jacob-Peter Mayer. Faber & Faber, London 1946.
  • Michael Ryan, Douglas Kellner: Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary Hollywood Film. Ed .: Michael Ryan. Indiana University Press, Bloomington / Indianapolis 1988.
  • Helga Theunert: Youth - Media - Identities . Identity work of young people with and in the media. Kopead Verlag, Munich 2009.
  • Ralf Vollbrecht, Claudia Wegener: Handbook Media Socialization . Ed .: Claudia Wegener. 1st edition. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2010.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Stefan Aufenanger: Media Socialization . In: Handbook of Media Education . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-15016-1 , p. 87-92 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-531-91158-8 .
  2. ↑ Dagmar Hoffmann: Plea for an integrative media socialization theory . In: Media Socialization Theories . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-531-16585-1 , p. 11-26 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-531-92249-2_2 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Benjamin Krämer: Media Socialization . Theory and empiricism for the acquisition of media-related dispositions. 1st edition. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2013, ISBN 978-3-531-19567-4 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-531-19568-1 .
  4. ^ A b c Niels Brüggen, Ulrike Wagner: Media appropriation and social space-related media action by young people . In: Mediatization and Media Socialization . Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-14936-9 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-658-14937-6_12 .
  5. ↑ Dieter Baacke: The 13-18 year olds. 7th edition. Beltz Verlag, Weinheim / Basel 2000, ISBN 978-3-407-22106-3 .
  6. ↑ Christine Dallmann, Ralf Vollbrecht, Claudia Wegener: Media socialization in a socio-ecological perspective . In: Mediatization and Media Socialization . Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-14936-9 , p. 197-210 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-658-14937-6_11 .
  7. ^ John Perry Barlow: A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. January 20, 2016, accessed January 27, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Lothar Böhnisch, Karl Lenz, Wolfgang Schröer: Socialization and coping: An introduction to the socialization theory of the second modern . Beltz Juventa, Weinheim / Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-7799-1738-0 .
  9. ↑ Klaus Holzkamp: Sensual knowledge - historical origin and social function of perception . Athenaeum, Frankfurt 1973, ISBN 978-3-7610-4100-0 .
  10. ^ Helga Theunert: Youth - Media - Identities . Identity work of young people with and in the media. Kopead Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-86736-077-7 .
  11. ↑ Winfried Marotzki: Multimedia communication architectures: challenges and further developments of research in the cultural area of ​​the Internet . In: MedienPädagogik: Journal for Theory and Practice of Media Education . tape 14 , 2007, ISSN  1424-3636 , p. 1–15 , doi : 10.21240 / mpaed / 14 / 2008.04.11.X ( medienpaed.com [accessed January 27, 2020]).
  12. ↑ Kathrin Demmler, Ulrike Wagner: Media socialization and cultural learning. Retrieved January 20, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Dagmar Hoffmann, Rainer Winter: Media Sociology. Science and Study Guide . Ed .: Rainer Winter. 1st edition. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2018, ISBN 978-3-8329-7991-1 , p. 186-194 .
  14. ^ Altenloh, Emilie .: On the sociology of the cinema: the cinema enterprise and the social classes of its visitors . Stroemfeld, 2012, ISBN 978-3-87877-805-9 .
  15. ^ Jacob-Peter Mayer: Sociology of Film. Ed .: Jacob-Peter Mayer. Faber & Faber, London 1946.
  16. ↑ Michael Ryan, Douglas Kellner: Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary Hollywood Film. Ed .: Michael Ryan. Indiana University Press, Bloomington / Indianapolis 1988, ISBN 978-0-253-20604-6 .
  17. ^ Ralf Vollbrecht, Claudia Wegener: Handbook Media Socialization . Ed .: Claudia Wegener. 1st edition. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-531-15912-6 , p. 278-286 .