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9: Media

The author notes that it seems in a way pointless to include a chapter about American media. Television programming, motion pictures, music, and the Internet bring America to the far corners of the globe, where it is greedily consumed. An opening anecdote describes the objection of a French woman about the degree to which her children are obsessed with American media, and are more familiar with the cultural product of America than of their own nation - though the same woman acknowledges that she had the same obsession in her own youth.

The pervasiveness of American media in that way exacerbates the foreign resentment of American culture as invasive and, in Americans, fuels the narcissistic belief that foreigners want to be like Americans and, at the same time, some degree of embarrassed concern of the notion that foreigners form about America through the distorted lenses of the media.

WHAT IS AMERICAN ABOUT THE AMERICAN MEDIA?

The question arises as to what makes American media distinctly American. (EN: Aside of the fact that the media were largely American inventions - not so much the physical devices, whose origins are somewhat convoluted, but their use to communicate to a mass audience was something that occurred first in the United States).

In general, the media as an "art" form convey an idealized or exaggerated notion of American life. It is, first and foremost, and entertainment medium, and gratifies in the hyperbolic, unusual, dramatic, and often salacious. Common criticisms is that media programming lacks intellectual depth, is more concerned with style than substance, are fixated on sex and violence, are overly simplified, and are fascinated by spectacle and visual effects.

But beneath that, the messages conveyed by American media mirror the values and assumptions of the culture, such as:

There is also the common perception of the (mis)use of media as a vehicle of propaganda. Traditionally, media were considered to be leftist or liberal, though more right-wing programming and publication has recently gained popularity. And regardless of bent, it is generally accepted that the media are used by the wealthy and powerful to control the opinions of the gullible public.

It's also a consideration that the American media are run as businesses, and driven by competition and profit. A diminishing number of large corporations control traditional media and entertainment: television, radio, newspapers, and the production and distribution of recorded entertainment. (EN: There remain a number of independent producers of film and music entertainment, and it's generally accepted that the Internet is decentralized, though even in those instances, the corporate giants tend to draw a larger audience.) As such, media companies are constantly in pursuit of audiences and buyers, which is a counterbalance to the perception of oligarchic power - in that the content is tailored to suit the tastes of the masses - but which in turn brings the criticism of catering to low and vulgar tastes of the unsophisticated masses.

It is also noted that journalistic programming follows the same path toward pandering to the tastes and preferences of a given market. Few Americans accept the notion that "the news" is unbiased and objective, though many suggest that this is a change from an earlier time when the news could be trusted. (EN: It is highly arguable whether it ever was, or whether journalism of the mid-twentieth century reflected a homogeneity of culture, such that it was not necessarily objective, simply agreeable to a large majority.)

Another significant factor is the segmentation of the market, which is particularly evident in television, but is also true of other media. Producers and distributors gear not only programs, but entire channels, to specific subjects of interest or specific subsets of the population. There are channels devoted to news, sports, weather, cooking, history, movies, etc. There are channels directed to children, teenagers, women, gay and lesbian, and specific ethic groups. On average, American household receives nearly 120 television channels (EN: a further statistic, more meaningful perhaps, is not given - how many of these channels they actually watch).

In the music industry, producers select and promote artists that appeal to specific groups and the practice of "manufacturing" a band to suit a specific demographic (particularly, preteen girls) is a common practice. Radio stations likewise target specific audiences defined by age, race, language, level of education, and other parameters.

The print media also play to a segmented market. In terms of newspapers, most major cities have two or more that target specific groups, generally by political perspective, and the same is true of national or regional newspapers. Magazines are segmented similar to television channels. But to a greater degree and wider variety: publications may be geared to suit a very specific interest and market segment.

The Internet, particularly the Web, is generally perceived as the most democratic of media in which common people publish content according to their own idiosyncratic interests. Some operate home pages or web sites, many participate in social media, and an increasing amount of social contact is made through the electronic proxy.

However, as the Web grew in its audience, traditional media companies sought to leverage and control this channel, but have met with little success and great resistance in their attempt to dominate the online media. While sites operated by media corporations gather a large audience, they have not been able to generate significant profit from doing so, and a common problem for commercial enterprises is the shift of audience from profitable channels to the Internet. The audience for traditional and more profitable channels such as television, radio, and print has significantly decreased and media corporations have had to dramatically reduce their staff. Some long-established newspapers and magazines have gone out of business.

The author suggests that there have been suggestions for the government to subsidize news outlets on the theory that an informed citizenship is necessary to democracy (EN: I do not believe this to be a widely-held opinion, and an not sure where the author gets this perception.) However, distrust of the motives of the government, namely in the potential to control the media for propaganda purposes, provides a strong counterpoint to this suggestion.

AMERICANS' VIEWS OF THEIR MEDIA

As the American media is a commercial enterprise, not subject to (much) central control, it is operated to cater to consumer preferences. If a given motion picture achieves commercial success, there will follow several others with a similar theme. If a newspaper sells a larger number of copies by printing controversial or salacious articles, it will continue to do so and devote more of its content to topics and treatments that it expects to appeal to readers.

American media are also driven by market research, as an attempt to more accurately predict the commercial viability of their product. They keep close watch on their audience, conduct surveys to determine consumer tastes, and conduct market tests of entertainment. In the television market, surveys are used to determine whether to fund a program, a single pilot episode is test marketed, and if the numbers are not appealing, it will not be produced for the mass market. Even programs produced and released are subject to be cancelled if they do not draw a desirable number of viewers.

(EN: The author does not make the final connection, that audience is important because media is funded to a large extent by advertising sponsorship. It is not the "media moguls" who exercise absolute control by their own whim, but who cater to the desires of advertisers who desire a large audience, and who in turn do their own market research to determine the tastes and preferences of their desired customer base, the American public.)

In this sense, there is significant evidence to support the argument that Americans "get what they want from their media," as opposed to media being controlled by a small number of powerful individuals. (EN: Though this does little to sway public opinion, and the concern that the latter is the case.) That is, while there is much public outcry against the "sex and violence" in the media, Americans gravitate toward these very things when they make decisions on where to spend their dollars and grant their attention.

Again, this is not a universal opinion or preferences: some Americans are critical of the mass media for the subject matter and political overtones, and seek for themselves media that better suit their sense of what is tasteful or acceptable. Critics of the media argue that there is a larger audience for "quality programming" than media decision-makers admit. (EN: Though given the diversity of entertainment, it would seem that the desire to profit would be incentive enough to pursue such audiences if they did, indeed, exist.) It is generally perceived that there is a need for public or charitable funding of non-commercial entertainment (NPR and PBS) to produce "quality" entertainment and information programs that the market is unwilling to watch.

In particular, politically-minded Americans organize to protest the objectionable aspects of the media - not merely for sexual and violent content (though those are the most common objections), but also for its racist and misogynistic bias, and messages that contradict what they feel to be culturally appropriate (politically or otherwise).

On the positive side, media is sometimes praised for providing "free" entertainment to the masses, for providing insight and common understanding of subcultures (enabling people to "see" or "hear from" a cultural segment with whom they might not otherwise have had contact), and for creating a common set of experiences that shape American culture (people in diverse geographic locations can converse about their experience of seeing the same film). The prospect of controlling the media message, or of making certain media unavailable, is denounced as censorship, to which Americans almost universally stand in vehement opposition.

MISCONCEPTIONS THE MEDIA PROMOTE

An anecdote is told of a foreign graduate student whose experience of American media led him to have significant misconceptions about American residences. The films and television programs he had watched led him to expect quarters to be spacious, clean, and appointed with modern conveniences, and his neighbors to be cheerful, attractive, and outgoing people. His experience in renting an apartment came as quite a disappointment. In general, media promotes an idealized version of the American residence. Such places do exist, generally new construction in wealthier areas where there are tightly-knit communities of residents. But this does not describe the conditions in which most Americans live, especially in proximity to universities.

The author lists some of the main misconceptions that foreigners draw from their experience of American media:

It's also remarked that the American media is very insular and does not pay much attention to events in other countries. News stories about other countries are rare, except when they affect Americans directly, and news from other countries (foreign broadcasts) are virtually nonexistent.

SUGGESTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

Foreigners visiting the United States from abroad are primarily encouraged to recognize that the sense of American they have gained from the media is highly unrealistic, and to avoid setting expectations accordingly.

As for media consumption, the advice is to explore as wide a range of media as possible, and focusing on a limited number of information sources, or genres of entertainment, will result in a skewed perspective.

It's noted that media is a popular topic of conversation among Americans, and a good way to initiate or sustain conversations is to discuss a film, program, musician, news article, or other media experience. (EN: Worth mentioning that the caution on sensitive topics still applies - discussing a highly politicized article or a movie with salacious content is slightly less abrasive, but not entirely acceptable.)

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