The Media and Inequality

Term Paper # 100131

Communication
Sociology > Media and Society

A discussion on the role of the media in framing interpretations of inequality in Australia.

2,060 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2007 Australia

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how media plays a major role in framing the interpretations of inequality in Australia. It looks at how it can help to both minimise inequality in a society and maximize it. It discusses how, whether it be through television, radio, the internet or music - the media is no doubt an influential powerhouse when it comes to molding a society's attitudes and beliefs about various groups and individuals.

From the Paper:

"The internet has had a profound effect on inequality in Australia. It has made it much easier for those who are discriminated against, or segregated to come together. The internet has been 'involved in reconstructing our culture' (Beilharz, 2002: p266). It has reconstructed it by allowing for subcultures to exist in an almost parallel world, co-existing with the real world. Bonds between people thrive in virtual communities and various online organisations. It can assist those with particular interests (such as the television shows Star trek or X-files) to keep in contact with each other and to efficiently organize functions and parties in various cities around the world. Similarly individuals who feel they do not fit in to their society, or are being discriminated against can find others who feel exactly like they do and may be going through similar hardships."

Sample of Sources Used:

Beilharz, P. & Hogan, T (2002) Social Self, Global Culture, Oxford University Press, Melbourne
Bessant, J. & Watts, R. (2001) Sociology Australia, 2nd Edition, St Leonards, Allen & Unwin.
Briggs,G (2001), Psychosocial Parameters of Internet Addiction, @ http://library.albany.edu/briggs/addiction.html, 10/10/03
Medical News Service (2003), CDC Finds Annual Flu Deaths Higher Than Previously Estimated, @ http://www.medicalnewsservice.com/ARCHIVE/MNS1444.cfm, 09/10/03
Peel, M. (2003) The Lowest Rung: Voices of Australia Poverty, Cambridge University Press.