Introduction
The media is a very strong tool that can be used to either unite or divide a nation. There are many variables and features that come together to define diversity matters and its scope in the media. This is a literature review that critiques and analyzes the various elements of diversity in the media. It will review general patterns in contemporary American media and move on to evaluate theories and concepts that relate to the matter.
The Scope of Diversity in the American Media
The ideal media outlet should be one that is neutral and represents every group in a nation fairly. This is a major professional ethic that goes through all forms of journalism. And journalism is meant to be used as a tool for the advancement of society. However, this has no always been the case in America and around the world.
There is a paradox with instituting multiculturalism and dealing with oppression which requires a shift to the opposite direction to deal with neutrality. This is because some people view past oppression and exclusion as something that did not auger well with our society. As such, they argue that it is the duty of the media to move in the opposite direction in order to institute balance. In America, trends in history like slavery, the exclusion of Asian-Americans and Latinos and other negative aspects of race relations provide a basis for promoting some form of affirmative action which spans across the media amongst other outlets.
On the other hand, some scholars present the view that moving in the other direction and consciously seeking balance is a basis for inferential racism. Inferential racism is a general view that any attempt to present different races and groups as being inherently inclined to do certain things. Therefore, they tend to resist calls to consciously promote positive discrimination and conscious attempts to enhance inclusion by arguing that certain people are inclined to certain things and they deserve what is happening to them.
Inferential racism posits that dismantling racism from previous generation is seen as a form of counter racism which leads to conflicting claims in the media. This means that conscious attempts to promote inclusion and diversity is resisted by such groups and the media is meant to portray the realities irrespective of the context and processes through which they were consolidated and reified.
A classic example in the United States today is the case of Fox News and CNN. CNN consciously promotes diversity. They promote inclusion and present African-Americans, gays, Latinos and other minorities as equal members of the society. However, Fox News identifies that there is scientific evidence that certain minorities do not merit inclusion. This is presented in their deliveries and their actions and there is an extreme polarization of the United States based on these different classifications and categorizations.
Social Contagion and Media Diversity
These differences on diversity spreads through different parts and aspects of the society. The process is done through some form of social contagion. Social contagion studies how phenomenon spreads in society . It shows how the media propagates certain mindsets and worldviews throughout the society and this influences the way people think and view certain phenomenon.
Therefore diversity trends and patterns are taken and viewed through various lenses which identifies and defines the way and manner in which people view things. Social contagion is an important part and aspect of forming stereotypes and shaping people’s worldviews and ideas relating to certain things in society.
Democracy and inclusion are seen as vital and important elements of the creation of a healthy society. This is because there are many difficulties and complications in regulating and limiting media houses with regards to conscious inclusion policies and inferential racist views on diversity in the media.
“Media power exists as a generalized resource of symbolic definition”. The media shapes society and the media affects diversity in many ways and forms. This is because the society is affected by the lack of diversity and the lack of diversity in the media also affects the society. It is a symbiotic relationship.
The media presents negative or positive media representations of cultural diversity. They lead by providing examples and doing things that lead to various processes and procedures in the society which is either accepted or rejected by the society and the wider community.
Dominant Theories ways Diversity is presented in the Media
There are various approaches that authorities view diversity in the media. One is about intersectionality and the ordering of affairs in the media. This includes the way race, class and gender are brought to the fore and how it is depicted in the media. There are specific activities and programs that show the way and manner in which each media house operates and carries out its things.
Another approach is the dominant class theory which shows how a dominant class defines the terrain and shows how things are to be done. They therefore lead the way and provide the approach through which diversity is planned and propagated in the media.
There are some other theories that show the way the media is positioned in handling diversity related aspects of society. And this includes amongst other things:
Socio-psychological approaches: This is a linear process which focuses on the audience’s receiving end and this is done through communication and information that the public hears about diversity;
Medium Theory: The media influences the structures of society and shapes political, social and cultural organization. Diversity happens to be one of them.
Political-Economic Approaches: The media is viewed as a system that is influenced by economic matters and the people who influence the economy become the core around which the media is organized.
Social Structural Approaches: The media is seen as the people who conceptualize ideas and concepts. Hence, they are seen as the main agents and agencies in charge of social and cultural views and perceptions.
Mediation Theory: This is where communication is viewed as a dynamic and dialectic term and the media leads its changes over time.
Limitations of Media in Dealing with Diversity in Society
In spite of the view that the media plays a leading role in the development of views and perceptions in society, there is the limited-effect theory which states that there are preconceptions which cannot be changed by the media. This includes personal experiences, prior knowledge and people’s own reasoning. This is made up and the media might not be able to change it with ease.
Conclusion
The media portrays and deals with the perceptions of people in many ways and forms. This includes an attempt to promote diversity and affirmative action through conscious measures to promote inclusion. This is countered by media houses that promote inferential racism and challenge inclusion and diversity trends in communication. The social contagion theory causes the media’s impacts on diversity to spread and affects people. Many elements of the media makes it a leading authority in leading diversity discourse in society.
References
Fiske, J., & Hancock, B. H. (2013). Media Matters: Race & Gender in U.S. Politics. New York: Routledge.
Gopaldas, A. (2013). Intersectionality 101. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing32, 90-94.
Hobbs, R., & Jensen, A. (2009). The Past, Present, and Future of Media Literacy Education. Journal of Media Literacy Education 1, 1-11.
Holtzman, L., & Sharpe, L. (2014). Media Messages: What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach Us About Race. New York: Routledge.
Siapera, E. (2014). Cultural Diversity and Global Media: The Mediation of Difference. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Smith, J., & Thakore, B. (2016). Race and Contention in Twenty-First Century U.S. Media. New York: Routledge.
Treem, J., & Leonardi, P. (2013). Social Media Use in Organizations: Exploring the Affordances of Visibility, Editability, Persistence, and Association. Journal of International Communication 36 (1), 143-189.
Ugander, J., Backstrom, L., Marlow, C., & Kleinberg, J. (2012). Structural diversity in social contagion. Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences of the United States - Current Issues 109 (16), 5962–5966.
