Identify one activist claims maker group (i.e a social movement organization) (please identify this claims making group in a way that I could find out more about them with relative ease, i.e. a google search of their name) Make sure to define kay terms/ concepts in your answer.
The activist group I found that is committed to taking a stance on the issue of online gaming addiction is called The Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence (MAVAV). According to the MAVAV website, the organization is “dedicated to educating parents of the world's fastest growing addiction and the most reckless endangerment of children today” (2002).
1A: How does this organization frame this issue? Address any concepts associated with framing that might be relevant to your case ( i.e Frame bridging, Frame amplification)
The organization uses diagnostic framing to address the problems arising in the youth addicted to online gaming. The rising dangers of online gaming addiction have been compared drug and alcohol addiction. The concern of hateful, violent, racist behaviors learnt through online gaming is one of the warnings the group informs parents to be weary of (MAVAV 2002).
1B: How does this organization mobilize resources? What resources does it have access to?
The organization appears to use the spread of awareness as their primary means to spread their message. One of the ways they have done this is through web banners that the organization urges supporters to display on their own websites. It appears one of the resources that the organization uses to inform the public are the multiple articles contributed by individuals that are concerned about gaming issues.
1C: Given an example of an opportunity structure that would benefit this organization
Working in conjunction with the American Psychological Association may prove beneficial to the organization to gain validation and influence on a larger scale that may not be possible on their own. A group like the American Psychological Association is incredibly reputable and has done studies regarding the issues surrounding online gaming addiction, helping the cause grow in popularity.
1D: Does the social movement have ownership of the claim? Why or why not?
Unfortunately the social movement does not appear to have ownership claim due to the newness of the issue. It is only approximately over the last decade that a rise in online gaming addiction has been noticed and therefore it is in the earlier stage of growth as a social movement.
Identify an expert claimsmaker
The International Gaming Research Unit would be an example of an expert claimsmaker. Mark Griffith, an author who works with the research group has examined the various symptoms and characteristics found in individuals addicted to both online and offline gaming. The scientific expertise would be a valuable asset to help provide validation for the social movement.
2A: What makes them an expert? (Specialized knowledge, training, etc )
The International Gaming Research Unit is a part of the Psychology Division at the Nottingham Trent University. The specialized focus on psychology in conjunction with studies geared on gaming research makes the group an expert on the topic.
2B: Has this claim become medicalized? Why or why not?
The claim on online gaming has become medicalized by the American Psychiatric Association. While the condition called ‘Internet addiction’ is not yet fully recognized as an established disorder and the controversial debate is still on-going, Internet Gaming Addiction (IGA) has been listed as an emerging disorder worthy of further investigation in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder V (DSM-V)” (Lam, 2014, p.1). The acknowledgment of IGA in the DSM-V is noteworthy in providing ample concern for parents and educators alike.
For this portion of the course project, you will examine how the primary
claim( identified in stage1 ) is represented in both the new media and the entertainment media. Find at least two examples from the new media and at least one example from entertainment media of the media’s representations of the primary claim. Make sure to define key terms/ concepts in your answer.
Evidence of the primary claim is provided in the website Huffington Post, CBS News, and Vice media. Huffington Post and CBS News are news media that has reported on the issues associated with online gaming addiction. Vice media is a program initiated by HBO that reports on issues in a documentary news report who has also reported on the problems of online gaming addiction. Huffington Post published an article titled, “"Boy Writes Parent Coach for Help With Video Game Addiction" on the desperate plea of a young individual suffering with gaming addiction (2014). CBS News published an article on "Video Game Addiction: A Medical Disorder?” ,which has brought forth the concern of gaming addiction as a medical disorder on a public scale. Finally, Vice Media who delivers both written and filmed version of the news also explored the issue in January 2015 titled, “"How Video Game Addiction Can Destroy Your Life.”
For each news media example, answer the following questions:
What is the secondary claim?
The Huffington Post makes the secondary claim of the desperation of a child who is aware that he or she is incredibly troubled and addicted to video games.
The CBS News makes the secondary claim through drawing attention to the severity of gaming addiction as a serious mental health disorder that should be covered by health insurance to allow these suicidal and depressed individuals treatment for this horrible addiction.
Does audience segmentation come into play for this example?
Audience segmentation does come into play for this example because of the methodology used by each individual media outlet that is speaking to the appropriate individuals that the problem would be relevant to. Often parents and adults of the youth are the people most concerned about the issues associated with gaming addiction.
What landmark narrative(s) are used? What condensing symbols are used?
The primary landmark narratives used involve the comparison of issues associated with alcohol and drug addiction, as well as depression and social withdrawal issues. The condensing symbols use are “mental disorder”, “addiction”, and “internet gaming disorder.”
For the entertainment media example, answer the following question:
How is the primary claim represented in the entertainment media?
The primary claim represented in the entertainment media is through displaying the obsessive nature and dangers around online gaming addiction that has led to the death of individuals who neglect themselves or their children while sucked into the gaming.
B)How does this compare to the secondary claims constructed by the new media?
These claims are more powerful than the secondary claims constructed by the news media because of the personalized picture that is shown of the individual cases of the lives ruined by IGA that make the issues much more real to the audience. The severity of the problem is told much more effectively.
Works Cited
D'Anastasio, Cecilio. "How Video Game Addiction Can Destroy Your Life | VICE | United
States." VICE. Vice Media, 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 13 July 2015. <http://www.vice.com/read/video-game-addiction-is-destroying-american-lives-456>.
Griffiths, Mark. "Online Video Gaming: What Should Educational Psychologists Know?."
Educational Psychology In Practice 26.1 (2010): 35-40. Professional Development Collection. Web. 12 July 2015. http://www.academia.edu/429437/Griffiths_M.D._2010_._Online_video_gaming_What_should_educational_psychologists_know_Educational_Psychology_in_Practice_26_1_35-40
Kuss, Daria J. “Internet Gaming Addiction: Current Perspectives.” Psychology Research and
Behavior Management 6 (2013): 125–137. PMC. Web. 12 July 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832462/
Lagorio, Christine. "Video Game Addiction: A Medical Disorder?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive,
21 June 2007. Web. 13 July 2015. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-game-addiction-a-medical-disorder/>.
Lam, Lawrence T. "Internet Gaming Addiction, Problematic Use Of The Internet, And Sleep
Problems: A Systematic Review." Current Psychiatry Reports 16.4 (2014): 444. MEDLINE Complete. Web. 12 July 2015. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/260717941_Internet_gaming_addiction_problematic_use_of_the_internet_and_sleep_problems_a_systematic_review
"MAVAV | Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence." MAVAV | Mothers Against
Videogame Addiction and Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2015. <http://www.mavav.org/>.
Stiffelman, Susan. "Boy Writes Parent Coach for Help With Video Game Addiction." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 July 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-stiffelman/video-game-addiction_b_4633711.html>.
