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I received many variations of the question: What [br]role do our media have in society?

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Let’s start by saying that scientists see many [br]roles for the media.

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Since we were discussing metaphors earlier I [br]want to show the wide variety of possible

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answers by discussing some popular metaphors

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that are used to discuss the media’s role in [br]society.

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One popular metaphor in discussions is always [br]the window,

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by which we mean of course that the media give [br]us a wider view of the world,

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enabling us to see more of the world than our [br]own experiences allow.

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Metaphors contain a wealth of information, [br]hidden in one seemingly simple concept.

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A similar metaphor for example, but different on [br]one important detail, is the mirror metaphor.

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A mirror, like a window, refers to the fact that the [br]media widen our horizons.

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I have never travelled to the North Pole,

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but still documentaries and movies give me an [br]idea of what it’s like out there.

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But, the mirror metaphor allows for a distortion [br]of this reflection.

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Obviously, the picture the media paint is not [br]exactly the North Pole,

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but in fact an incomplete, and therefore [br]distorted, image.

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Selections have been made and we see only [br]parts of the North Pole,

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no matter how well-made the documentary is.

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Even a 24/7 webcam that shows us the North [br]Pole only shows us a part of reality.

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Therefore, instead of a mirror, scholars [br]sometimes use the metaphor of tainted mirror

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or broken mirror, to indicate that the reflection is [br]not pure.

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Much research is focused on these selection [br]processes,

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what gets attention and what doesn’t.

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You might remember that we call these types of [br]studies gatekeeping studies.

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This approach views each medium as a [br]gatekeeper,

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stopping some content and letting other items [br]through the gate.

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So this is another metaphor that we use [br]frequently.

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A similar comparison is the filter metaphor, [br]basically indicating the same thing;

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the media only show us part of reality.

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Some theoretical approaches go even further,

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they claim that media show us a fake reality, [br]hiding the truth from us.

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Remember the Frankfurter School? Scholars [br]from this school of thought argue that

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pop culture is created by the powers that be

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to keep the masses ignorant and keep their [br]minds from revolting.

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The media, in this theory, work as opium for the [br]people.

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They keep us quiet, distract us and

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keep us happy with non-thought provoking [br]entertainment and tabloid journalism.

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Think back to ancient Rome when the Caesars [br]kept the powerless population from rising up

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against the elite with free gladiatorial games, [br]chariot races and theater shows.

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The media in these types of theories also [br]function as a screen.

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They block us from reality, showing a fake, [br]soothing, non-thought provoking reality in return.

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Think back to the propaganda of the First World [br]War for instance.

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Even when Germany was clearly losing, their [br]propaganda pretended they were still winning,

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ignoring defeats in the news and basically [br]showing a completely false picture of the war.

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Now that we are talking about propaganda, [br]another metaphor that’s often used are the well-[br]know

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hypodermic needle or magic bullet comparisons, [br]referring to the media as a means of persuasion,

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‘injecting’ or ‘shooting’ the audience with [br]messages to which they have no defense,

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creating instant effects.

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Would-be persuaders are of course always [br]looking for the magic keys of persuasion

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in order to manipulate and control.

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In these theories, journalists are not critical of [br]governments and big corporations.

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Basically the media are a lapdog of the elite.