Alejandro Melero Introduction to Media Studies

Topic 1. Introduction to Media Studies

Alejandro Melero, 2015

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Alejandro Melero Introduction to Media Studies

Contents:
1.1. What is media? What is
communication?
1.2. The disciplines of Media Studies.
1.3. The relevance of Media in our lives.

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Alejandro Melero Introduction to Media Studies

1.1. What is media? What is

communication?
This course is an introduction to the study of Media. Students of this course will
probably expect to work in the media, in a future, or maybe they are already
working on it, or have done it and want to know more. Wherever and whichever
context students are coming from, this first section of the course invites them to re-
think what Media is. We all know Media is present everywhere in our lives, and
there is very likely not one single day in which the media does not affect us. Even if
we are on holidays, or in the remotest corner of the world, there will possibly be
some kind of interaction with the media or, at least, the possibility of it.
That fact serves as a proof of the relevance of Media. But we have not
provided a definition of what Media is. Admittedly, it is not easy to phrase, as in a
dictionary, what such a huge phenomenon is, possibly because of the very
magnitude and scope of the media in the contemporary world. One approach to
find a definition for the term 'Media' is by comparing it with another term with
which it is usually conflated: Communcation. Thus, a definition and comparison
between them could be like this:

Media: (the plural of "Medium") refers to the means of communication that reach
or can reach a vast number of people. Examples of media are: television, cinema,
newspaper, radio, internet…

Communication: there is a double (at least) definition for Communication.

1) the process by which an ammount of information is exchanged between
individuals through a common and previously agreed system of symbols, signs, or
behaviour.
2) a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not
only exchange (i. e., encode-decode) information but also create and share
meaning.

These definitions make the connection between Media and Communication very
recognisable. Media IS communication. However, communication is a much bigger
experience than media; communication is an essential part of the human
experience. Having said that, the relevance of Media in the contemporary human
experience is so big that some people could argue that Communication is now
dependent upon Media.

There are three types of communication, and knowing them will be useful to clarify
the relevance of Media in contemporary processes of communication. These types
are:

1. Interpersonal communication: as old as the human species, IC makes the

relationship bewteen individuals possible. Its main tools are the
possibilities of the body to act and speak. It makes use of the breathing
organs, the larynx, vocal chords and resonant cavities, which are those that
amplify the sound. IC also requires the vocal organs for the differentiation
of speech sounds. Therefore, technical means such as microphones and
cameras, are extensions of the body's mechanisms of voice and eyes.

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Alejandro Melero Introduction to Media Studies

2. Massive communication: inexistent until the 20th century (?), it allows to

disclose ideas and information to large groups of people. One may wonder if
Massive communication is as new as some people argue. The printing press,
which is now five hundred centuries old, can be considered as the first form
of massive communication.
3. Telecomunication: the main characteristic of Telecommunication is that it is
INTERACTIVE and is usually performed in distant places. Its aim is to bring
people together, no matter space or time. INTERNET is the means of
communication par excellence. Its origin can be found in the 1960s, in the
USA.

The film The terminal (Steven Spielberg) offers a very nice example of the
complexities of the different processes of communication. At the very
beginning, we can see how the main character, played by Tom Hanks, is
trapped on the airport. The authorities try to communicate with him, but his
Ensligh is very poor a number of confusions follow. They are very funny for the
spectators, despite (or, rather, because of) the fact that the characters are
frustrated and going through a difficult moment. The problem can be reduced
to this: they do not share the same codes and, therefore, communication is not
possible amongst them. And it is not just the inability to speak the same
languages (in this case, English), but many other codes they do not share, such
as body movement and languages.
It is a very good film and is easy to find. In the following link you can see
the clip discussed above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOn3xbI6Vyk

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1.2. The disciplines of Media Studies.

If Communication is so fundamental to the human experience, and Media plays
such an important role in the contemporary processes of Communications, it is
no wonder that there is the need for the creation of a discipline to study Media.
That discipline is called Media Studies and it aims to expand, transmit,
research, preserve and further the knowledge of media processes.
Media Studies is and immense fields which contains other (also,
immense) fields within. The following graphic illustrate, albeit succinctly, the
most important disciplines of Media Studies, and the connection between them.

JOURNALISM NEW MEDIA

FILM RADIO TELEVISION

These are the disciplines that the students of Media and Communication
Studies will be familiar with. There is now a long tradition in the study of all of
them, even the newest ones. That means that there is a lot of bibliography,
conferences, experts, scholarship… for all of them. Universities all over the world
teach Media Studies, and this has made the discipline become rich, as the dialogue
amongst scholar of different cultures and countries is fluid, vivid and passionate.
It is one of the most popular degrees in many countries. In most cases, even
if the student becomes an expert in one of the disciplines (for instance, let us
imagine that this particular student is interested in Radio Studies because she has
always wanted to work as a radio host), it is required that she knows the others. If
we take University Carlos III as our example and look at the contents of the
Bachelor Degree in Media Studies, we can see that there are several courses for
Radios Studies (these will surely be the most interesting ones for this imaginary
student), Film Studies, Television Studies and New Media Studies. There also more

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Alejandro Melero Introduction to Media Studies

general courses that are necessary for furthering the knowledge of the students in
aspects that are not solely part of Media Studies, but necessary nonetheless (for
instance, Language or Economy: how could our imaginary student be a good radio
host with a poor knowledge of language or business and employment strategies?).
Thus, this imaginary student, no matter how fascinated by the courses on
radio she would be, would have to learn about scriptwriting for television and
cinema, the history of the media in our country and the rest of the world, the
different models of business corporations in the contemporary media, the
techniques for documentary writing and filmmaking, the legacy of old and classic
film in contemporary narratives… to name but a few. It goes without saying that
the connections between these subjects and the dream-job of being a radio host.
Even if they do not look strictly connected, students are invited to think of useful
they would be to this imaginary student in her future career, and then think of
other professions (maybe, the student's own dream job), and do the same exercise.

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1.3. The relevance of Media in our lives.

Everyone is able to think of the many ways in which Media determines our daily
lives, on so many different levels. However, a professional of the Media must be
beyond simple assumptions and consider the ethical, professional and ideological
dimensions of these implications. Before going into that, let us think of different
answers for the following questions (let us stry to think of precise answers, with as
many examples as possible):

1. How does Media affect and alter our language?

2. How does Media affect our health? What about the way we eat, do sports'
3. How does Media determine our social relations? What about friendship
today as compared to what it used to be a few decades or years ago?
4. How does Media interfere in family relations? What are the different uses of
the Media depending on age and family status (children, the elderly…)?
5. Can you think of other questions that would be relevant to start a debate on
the relevance of Media in our lives?

In Topic 6 of our course, more will be said about how New Media is determining
most of our daily routines, to an extent that is sometimes even difficult to
assimilate. For now, let us pay attention to the following facts, which should be
seen as a starting point for future debates on media and the consequences of being
a professional in a field with so much importance in our world.

1.3.1. Everyone experiences the Media, but only a few work on it.
The implications of this statement are many. To begin with, the professional of the
Media will have to learn to live with the fact that everyone has an opinion on the
Media. This does not apply to all professions, but does happen a lot to people who
work on television, for instance. If you become a scriptwriter, you must be
prepared to listen to criticisms coming from all sorts of people. Again, this does not
happen to all professionals.

1.3.2. The Media can potentially reach thousands.

Again, this does not apply to all works. The most important consequence of this
fact is that there are some very strong ETHICAL implications. What the
scriptwriter writes, the director directs, the producer produces, the cameraman
photographs… will be there for millions to see, now and maybe forever. This is a
responsibility not taken by other professionals. People who work in the Media
must be accountable for what they do, and aware of the legal and moral
implications of the products they show to the world.

1.3.3. All cultures around the world consume some kind of Media.
This means that you are not working alone. If you work on the media, you must
pay attention to what other people in your own position are doing all over the
world. The Media world is full of feedbacks, and having access to them is not
difficult at all.
Likewise, working in the Media can sometimes make one feel under the
pressure of making one's product be of international relevance or success. Rather

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than looking at the negative aspects of this, it is better to learn from what other
people are doing abroad, and to see what you can do within your local or national
possibilities.

1.3.4. The Media is changeable and mutable, but also full of longevity.
It is said that nothing dies as soon as a newspaper, but it is also true that
researchers all over the world look for old newspapers as sources of inspiration
and knowledge. The Media tends to be ephemeral, by its very nature. Very often,
you will find that you invest a lot of energy in a project that, once is done, is left
behind in order to start a new one. Paradoxically, as projects go by, you will see
that some issues or characteristics of your work come back, or are repeated now
and then. This is what we can call style, or signature, and is the proof that the work
in the Media is not comparable to a newspaper which becomes a piece of dirty
paper twenty four hours after leaving the printing press.
Moreover, the new formats make media products endure in time, and even
become exponentially 'immortal'. The DVD is meant to last hundreds of years, and
many of the images and sounds that are spread all over the internet could be there
forever. You must be now familiar with this tendency: this has some good
implications, and some bad ones. But there are things to learn from this too: try not
to do something you do not think you will be proud of, as it can be there forever!