LoBello Matthew LoBello December 7, 2013 Communication 30 Professor Jeremy J.

Littau

The Progression of Media and The Abolishment of Stigmas Beginning with the first bibles, media has kept us informed, alert and educated as citizens. As media has progressed, from handwritten bibles, to printed books and newspapers, to radio and television, to the Internet, our lives have become more immersed within media. Throughout the centuries, news has transformed from ink and scribes, to the printing press, to an industry, to a button. Never before have citizens been able to obtain such widespread and accurate information than we can today. During this time, we have seen significant developments in not only our media, but in our society as well. Stigmas have long existed to disgrace and denounce a particular individual or group. They exist to show an inferiority complex between two parties, to reinforce an authoritative figure or organization, to say that you are not good enough to fit in with societys standards and beliefs. As prejudice and unjust as they may be, stigmas have existed long before our time and are still evident in todays culture. However, we as a society, through social media and the Internet, are now able to fight back and condemn the use of stigmas, against the ideas and beliefs that divide us as human beings. American writer Clay Shirky states in his book Here Comes Everybody that, When we change the way we communicate, we change society. The development of technological media sources has promoted individual opinion. Previously, it was large media outlets that dictated what media citizens consumed; however, now through sources such as twitter and Facebook,

LoBello individuals can produce and consume their own media, without the framing complexes that are evident in large corporations. Throughout this process, we have seen dramatic changes within our culture in the treatment of females and homosexuals. For centuries, our society has

developed harsh, cruel and quite frankly, false stigmas involving these groups because they were viewed as weaker or not good enough. However, that is all changing. The presence of social media sources has promoted a platform for individuals to speak their opinion; and these platforms have not only said that, no longer do we as a society adhere to these stigmas, but we have denounced them as false and frowned upon. An important concept that must first be explained to understand the changing dynamic within our media and society is The Framing Theory, which is highly linked to The Agenda Setting Theory. The University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication says, Framing theory suggests that how something is presented (the frame) influences the choices people make. The author continues on to say:
Frames are abstract notions that serve to organize or structure social meanings. Frames influence the perception of the audience. Frames are cognitive shortcuts that people use to help make sense of complex information. Frames help us to interpret the world around us and represent that world to others. They help us organize complex phenomena into coherent, understandable categories. Frames provide meaning through selective simplification, by filtering people's perceptions and providing them with a field of vision for a problem (pg. 1).

For so long, traditional media sources such as newspapers, televisions, and radios have dictated the frames for their consumers. These institutions have aired and emphasized certain stories over others for newsworthiness and popularity amongst other aspects. Unfortunately, while we may not want to believe it, personal motivations as well, based upon what they believe consumers and advertisers will be most drawn to. Consequently, oftentimes, it was easy for large

LoBello media corporations to manipulate the frame that consumers were viewing. Additionally, these

large corporations have social, political, and economical motivations to maintain their neutrality, which in turn can dilute the impact and influence that is possible. As a result, traditional media was not always an accurate representation of citizens beliefs. However, that is all changing due to social media. Social media platforms have provided users with a way to express their personal beliefs, without having to go through large media corporations, who will dull down and dilute their messages. As a result, we are seeing individual citizens dictate public opinionno longer media corporations. People are letting their voices be heard all over the Internet, creating messages that are powerful, impactful, and undeniable. This progression of The Framing Theory was recently evidenced during the Trayvon Martin case. Regardless of ones opinions about the case, one fact cannot be disputedsocial media heightened the impact for all of us. According to the Chicago Tribune, when the jury began deliberation, hundreds of thousands of individuals have used hashtags such as #Blackout4Trayvon, #JusticeForTrayvon and much more to illustrate their opinions about the case. Additionally, the Facebook page Justice for Trayvon Martin has more than 200,000 likes. These examples of public opinion illustrate the desire for justice, and at the very least exposure for the cause. During this time, media broadcasts were dominated by coverage of the case. Sadly, an event like this is not unique, and in a day in age of solely traditional media sources, a case like this may not have made it past a local news station. However, what made this different was the publics reaction to the death. Social media served as a platform for average citizens and celebrities alike to expose the case, express their opinions, and form uprisings against the travesty. Look over the most recent paragraph, needs a little work not much though. Get some

from the Chicago Tribune article.

LoBello In less then fifty years, America has achieved an enormous feat, the first African American

president. However, this couldnt have been done without public support that heavily influenced the president throughout his campaign and during his reelection. This accomplishment by Barack Obama is the same one that is fueling potential presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Women, similar to African Americans, were bogged down for years with negative stigmas that they werent good enough or qualified to keep up with men. However, we have seen that some of the most influential individuals in our society are women. Evidenced by individuals such as Marissa Mayer, Yahoo, Virginia Rometty IBM, and Meg Whitman, HP, just to name a few. According to catalyst.org, in 2012, 14.3% of executive officers in Fortune 500 companies were women, a staggering feat that was unattainable mere decades ago. Finally, we have seen great stigmas relieved by the Catholic Church in the words of current leader, Pope Benedict XVI. The pope and the Catholic Church, who have long stood against homosexuality, have made great strides in abolishing that stigma to promote personal beliefs. The pope has expressed his opinions saying, Who am I to judge when asked about homosexuality and same-sex marriages. According to a Pew Research poll below, support for gay marriages is growing at a staggering rate. The generations listed from Silent to Baby Boom to Gen X to Millennial have increasingly accepted and supported same-sex marriage leading to the openness and legalization of same-sex marriages in multiple states. This impact by the population has heavily influenced one of the most rigid and structured systems in our society, the Catholic Church. This is evidenced in a The New York Times article when author Laurie Goodstein says, We need to find a new balance, these words illustrate a change, a change th at is not only led by the Pope, but my millions of citizens who whole-heartedly support their

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spiritual leader. Additionally, Goodstein says: Some lapsed Catholics suggested on social media a return to the church, and leaders of gay rights and gay Catholic groups called on bishops to abandon their fight against gay marriage. This statement illustrates a clear interest that is being exerted through social media to the Catholic Church. Not only are individuals more engaged with the church now through social media, but they are also opinioned in gay rights, and are expressing them. The Catholic Church is a perfect example of an institution with strict and rigid ideals that have been changed through individuals by social media. Individuals are now able to express their opinions to these institutions that were once inaccessible to average individuals, and now, not only are they more engaged, but more proactive in their opinions and standards. While these examples support to illustrate the overarching point that the abolishment of stigmas, I think it is also important to point out why? What is the motivation behind this? I believe this comes from a sense of transparency that has now been established. No longer can large, powerful media companies manipulate what the public is seeing and hearing, that has now been flipped. The public now determines what is shown on large media sources as evidenced by various news stations trending now categories and sections. What has developed in our society is what is dictating this change. No longer does one individual, or a group of individuals control public opinionit is everyone. No longer can one figurehead tell us that homosexuality is just or unjust. No longer can a group of powerful politicians or sexist groups say that women are inferior to men. No longer can authoritative regimes declare their supremacy over minorities. It is public opinion that is making public perceptionthe way it should be. The development of social media has made it easier to promote and organize group action, or collective action. This has allowed individuals to come together to fight for one cause.

LoBello No longer is one person responsible for igniting a change, it starts from individuals with similar thoughts and provides a platform to easily come together for communication. This collective

action provides for more voices, and the more voices that are shown and evidenced in a fight, the harder they are to ignore. In turn this ignites the force, the motivation behind a revolution. The stigmas that have existed for decades, the ones that have said that African Americans are not equal to Caucasians, the ones that have said that men are superior to women, and the ones that have said that homosexuality is condemned by the free world are not only changing, theyre wrong. No longer are weaker races, sexes and parties hiding their voices from the stigmas that have restricted and hindered them from years. Through progressive and individualized media sources, the public can now express their opinions without the framing and blinders that are seen in traditional media sources such as newspapers and television stations.

Works Cited "Infographic: The Demographics of Social Media Users | Mobile Marketing Watch."Infographic: The Demographics of Social Media Users | Mobile Marketing Watch. MobileMarketingWatch, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

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Varner, Lynne K. "Editorials / Opinion." The Seattle Times. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Bergstein, Brian. "Disregard Social-Media Stats about the Election." MIT Technology Review. N.p., 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Adams, Myra. "16 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Will Win 2016." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 03 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

"Womens Earnings and Employment by Industry, 2009 : The Editors Desk : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

"Knowledge Center." Catalyst. N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

"Growing Support for Gay Marriage: Changed Minds and Changing Demographics."Pew Research Center for the People and the Press RSS. Pew Research, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-12/news/chi-trayvon-martin-social-media-20130712_1_georgezimmerman-trayvon-martin-rip-trayvon

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http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/statistical-overview-women-workplace

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-andabortion.html?_r=0

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PBT_mvcyGU8J:journalism.uoregon.edu/~tbivins/stratcom web/readings/Framing_comp_new.pdf+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us