Effects of Electronic Media on Democratic Attitudes
Diane Owen, Georgetown University
________________________________________
A paper delivered to the
Democracy and the Globalization of Politics and the Economy
International Conference
Haus auf der Alb, Bad Urach, Germany
October, 1999
German Federal Agency for Civic Education
in co-operation with the
State Agency for Civic Education, Stuttgart, Germany
and the
Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA USA
________________________________________
The past decade has witnessed fundamental changes in the American mass media environment. Contemporary media technologies and format innovations have created new ways of communicating and reaching audiences. New actors, such as talk show hosts and tabloid reporters, have entered the political communications environment, altering the rules by which journalists, leaders, and citizens negotiate the public sphere. The nature of the political media product has changed, becoming almost inextricably infused with entertainment content. In sum, the United States has entered a "new media" age.
Electronic media dominate in the "new media" era even more than in the recent past. Technologies, such as the Internet, have rendered print communication electronic, as traditional news organizations establish online counterparts to their newspapers and magazines. Further, the substance, form, and style of electronic communication has been altered radically. New-style electronic formats, such as Internet discussion groups and chat rooms, create new public spaces and provide unprecedented opportunities for political discourse. It is clear that the transformation of the American media system has important implications for democratic citizenship, especially as audiences' relationships to mass communication have been influenced significantly. However, perspectives on the prospects for democratic political systems in the "new media" era vary widely.
The first goal of this paper is... [continues]
Diane Owen, Georgetown University
________________________________________
A paper delivered to the
Democracy and the Globalization of Politics and the Economy
International Conference
Haus auf der Alb, Bad Urach, Germany
October, 1999
German Federal Agency for Civic Education
in co-operation with the
State Agency for Civic Education, Stuttgart, Germany
and the
Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA USA
________________________________________
The past decade has witnessed fundamental changes in the American mass media environment. Contemporary media technologies and format innovations have created new ways of communicating and reaching audiences. New actors, such as talk show hosts and tabloid reporters, have entered the political communications environment, altering the rules by which journalists, leaders, and citizens negotiate the public sphere. The nature of the political media product has changed, becoming almost inextricably infused with entertainment content. In sum, the United States has entered a "new media" age.
Electronic media dominate in the "new media" era even more than in the recent past. Technologies, such as the Internet, have rendered print communication electronic, as traditional news organizations establish online counterparts to their newspapers and magazines. Further, the substance, form, and style of electronic communication has been altered radically. New-style electronic formats, such as Internet discussion groups and chat rooms, create new public spaces and provide unprecedented opportunities for political discourse. It is clear that the transformation of the American media system has important implications for democratic citizenship, especially as audiences' relationships to mass communication have been influenced significantly. However, perspectives on the prospects for democratic political systems in the "new media" era vary widely.
The first goal of this paper is... [continues]
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