GENDER

and

MEDIA CONSUMPTION

by

WAJID ALIRoll No. AI-746037

What is Gender

Gender refers to the different sets of social and cultural characteristics that are widely, but falsely, thought to be inherent to each sex as a result of natural or biological reproductive difference.

Gender is defined by FAO as “the relations between men and women construct Gender. Gender is not determined biologically, as a result of sexual characteristics of either women or men, but is constructed socially.”

Media Consumption

Today’s fragmented media environment is

characterized by an increasing number of media

alternatives competing for consumer time.

Consumers are simultaneously engaged in using

various media formats – such as Television,

Radio, Newspapers and Internet – to get

information.

Media Consumption

Population’s heavy use of Television, Radio, Newspapers

and the Internet, highlights the importance of using

various communication channels to fulfill their needs Women usually watch Cooking Shows, Fashion Channels, Soaps

and surf through Social Media. Men usually watch sports channels, love to hear political news

and surf internet for such needs Children watch cartoons and specialized shows for kids Many people watch religious channels for their spiritual

satisfaction Entertainment media are equally popular among all types of

gender

Media Consumption

Several studies show an increase in media multitasking, or simultaneous media usage. e.g.

Use of mobile phones/ipods while reading newspapers and/or watching television etc.

Listening Music on a MP3 Player while working on computer in home or office.

Media Consumption

Use of new digital media has been increased enormously and this increase is due to

Greater access to the computers in the home, business, and educational institutes

Growing need to connect with the consumers

Advancement in Technology

Media Consumption

In the recent era, a mix of both traditional and new media communication channels is used to achieve goals and fulfill media needs

These channels have the potential to build awareness, influence attitudes and encourge the target audiences.

New and Traditional Media

Television

Radio

Newspapers/Magazines

Direct Mail

Telephone

Internet/Interactive Media

E-Newspapers

Email Marketing

SMS/MMS

New Dissemination Tools

Interactive Websites (Blogs/Forums etc.)

E-Newspapers

Organized Email Groups

SMS

RSS Feeds

Tweets

TVRadio

Inter-net

News-Papers DVR

Cinema

In-CarDVDIn-

StoreTV

LaptopVideo

VideoCell

Phone

Many forms

of

Today’s

Mass Media

8 ways

the Media Consumption

has Changed in the

Digital Age

1. Volume of information grows

2. Variety of information sources increases

3. Velocity of information speeds up

4. Venues change — times and places to experience media enlarge

5. Vigilance — attention to information and media expands

6. Vibrant — immersive qualities of media are more compelling, more attractive

7. Valence — relevance of information improves as customization/search tools emerge

8. Vivid — social networks are more evident and more important

Media Consumption in Digital Age

Research in Media

Consumption

Research in Media Consumption

Much of the Research about media consumption have focused on television, and have been conducted under the title of cultivation research (signorielli, 1989)

General viewership of Television cultivates in viewers, their opinions and attitudes towards gender equality (ibid)

Media indeed occupy a critical role in the context of the construction of gender equality issues (Shaw & McCombs, 1977)

Research in Media Consumption

Media’s framing of current problems and issues affect people’s attitudes and judgments (Domke, Shah and Wackman, 1996)

A variety of studies have examined the portrayal of women in a range of media types including print media and television.

Women are less likely than men to follow print media to follow public affairs, whereas print media is a citizen’s most important tool for increasing practical knowledge.

Research in Media Consumption

Newspaper readership is slowly declining but papers are still more significant than the internet for news gathering.

TV news viewing figures have dropped too – thanks to satellites, cable, entertainment media and increased commercial competition.

Media Consumption

Patterns

Media Consumption Patterns

The Media Consumption as a heterogeneous experience, can also be explained on the basis of following two theories:

Selective Perception Theory

Uses and Gratification Theory

Selective Perception Theory

For Selective Perception theorists, the consumption of media types is a purposive activity such that audience members with specific personality orient themselves to specific media types that are in agreement with their existing behavioral tendency. e.g. Individuals with aggressive dispositions are more likely to be drawn to violent media content.

Media content reinforces individual disposition and is chosen based on its congruence with existing beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. In addition, media content presenting counter-dispositional arguments is avoided since the individual audience member responds defensively to such messages (Atkin, 1985)

Uses and Gratification Theory

This theory suggests that the motivations of individual users drives the consumption of mass media, with media types being used to satisfy individual needs of the audience (Blumler, 1979; Perse, 1990)

The different social and psychological contexts of media consumption involve the role of variables such as “lifestyle, personality, loneliness, isolation, need for cognition, religiosity, family viewing environment and the like”. (Rubin, 2002, p.532).

In summary, this theory argues that motives are central to the selection of specific media for audience gratification and that these motives vary within the population.