Mass Media and the (De)Construction of Modern Society.
This paper argues that the modern mass media has played a significant role in shaping modern society. It has altered the power structure of modern society by redefining, largely through the influence of advertising - the keystone of mass media - the citizen into a consumer. This paper is convincingly written and provides excellent insight into the various subtle sales methods used by advertisers in all forms of media: television, radio, movies, and magazines. When popular media culture is viewed as a socializing force, as opposed to the more benign interpretation of it as an "objective" medium devoid of ideological or political content, one may get some appreciation of the potential of its totalizing power to insert messages into various media. 10 pgs. 10 f/c. 6b.