Lesson 2 Overview

 

Introduction

Chapter 1 of Croteau, Hoynes, and Childress’s text on media and society in a digital world (2022) describes the media environment we live in as humans in the 21st century. The media is everywhere we turn, integrated into all sectors of society and into every piece of information we encounter. This explains the diversification that accompanies the evolution of the media in a digital age and the ways that it saturates the social, economic, and political world. 

With the presence of media in our everyday lives, it is evident that media and society are fused so that an action in one affects the other almost simultaneously (and, in some cases, indirectly). Given the inseparable connection between these two structures, we realize the importance of media in any and every place, activity, and entity. The fluidity of media changes our perception of the conventional mass media model to a simpler model that incorporates both traditional mass media and internet-based communications in a social world. 

This more-dynamic sociological media model defines the structure, human agency, and social relations in human interactions and in institutions like education, government, and scientific research—all of which indicates the shift in media usage for numerous purposes, such as

• gaming,
• social connectivity,
• entertainment,
• advertising,
• programming,
• information dissemination,
• learning and development, and
• business and political aspirations.

“To best understand media, we need to see it as a social institution comprising various elements that constantly interact,” influencing and reflecting the broader interests of actors and larger institutions (Croteau et al., 2022, p. 14).

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following things:

• Describe the adoption of media technology and content.
• Explain how the media is central to people’s lives and to our society.
• Explain the significance of the ever-increasing globalization of media.
• Discuss the sociology and sociological perspective of media.
• Discuss the push–pull interaction between structure and human agency in media.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 2 Course Schedule.