Discuss the similarities and differences between TWO societies. In your answer, make references to the role of cultures, norms, values and inequality and social organizations.

Discuss the similarities and differences between TWO societies. In your answer, make references to the role of cultures, norms, values and inequality and social organizations.

The purpose of this essay is to provide an understanding of the way the media works within today’s society, highlighting the Similarities and differences in how the mass media affects society as a whole.
The two countries I have chosen to compare are the United Kingdom and China. Society is uniquely made up of different cultures of which forms into different social groups. An individual’s culture is defined by what they believe in, their norms and values. (The American heritage dictionary of idioms 1997). However, an individual’s culture can be altered due to social groups and social organisations such as the media. A prime example of this is Stuart Halls (1980) “Policing the Crisis” he provides us with the right tools to understand how a social phenomenon was portrayed then transformed into a moral panic, which is undoubtedly becoming an ongoing issue today. (Moral Panic 2013).He suggested that the British press showed high levels of racism in regards to the street crime mugging, where they used young black males as scapegoats so the media could hide how deep the economic and social crisis was, it showed the social injustice issues we had in society at that time. (Marxist Media Theory 2000).
Spark notes 2013 defines the mass media as a form of communication which is portrayed in many different formats, it in itself is a significant force in modern culture. Many individuals may question why the media are allowed to report and imply what they want (Free Speech Protection Act 2009), this is simply because the United Kingdom is a democratic country and we strive off free speech for all. “Free speech is a powerful thing, but is not limited. Like all rights comes with responsibility. (Amnesty International UK 2013). This also applies to the media; in regards to society what the media portrays can reflect and create new cultures which are referred to as mediated culture. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2013). The media is generated by people in higher places than the government; this is because it maintains any biased information being leaked into society. (The case against government runs media 2013). Even though the information is unbiased the message it sends not only promotes products for capitalism but also moods, attitudes and what the so called norms and values are. The extent and influence the media have on individuals is only a matter of opinion, however all would agree that the media is here to stay and it is a modern part of our everyday culture. (Does social media technology promote democracy 2011)
Sociologists argue that there are three types of sociological perspectives in regards to the media and these are; the limited-effects theory which suggests that the media apply a minimal amount of influence because people generally choose what they want to watch or read based on what they already believe in, on the other hand the class-dominant theory suggest that because the media is run by right winged individuals it portrays the same information to the public causing materialism and cultural hegemony. The last sociological perspective is the culturist theory which is a slight combination of the two insists that the public interact with the media themselves to create their own meanings out of the message they receive which shows that people within society play an active role rather than a passive role. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2013) Putting these sociological perspectives into play the UK’s media system follows more of the limited-effects theory because stories are published less right winged than Chinas and individuals are allowed to freely voice their opinions on the publication. In contrast to this China is a lot more one sided and this significantly shows that China follows more of the class-dominant theory, which suggests that the citizens of China have no real say about what goes on in China and the stories they receive on a daily basis.
Unlike the British media promoting free speech, China on the other hand does not, the government try to keep a tight lid on traditional and new media to prevent anybody challenging their political authority. (Media Censorship in China 2013).For example In regards to the internet there are more than two million citizens who are employed by the Chinese government, monitoring their use on a daily basis. BBC (2013) China employs two million microblog monitors state media). The mass media is tightly controlled by the Chinese government (Peoples Republic of China) who control any media activity that will give the country or its leaders a bad name. CFR Senior Fellow Elizabeth C. Economy states“ The Chinese government is in a state of ‘schizophrenia’ about media policy as it “goes back and forth, testing the line, knowing they need press freedom -- and the information it provides—but worried about opening the door type freedoms that could lead to the regimes downfall” (Council On Foreign Relations online (2013) the leaders made an example of their strict rulings when they jailed a Chinese journalist called Shi Tao in 2005, for disclosing documents of the communist party to a Chinese democracy site, the internet giant Yahoo proved that the government have a lot more power than they disclose when it comes to the media and accessing individuals private information. This came to light when Yahoo disclosed Shi Toa’s email information to use against him in the court of law.
This is a prime example of how the government of China have priority over shutting down anything that will affect them Shi was an unfortunate journalist who was shut down because he had reported the 15th annual anniversary of the Tiananmen square massacre which concluded over a thousand innocent pro-democracy citizens being killed by Chinese soldiers following the orders from the Government, who had also produced a story lowering the death rates for that event. (Council on Foreign Relations online 2013)
Drawing up a conclusion it is obvious to say that the media system is a very powerful source of information, although within both countries is evidently different, the evidence shows that the Chinese without doubt have restricted freedom of speech and challenging their political authority is non-existent. The UK’s media system on the other hand is very open and challenging political authority is welcomed and done by many individuals, even though the government do not run the British media, I believe they have a view on some of the stories that are written. This contrasts with the Chinese media because the government have 100% say in what gets published and what the individuals of China can search and write on social network sites.
After writing this essay I have a greater understanding of the tactics that are used by each society, it is clear to me that the British media system use their authority to promote materialism, capitalism and their capitalist views into society. Unfortunately China uses their authority to scare and control individuals into thinking that the government, the rules and their guidelines are fair and will help build a better country. I now deeply agree that each government look at how each of the stories they produce, will affect the individuals within society and whether their actions will be calm and understanding or whether there will be outrage causing protests or riots(violence). This is where UK and China are different, due to the British media being widely open there is room for different reactions, however in China this is not allowed. Whatever the media says, is what you will understand, believe and see as the Norm in society, by the citizens of China obeying these rules the government have their country just the way they want it.