By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi
Topic: Application of the Concept of Media Socialisation to a Recent Media Phenomenon.
There are many ways in which the Media influence the process of socialisation in society. Different Media, influence socialisation differently, depending on the nature of the audience, since it is subject to differentiation, according to gender, age, interests and other social categories.
From the Readings of this Session, we have learnt from Ben Bachmair, that the Media can influence the moulding of personalities of their audiences. According to him, from the 1960s until recently, Television was the only cultural object for socialisation[1]. This means that consistent audience exposure to Television, creates a tendency for some people to acquire new habits, values, tastes and interests copied from the images they see on Television
Some Media scholars have even argued, that wide spread flows of American cultural products, such as Television programs, to other parts of the world, has over the years popularised American values, tastes, and interests, in some countries, to the extent that they are now considered “second culture” in those countries.
I will elaborate the significance of media socialisation in everyday life, by making reference to a recent incident, involving the wife of the President of Kenya, Mrs Lucy Kibaki, and Television reporters, which was widely reported by the media in Kenya, and how this publicity is likely to affect the audience.
The Media in Kenya, recently reported that Mrs Lucy Kibaki, wife of President Kibaki of Kenya, publicly slapped a public official, at a State House Christmas ceremony, for allegedly calling her the name of a woman widely believed to be a mistress to her husband[2]. This was not the first time Mrs Kibaki was accused of behaving in this manner. In 2005, she was accused of slapping a Television Journalist, for allegedly covering her case with her neighbour in a biased manner.
These two incidents attracted a lot of Media attention in Kenya, because they involved the wife of the President. All over the world, it is a standard practice for high profile politicians, like Mrs Kibaki, to attract that kind of coverage. The Media gives them so much attention, that they attain the status of celebrities. This means that among the audiences who are constantly exposed to the life styles of these politicians, groups of their fans emerge. Some of these groups start copying and applying the life styles of these politicians to themselves.
My argument is that with time, Media exposure makes some people among members of the audience, to actually start behaving like those politicians. In my view, since the Media has given a lot of attention to Mrs Kibaki´s physical confrontation with Journalists in public, her violent behaviour, is likely to be passed on to some of her fans, who will take it that since it is being practiced by those who are supposed to protect the Constitution, it is the right thing to do when ever they are faced similar challenges. If this happens, it will be a direct result of the effects of Media socialisation.
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BIBILIOGRAPHY.
[1] . Bachmair Ben (2006),Media Socialisation and the Culturally Dominant Mode of Representation-on the way from the Coherent Media to Semiotic Spaces, The example of Pope stars. In Media Podagogik-medienpaed.com/
ISSN 1424-3636.http://www.medienpaed.com/06/bachmair2.pdf
[2] . Karen Allen,BBC News (Last Updated 13/12/2007,17:59 GMT)
