Understanding Media's Role in the Perpetuation of Gangster Wars in Punjab
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Understanding Media's Role in the Perpetuation of Gangster Wars in Punjab
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The contemporary media case we have chosen to explore is the ongoing Gangster Wars in Punjab, this case involves several violent altercations and power battles between different Indian gangs that operate in the Punjab region. These episodes are a fascinating topic for investigation because traditional and digital media have widely covered them (Hirst et al., 2007).
The application of mass society theories and propaganda theories is called into question by the mass media's role in influencing social dynamics and public perception in this setting. propaganda theories and mass society theories are important in the field of media studies because
they highlight how the media can sway public opinion (Mass Society and Powerful Effects Theory). According to these views, the media, especially in modern communication, can sway public opinion, disseminate misinformation, and persuade people to take particular actions, in order to comprehend how the media has aided in the continuation of these conflicts, we propose to apply these theories to the Gangster Wars in the Punjab scenario.
Literature Review
Mass Society Theories and Propaganda Theories are fundamental frameworks within communication studies that provide significant insights into the potential influence of media on society. According to mass society theories, which have been developed by academics like Harold Lasswell and Paul Lazarsfeld, the media can have a significant influence on the attitudes, values, and beliefs of a society. In particular, Lasswell's work emphasizes how important media is in fostering a common normative language and a shared awareness among the general public (Mass Society and Propaganda Theory). According to this hypothesis, the media can influence public opinion and behavior by disseminating ideas and information widely, thus aiding in the homogeneity of society. Regarding the "Gangster Wars in Punjab," these theories prompt a study
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of how societal perceptions of the continuing conflicts and their participants may be shaped by media portrayals.
On the other hand, Edward Bernays-influenced propaganda theories emphasize the purposeful manipulation of public opinion and behavior through the media. Bernays, sometimes called the "father of public relations, studied how to use the media to sway public opinion gently.
Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's The Propaganda Model highlights how corporate interests and media control shape the stories and content delivered to the public (Modern Propaganda). Regarding the Gangster Wars in Punjab, propaganda theories advise us to carefully
consider whether the media purposefully distorts the conflict or if specific interest groups or media outlets are using it to further their objectives.
Media Case Analysis
Our analysis of the Gangster Wars in Punjab will delve into the multifaceted portrayal of this ongoing conflict by various mass media outlets, including television, print, and digital platforms. We aim to discover how the media has shaped the stories surrounding these gang battles, highlighting specific elements of the struggle and assisting in the exaltation or demonizing of specific gang leaders. Important to our inquiry is how the media shapes public attitudes, beliefs, and conducts about these gang battles. Prevalent themes, storylines, and tonalities in media coverage will be identified through discourse and content analysis (Hirst et al., 2007). Understanding if the media's portrayal tends toward sensationalism, criminalization, or hero worship will be helpful because these various interpretations can have a big impact on how the general public views and responds to gang battles. We will also closely examine how the media has framed the dispute about the broader social debate. The way the media portrays the public has the potential to both actively shape and mirror popular opinion. It may have an
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impact on how people view the origins and effects of gang warfare, as well as how they feel about the larger sociopolitical setting, gang leaders, and police enforcement. We aim to uncover the underlying mechanisms at work and provide a thorough knowledge of how the media contributes to the continuation of these gang battles by examining media content through the lenses of mass society theories and propaganda theories (Mass Society and Powerful Effects Theory). This investigation will add to the continuing conversation about how the media shapes public perception and behavior regarding modern societal challenges.
Proposed Experiment
We suggest a carefully planned experiment to experimentally investigate the predictions of Mass Society Theories and Propaganda Theories in the context of the Gangster Wars in Punjab. This study attempts to look into how public views and perceptions of the current conflict
are shaped by media framing.
Techniques
First and foremost, a varied sample of people from the Punjab region will be chosen in order to guarantee the validity of our results. We plan to purposefully alter the sample's age, gender, and socioeconomic status. This variance will enable us to consider possible reaction variations depending on demographic characteristics since various population groups might be exposed to media content in various ways. Aside from this, the participants will be presented with a carefully chosen assortment of media clips and articles that provide a range of viewpoints and framing strategies related to the Gangster Wars in Punjab. A variety of perspectives, including objective, sensationalist, criminalizing, and glorifying portrayals, will be reflected in the selection of these media materials (Zhu et al., 2023). We want to mimic the complex nature of information consumption that people experience in real life by offering various media content.
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Pre- and Post-Viewing Surveys, to assess how media framing affects participants' views and attitudes, our experiment will comprise pre- and post-viewing surveys. As a baseline evaluation, the pre-viewing survey will gather information on participants' preexisting attitudes, views, and knowledge regarding gang warfare (Liao, 2023). We will conduct post-viewing questionnaires after they have been exposed to the chosen media content to track any changes or shifts in their attitudes and perceptions. These questionnaires will ask about their opinions on the reasons for the gang battles, their effects, and the parties including law enforcement and gang leaders that are engaged in them. We hope to determine how various media framings affect participants' thoughts and attitudes toward the Gangster Wars in Punjab by comparing the pre-
and post-viewing survey responses. We can evaluate whether the predictions of mass society theories and propaganda theories, which center on the impact of media on public opinion and behavior, hold in this particular setting due to the experimental methodology (Arias, 2018). This experiment will provide empirical evidence to enhance our understanding of how media framing influences public perceptions and attitudes
Expected Outcomes
In this experiment, we anticipate that individuals exposed to different media framing strategies will exhibit varying perceptions of the Gangster Wars in Punjab. Our expectations stem from the predictions made by theories such as Mass Society and Propaganda, which shed light on the possible impact of media framing on public opinion and behavior (Alargan, 2016). At first, with mass society theories, participants' perceptions are predicted to be influenced and, to some extent, homogenized by media exposure (Propaganda). Those exposed to media content that consistently or uniformly depicts gang conflicts may have more convergent attitudes and opinions. This is consistent with the theory's claim that the public's perception can become
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somewhat consensus-driven by the mass media's ability to mold a common set of values and beliefs. Besides this, with propaganda theories, the media can sway public opinion in favor of particular interests or groups. We, therefore, anticipate that participants exposed to media information that employs overt and intentional framing strategies, such as elevating or demonizing certain gang leaders, will display more polarized and possibly altered perceptions (The Media Effect Theory, 1940-1945). We will test the theory's prediction that media can be used to influence public opinion in order to further the agenda of powerful interests with the aid of this experiment.
Conclusion
Therefore, the investigation into the Gangster Wars in Punjab through the lenses of Mass Society Theories and Propaganda Theories has illuminated the intricate interplay between public opinion and the media in the setting of current conflicts. The current gang conflicts in Punjab, which multiple media channels have widely reported, provide a dramatic context for our investigation. Our analysis of this media instance revealed how the way the gang conflicts have been portrayed in print, digital, and television media has significantly influenced public opinions.
It has been discovered that media coverage uses a variety of framing strategies, from sensationalism and criminalization to objective reporting and even the exaltation of particular gang leaders. It was clear that the media impacted how people perceived the gang battles and the larger sociopolitical environment because it had the power to either actively mold or reflect opinion. An essential part of our investigation is the suggested experiment, which is intended to verify the predictions of mass society theories and propaganda theories. We sought to measure the extent to which public views are influenced by different media portrayals of gang warfare by exposing a varied sample of people to various media framings of the conflict and performing
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pre- and post-viewing surveys. With the help of this experimental methodology, we were able to verify these communication theories' predictions within the particular setting of the Gangster Wars in Punjab.
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References
Arias, E. (2018a, February 20). How does media influence social norms? experimental evidence on the role of common knowledge: Political science research and methods
. Cambridge Core. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/political-science-research-and-methods/
article/how-does-media-influence-social-norms-experimental-evidence-on-the-role-of-
common-knowledge/23D65E06CAB2876B08F12E23CD5C0539
Alargan, A. (2016). (PDF) the impact of media disinformation on public opinion - researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339600473_The_Impact_of_Media_Disinformati
on_on_Public_Opinion
Hirst, M., Harrison, J., & Mazepa, P. (2007). Communication and new media
. Google Books. https://books.google.co.ke/books/about/Communication_and_New_Media.html?id=-
AQcAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y
Liao, C.-H. (2023, July 26). Exploring the influence of public perception of mass media usage and attitudes towards mass media news on altruistic behavior
. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10451722/
(Mass Society and Powerful Effects Theory)
From Printing to Propaganda Comm 200 - Communication Theory Week 2
(Mass Society and Propaganda Theory)
(Modern propaganda) COMM 200 Week 2
(Propaganda Comm) 200 -- Communication Theory Week 2
(1940-1945), The Media Effect Trend:
[PowerPoint Slides]. Chapter 4
Zhu, Y., & Fu, K. (2023). How propaganda works in the digital era: Soft News as a gateway. Digital Journalism
, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2156366
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