AHSS 2030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Typification, Media Manipulation
16 Jun 2018
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Department
Course
Professor
Ostensive Action
• It is sociological principle picked up by folklorists defined as: acting out the
details/themes of a legend
➢ opat ehaiour
o people get ideas from narratives that are already in oral circulation and
then they enact them
▪ ex. Mall Slasher
• gang initiation ritual
• actually happened, but legend was in circulation before it
actually happened
• therefore, ostensive action→ copied story
▪ e. A Beer ith a Mouse Chaser
• story about skeleton of mice in beer→ contamination
legend
• he heard story and acted it out→ ostensive action
• Halloween sadist material
➢ Idea that people are committing horrible/ evil acts on children
➢ OBra ase
o He assumed that this was happening widespread and he could get away
with murder of his son
o Acting out leged ut it ast atuall happeig so he as aught
Typification
• Joel Best article
• Worst ase seario
• Typifying examples are usually not typical, uses worst case as typical example
• These cases get lots of press because they are so unusual, not because it is typical
• But people take it to be a typical, pervasive problem
• This is what has happened with Halloween sadist legends
➢ Dramatic, get lots of coverage
➢ Creates impression that it is a typical problem
Stranger Danger (**read case studies from article)
• 3 basic categories
➢ stereotypical kidnapping by strangers (>1%)
➢ run aways, throwaways, kids lost in system (70%)
➢ family abductions-usually custody battles (29.5%)
Media Agenda Setting
• Agenda setting is process by which media determines what we look at, what we focus
on and what is determined to be newsworthy
• Manipulative approach of using news value
News Values
• Aspect/angle of story that makes it newsworthy
• Apply specifically to Halloween, caution, safety, etc.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
It is sociological principle picked up by folklorists defined as: acting out the details/themes of a legend. (cid:862)(cid:272)op(cid:455)(cid:272)at (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour(cid:863: people get ideas from narratives that are already in oral circulation and then they enact them, ex. Idea that people are committing horrible/ evil acts on children. O(cid:859)br(cid:455)a(cid:374) (cid:272)ase: he assumed that this was happening widespread and he could get away with murder of his son, acting out lege(cid:374)d (cid:271)ut it (cid:449)as(cid:374)(cid:859)t a(cid:272)tuall(cid:455) happe(cid:374)i(cid:374)g so he (cid:449)as (cid:272)aught. Creates impression that it is a typical problem. Stranger danger (**read case studies from article: 3 basic categories. Run aways, throwaways, kids lost in system (70%) Media agenda setting: agenda setting is process by which media determines what we look at, what we focus on and what is determined to be newsworthy, manipulative approach of using news value. News values: aspect/angle of story that makes it newsworthy, apply specifically to halloween, caution, safety, etc. Proximity: story made relevant by location, ex.
