scholarly journals The social function of moral panic

2020 ◽  
pp. 59-75
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ilić
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Professional Attitude ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Creation

In this paper, the author discusses the social context of moral panic, ie the role of various social factors in the creation of moral panic. Starting from the known mechanisms of moral panic (traditional and newer), the author considers the roles of the subjects of informal and formal social control in this process. In that sense, it stands out the activity of various moral activists as representatives of the informal social structure who, by propagating the importance of moral protection, often participate in the process of creating of many moral panics. On the other hand, the activities of formal social control bodies are regulated by an appropriate legal frame-work whose task is to solve the problem of crime in society. This implies a professional attitude of the police, the prosecution and the courts in terms of combating crime. The author points out the problem of the participation of the representatives of these bodies in the creation and development of moral panic, considering it in the context of the culture of control, ie its elements, emphasizing especially the role of the police. The author connects all the mentioned segments of the social function of moral panic with the role of the media as an unavoidable factor in the process of moral panic. At the end of the paper, the author emphasizes the importance of the role of the media in raising awareness of the importance of individual actions of all social actors in order to avoid their participation in the creation of moral panic that unfavorable affects on solving the problem of crime.

scholarly journals Media Frames of the Ontario Safe Streets Act: assessing the moral panic model

SURG Journal ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Michael Bates
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
Media Frames ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media

This paper assesses the “moral panic” framework of Stanley Cohen with reference to panhandling and squeegeeing in Ontario. There are four general tenets of the moral panic model, three of which can be said to have been documented in the case of panhandling in Ontario: a recognized threat (panhandling), a rise in public concern, and punitive control mechanisms established to eliminate the threat. This paper argues that the fourth tenet, a stereotypical presentation of the moral threat to the social order, has not been systematically analyzed, and therefore that is the task of this paper. Specifically, this paper examines the framing used by the mainstream print media in Ontario to construct the panhandling/squeegeeing problem. Articles and letters­ to the­ editor were sampled from two mainstream Ontario newspapers, the Toronto Star and the Ottawa Citizen, to examine the mainstream media’s framing of panhandling and squeegee cleaning. This sample was taken between 1995 and 2005, a timeframe which revolves around the implementation of the Ontario Safe Streets Act 2000, which is recognized as the punitive control mechanism designed to eliminate the threat of panhandling. The findings of this paper lead to the conclusion that panhandling in Ontario during the implementation of the Ontario Safe Streets Act does not constitute a classic moral panic by virtue of the role the media played. However, the evidence that punitive control mechanisms were established absent the support of the mainstream media suggests that a deeper understanding of the role of mainstream media as well as political interests is required with respect to framing moral panics.

scholarly journals ‘Do We Look like Boy Racers?’ The Role of the Folk Devil in Contemporary Moral Panics

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Lumsden
Keyword(s):  
Moral Panic ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Young Drivers ◽  
The Media ◽  
Collective Process ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Societal Reaction

This article addresses the failure of studies concerning moral panics to take into account the reaction of those individuals who are the subject of social anxiety. It responds to the suggestion by McRobbie and Thornton (1995) that studies of moral panic need to account for the role played by the ‘folk devils’ themselves, for a moral panic is a collective process (Young, 2007). The paper presents findings from ethnographic fieldwork with the ‘boy racer’ culture in Aberdeen, qualitative interviews with members of outside groups, and content analysis of media articles. The societal reaction to the ‘boy racer’ subculture in Aberdeen is evidence of a contemporary moral panic. The media's representation of the subculture contributed to the stigmatization of young drivers and the labelling of the subculture's activities as deviant and antisocial. The drivers were aware of their negative portrayal in the media; however their attempts to change the myth of the ‘boy racer’ were unsuccessful. Although subcultural media can provide an outlet of self-expression for youths, these forms of media can also become caught-up in the moral panic. Ironically the youths’ own niche and micro media reified the (ir)rationality for the moral panic.

scholarly journals The European Media Portrayal of Climate Change: Implications for the Social Mobilization towards Climate Action

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8300
Author(s):  
Alexandre O. Tavares ◽  
Neide P. Areia ◽  
Sinead Mellett ◽  
Julia James ◽  
Diego S. Intrigliolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Narratives ◽  
Media Portrayal ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Media ◽  
Climate Crisis

Beyond other social actors, such as policymakers and scholars, common citizens are also expected to actively engage with climate change, by adopting sustainable actions and supporting environmental policies. However, and despite the actual growing of environment-related social movements, a kind of inertia still prevails in the social climate of our society. The media should play a key role in promoting, among common individuals, the adoption of new and more sustainable practices. However, it is argued that the media seems to be failing to effectively address the climate crisis. As such, this study aims to identify the main weaknesses of climate change media communication to further discuss possible opportunities of communication improvements. For that, 1609 news articles published between 2017 and 2018 in five European countries were analyzed in-depth, through quantitative content analysis. The news’ general characteristics, specifically reported themes, and the specificities of actors’ discourses were taken into account for the analysis. It was verified that the European media tends to report climate change by using distant (e.g., future-focused) and outcome (e.g., threatening messages) framings, based on non-resilient, scientific, and political narratives, whilst overlooking the role of civil society on adapting to climate change. These results demonstrate that instead of promoting society’s climate action, the media may be contributing to a widespread social apathy about the climate and the disengagement of individuals regarding environment-related matters. Evidence-based forms of improving the media’s communication on climate change will be further discussed.

scholarly journals The Featurization of Journalism

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steen Steensen
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Social Constructivist ◽  
Media Industry ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Constructivist View ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media

Abstract Feature journalism has developed from being an insignificant supplement to news journalism to a family of genres that today dominates newspapers. The present article explores the growing importance of feature journalism and attempts to understand its social function, how it has changed and why it has become so important. Based on an analysis of influential textbooks on feature journalism, the paper argues that feature journalism has traditionally been dominated by a literary discourse, and discourses of intimacy and adventure – discourses that thus have become increasingly important for newspapers, thereby transforming the social function of news in general. Today, however, the genres of feature journalism are undergoing significant changes, reflecting the technological, social, economic and cultural changes that affect the media industry and the role of journalism at large. The present article is framed by a social constructivist view of genre, and it outlines possible scenarios for future transformations of feature journalism.

scholarly journals Analysis of (un)official discourses on drug use in Serbia

Crimen ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22
Author(s):  
Milana Ljubičić
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
Official Discourse ◽  
The Social ◽  
Drug Policies ◽  
The Media ◽  
Definition Of

In the article, we analyse discourse on drug abuse in contemporary Serbia. The ruling official discourse on drugs can be subsumed under the definition of moral panic, in creation of which, as well in dissemination, the media play an important role. Media uses specific vocabulary to send message warning of an impending social catastrophe. This tactic is effective: recipients of media content become anxious and frightened by the downfall of the society that awaits them in the near future. So logically they are converting into supporters of official discourses on the topic. In the end, this process has the power to briefly connect a shredded tissue of social cohesion, but also to produce a lack of freedom of citizens. In order to investigate whether drug-related moral panics in our country can have such implications, in this paper we analyzed the official discourse embodied in anti-drug policies, and the public discourse offered by media. Findings suggest that policymakers are calling on war against drugs, and name prevention and criminalization as the most successful strategies to fight it. The recipients of media content are agreeing with them. Furthermore, there is no doubt that such o discourse encourages the spread of moral panic about drugs, as well as social cohesion. Although abstractly defined, the enemy - drug, has the power to unite. However, it also causes a lack of freedom. Because of the narrative of the impending catastrophe, the citizens feel powerless and therefore demand from the higher state authorities to act in the name of the social future.

The Role of Evaluative Tools in the Creation of the Memorial Media Portrait of Jacques Chirac (1932—2019)

2020 ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
E. N. Mikhailova ◽  
V. A. Telegina
Keyword(s):  
Print Media ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Entire Text

The article is devoted to the study of evaluative tools used in modern French media in order to form the media image of a representative of the political elite. The techniques used in the creation of a memorial media portrait of Jacques Chirac (1932—2019), President of France from 1995 to 2007 are considered. The research material was the most prestigious French print media of various political orientations, published in late September — early October 2019 in connection with the death of the ex-President of the French Republic. The relevance of the research topic is dictated by the close attention of modern linguistics to axiological phenomena, differently presented in different types of discursive practices. The novelty of the study is due to the appeal to the analysis of the complex of evaluation tools used in the French print media when characterizing the former leader of the state during the nation’s farewell period. The estimated potential of the title of the article and its influence on the formation of the estimated vector of the entire text of the publication are shown. A systematic analysis of the assessment expression means, reflected in the memorial media portrait of the politician, is given. The factors that influenced the peculiarities of their use in this type of media portrait are revealed.

Research on the Effects of Over-the-Counter Drug Advertising

1974 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald L. Kanter
Keyword(s):  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Pharmaceutical Advertising ◽  
Drug Usage ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Drug Advertising ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Commercial Advertising ◽  
The Impact

Dr. Kanter presents a summary of his research assessing the role of OTC advertising in Influencing drug usage. His work represents the only systematic study of the impact of commercial advertising on drug usage. He stresses that advertising in itself does not directly lead to drug misuse but should be considered as part of a host of factors in the social environment and in the media environment that have significant influence in determining people's behavior. He also urged that the existing pharmaceutical advertising codes, which are often violated, be reviewed and strengthened.

scholarly journals Anti-migrant Islamophobia in Europe. Social roots, mechanisms and actors

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (53) ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Fabio Perocco
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Origins ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Muslim Immigrants ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Mass Media

Abstract During the last two decades of rising anti-migrant racism in Europe, Islamophobia has proven to be the highest, most acute, and widely spread form of racism. The article shows how anti-migrant Islamophobia is a structural phenomenon in European societies and how its internal structure has specific social roots and mechanisms of functioning. Such an articulate and interdependent set of key themes, policies, practices, discourses, and social actors it is intended to inferiorise and marginalise Muslim immigrants while legitimising and reproducing social inequalities affecting the majority of them. The article examines the social origins of anti-migrant Islamophobia and the modes and mechanisms through which it naturalises inequalities; it focuses on the main social actors involved in its production, specifically on the role of some collective subjects as anti-Muslim organizations and movements, far-right parties, best-selling authors, and the mass-media.

scholarly journals Thai Gender Ideology: A View from Representations of Social Actors in Crime News Headlines

MANUSYA ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-49
Author(s):  
Phennapha Klaisingto ◽  
Wirote Aroonmanakun
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
Gender Identities ◽  
Gender Ideologies ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Crime News ◽  
Study Power ◽  
News Headlines

This study examines the linguistic structure used for uncovering gender ideologies through crime news headlines. It’s based on the idea that languages represent reality and different linguistic choices indicate different points of view of reality. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough 1990,VanDijk 1995, Simpson 1993) is used in this study. The main objectives of the study are 1) to study the differences of representation between male and female social actors (Van Leeuwan 2008) in crime news headlines and 2) to study power relations, gender identities and the reproduction of patriarchal society through crime news headlines. Samples of 1,815 crime news headlines are analyzed in this study. The result shows that Thai crime news constructs gender identities based on gender ideology. Thai crime news headlines convey a variety of linguistic meanings which allow for varying forms of representation of social actors, including exclusion and inclusion of social actors. The exclusion of male social actors in headlines may be ideologically motivated by obscuring the responsibility of male actors for negative actions, whereas the exclusion of female social actors does not have the same effect because their referents can be inferred from the headline context. In addition, the inclusion of social actors varies according to the social actor’s sex. Male actors are usually referred to using a functionalization form or an appraisement form, whereas female actors are usually referred to using an identification form. These representations reflect the role of masculinity and femininity among men and women in the society.

Linking Moralisation and Class Identity: The Role of Ressentiment and Respectability in the Social Reaction to ‘Chavs’

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Le Grand
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Class Identity ◽  
Moral Self ◽  
Social Reaction ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dialectical Process ◽  
White Working Class

This paper aims to link two fields of research which have come to form separate lines of inquiry: the sociology of moralisation and studies on class identity. Expanding on recent papers by Young (2009 , 2011 ) and others, the paper argues that the concepts of ressentiment and respectability can be used to connect moralisation processes and the formation of class identities. This is explored through a case study of the social reaction in Britain to white working-class youths labelled ‘chavs’. It is demonstrated that chavs are constructed through moralising discourses and practices, which have some elements of a moral panic. Moreover, moralisation is performative in constructing class identities: chavs have been cast as a ‘non-respectable’ white working-class ‘folk devil’ against whom ‘respectable’ middle-class and working-class people distinguish and identify themselves as morally righteous. Moralising social reactions are here to an important extent triggered by feelings of ressentiment. This is a dialectical process where respectability and ressentiment are tied, not only to the social control of certain non-respectable working-class others, but also to the moral self-governance of the moralisers.

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