DEVC 203: CULTURAL AND CRITICAL

THEORIES AND FRAMEWORKS IN MEDIA

AND COMMUNICATION

FMA 1:Synthesis
Paper
Communication and Media as Culture

Submitted by:

Espineda, Melvin Navarroza

2012-81282
Master of Development Communication
University of the Philippines Open University

Submitted to:

Dr. Grace Alfonso

Faculty-in-Charge
Faculty of Information and Communication Studies
University of the Philippines Open University
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

INTRODUCTION

Scholars define communication as the essence of human interaction and

learning. The nature of communication is dependent on interaction between two or more
individuals and understanding is constructed through that interaction.
Communication is a basic human right and essential to our quality of life as a
social species. As part of the society, we use communication to: relate to others,
socially connect, greet, call attention, share feelings, express an opinion, agree,
disagree, explain, share information, question, answer, tease, bargain, negotiate,
argue, manipulate, compliment, comment, protest, complain, describe, encourage,
instruct, provide feedback, show humor, discuss interests, be polite, make friends,
express interest or disinterest, etc.

Symbolic Interactionism

We human beings communicate not only because we want to express

something, we communicate because we want to express our thoughts, ideas, feelings
to our friends, family members, colleagues and others. We also communicate because
we want to know the response of others towards what we have expressed or given to
them. But not all communication can be given through words, there are some instances
that we may communicate or interact symbolically.
This is how Julia T. Wood (1992) described a symbolic interaction model for
understanding human communication. Wood’s model depicts human communication as
a dynamic and systematic process in which communicators create meanings through
interactions with symbols. According to symbolic interactionists, language creates a
symbolic or media environment that shapes the communication exchange.
With Wood’s description of Symbolic Interaction, we could say that we human
beings create our own definition of meaning or interact based on how others
communicate with us through symbols. For instance, a commercial of Kopiko where a
guy is drinking a coffee, when he took his first sip of the coffee, the creamer goes into
his nose and the guy didn’t notice about because he actually didn’t see that instance,
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

and then there is a frame that shows a girl who actually saw what happened to the guy
so what the girl did was to tell the guy what happened by expressing her message
through symbol of licking her own nose just to state that the guy has a creamer on his
nose. But since the girl is pretty, the guy interpretation of what the girl actually
expressing is different from what the she is trying to express. By this instance, it agrees
the point of view of Dr. George Berkeley. He emphasizes that as we receive the
message we directly perceive it based on our interpretation. He states that as we see
something and obtain direct perception we arrange to specific meaning which influence
our reaction behavior. He also states that the interconnection and relationship ends up
defining your own message. It means that as we communicate with others, the
interaction should be carefully done especially if it is done symbolically because the
interpretation might different from what we’ve thought.

Social Construction of Reality

Society is a result of our communication/interaction with one another. The society

is actually our guide in our communication/interaction. According to Thomas & Thomas
1928, “If men define situations as real, then they are real in the consequences.” This
mean that we the people face the reality of life, we could accept it as it is. For example,
if we accept the fact that we are poor, we do not need to pretend that we can get
everything we want even if we can’t. In politics per se, if the government accept the fact
that our country is still have liabilities, the government do not need to pretend that we
are rich to let other countries to lend our sources.
Berger and Luckmann (1996), stress that society is constructed by three stages.
(1) Externalization. According to Berger and Luckamann people create cultural
products through social interaction. These cultural products may be material products,
social institutions or values or beliefs concerning a particular group. When these
products are created, they become external to those who have produced them,
becoming products outside ourselves. (2) Objectivation. They also stress that when
products created in the first stage appear to take on a reality of their own, becoming
independent of those who created them. People lose awareness that they themselves
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

are the authors of their social and cultural environment and of their interpretations of
reality. They feel as if the products have an objective existence and they'll become
another part of reality to be taken for granted. (3) Internalization. Lastly, we learn the
supposedly "objective facts" about the cultural products that have been created. This
occurs primarily through socialization, the process of social interaction in which one
learns the ways of society and one's specific roles-- the sets of rules and expectations
attached to a social position in that society. In this stage we make these facts part of
our consciousness. Because of this process of internalization, members of the same
culture share an understanding of reality and rarely question the origins of their beliefs
or the process through which these beliefs arose

Interpretative Theory of Culture

In the Interpretative Theory of Culture, Clifford Geertz, simply explains that if we

want to understand the culture, we should penetrate the deeper part of it. Which mean
that our interpretation of culture cannot be done by simply knowing the culture as it is,
we should know why and how the culture exists.
Geertz asserts that cultural analysis is intrinsically incomplete. And, worse than
that, the more deeply it goes the less complete it is. There are a number of ways of
escaping this—turning culture into folklore and collecting it, turning it into traits and
counting it, turning it into institutions and classifying it, turning it into structures and
toying with it.
In Philippines per se, we have different culture in different part of the country,
what is wrong with the Filipino, they give a wrong interpretation because they do not
explore the contextual factor of the culture. Let say the folklore of the elderly, some says
that it is not applicable in our generation nowadays because we are now in modern
generation, but, there are some cases that because of these interpretation some of us
get into trouble because we did not explore the context of the folklore. The main point of
Interpretative Theory of Culture is to give a right interpretation by researching factual
information to know really the context of a culture, do not make an interpretation based
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

on just own judgment, but instead, make interpretation by getting to know the deeper
part of the culture.

Media Construction of Reality

The media are tend to create a dominate view of the world. It seemingly creates
a dominant culture or pop culture. Moreover, it is still on the argument whether the
construction of a pop culture rests more on the influence of media or reaction of every
individual.

The term “Popular Culture” can be used interchangeably with the term “Mass
Culture.” The concept of a mass culture suggest explicitly what the term pop culture
implies that of material that is solely and directly created for and distributed for mass
consumption (MacDonald, 1957).

There are three ways in which the realm of a pop culture influences public
consumption. First, certain media channels or forms are more popular than others (e.g.
TV vs. books, the Internet vs. radio). Second, within the different channels or forms,
genres of content receive the widest acceptance (e.g., rock music vs. new age, sit-coms
vs. documentaries). Finally, within the genres themselves, certain categorical content
becomes more predominant than others (e.g., modern rock vs. classic rock, sit-coms
oriented around a group of friends vs. sit-coms oriented around a family).

A hidden assumption of the media’s role in this process is that certainly the
gatekeeping process will often allow content to pass through that does not necessarily
meet the current “pop” criteria; however, the hope is that this content will become the
mainstream; and consequently, profitably for those who created this new content.

In Philippine News, the producers gate keeping is in the state of questioned,

because some are asking does the media entity really give the information that
everyone needs. When I actually had a conversation with my students in
Communication Theory, we tackled about the media gate keeping and we have also
discussed about the issue of sensationalism. Let us face the reality that only few
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

watches news unless the news contents affect us such as disaster, price hike and
others, nevertheless people do not mind the news if it does not affect them at all. What
producers do is somehow sensationalize the news just to get the attention of the
viewers; I know this because I always watch news, what being said on the teaser of the
news program is different from the news report itself. When you actually watch the
news, you will ask where the “item” being said on the teaser goes.

Media Construction of Everyday Life

We may even speak of a kind of "media dependency" of people, to regularly

receive updates, to keep their own internal maps adjusted to a larger map of the world,
a world that is beyond their actual lived and everyday experiences.

As technologies modernized the dependency of people towards media get high.

The dependency does not necessarily mean depending on what feed us but depending
on the medium where can actually get information. People nowadays do not relay on
what the news anchor feeding to us, we ourselves find ways to verify the concreteness
of the information. Since the issue of sensationalism is still on the mind of most of the
viewers they don’t immediately believe on the news items the broadcast media gives to
its listeners/viewers. The people themselves use other sources just to give the
information that they need.

Cultural Theory

It its early uses in English, culture was associated with “cultivation” of animals
and crops with religious worship (hence the world “cult”). From the sixteenth century
until the nineteenth the term began to be widely applied to the improvement of individual
human mind and personal manners through learning.
Williams (1976), stresses that these various historical shifts are dimly reflected to
the three current uses of the term “culture.” (1) To refer to the intellectual, spiritual, and
aesthetic development of an individual, group, or society. (2) To capture a range of
intellectual and artistic activities and their products. (3) To designate the entire way of
life, activities, beliefs and customs of a people, group, or society.
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is responsible of taking good
care of the culture of Philippines. The main role of the commission is to formulate
policies for development of culture and the arts; to implement these policies in
coordination with affiliated cultural agencies; to coordinate implementation of programs
of these affiliated agencies; to administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and
the Arts (NEFCA); To encourage artistic creation within a climate of artistic freedom; to
develop and promote the Filipino national culture and arts; and, to preserve Filipino
cultural heritage.

But since the commission is under the government, the decision of the
commission is being influenced by the president. A good example is with what
happened to Ms. Nora Aunor, she was supposedly part of nominees for the national
artist award but since Ms. Aunor was not totally agree with President Aquino’s point of
view, she was forcedly disqualify.

I know that I’m being opinionated, but, if this is going to be the bases of the
commission in choosing who will be the National Artist, how the commission can
preserve the culture of the Filipino. Aunor has been a great contribution in film industry
and been part of a great actress in showing the folklore of the Filipinos. Aunor
showcased the folklore of the Filipino in terms of “Himala.” In the theory being discussed
above, we can only capture the range of intellectual and artistic activities if we are being
fair with our decision, we should not let anyone influenced us just because of the dirty
politics because our culture cannot be developed if we will allow dictators in mandating
our own culture.
FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

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FMA 1: A Synthesis Paper on Communication and Media as Culture by Melvin N. Espineda

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