Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Robert K. Merton, Article Review Example

Lazarsfeld and Merton:

In “Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action,” Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Robert K. Merton discuss how mass media influence and give power to certain people and groups, as well as how the media influence society as whole. Lazarsfeld and Merton argue that media is so powerful that it holds special power and control. The authors say that many different types of media shape social function, meaning that media enforce social norms and conform popular culture. This article was written before widespread access to the Internet, however the concept of mass media as a major social influence is just as applicable today as it was when Lazarsfeld and Merton presented their research and arguments.

Lazarsfeld and Merton argue that mass media “confer status on public issues, persons, organizations, and social movements” (20). This means that those who already hold power and status are most represented in mass media. The implications of this lie in the argument that only the powerful have influence over mass media, and this influence leads to mass media recognition, and therefore those who are in power are influencing the social norms and what is considered popular culture. This is argued by presenting the fact that media ownership also influence what is presented in popular culture, and that message is varied based on the people and corporations behind the message. This is problem because media conglomerates have mass control over media, therefore diversity in media is unlikely and conformity of opinion is likely widespread.

Barile and Sugiyama:

Nello Barile’s and Satomi Sugiyama’s “The Automation of Taste: A Theoretical Exploration of Mobile ICTs and Social Robots in the Context of Music Consumption” explores the concept of the use of mobile ICTs in everyday life and how this type of technology is able to shape emotional attachment to devices through the automation of taste. Barile and Sugiyama specifically look at how mobile phones and music applications and their algorithms produce automated taste, therefore arguing that humans carry some traces of robots. The authors discuss the importance of research and examination of not only how people influence and the resulting use of the technology, but how technology influences people and use. The research conducted by the authors focuses on popular and familiar ICTs such as mobile phones and their music applications.

Barile and Sugiyama say that human emotions are deeply connected to technology. They argue that this is because the use of robotics exists in most aspects of one’s daily life, therefore there is an intimate connection between human feelings and new technologies. This is further explored as electronic emotions, which means that emotions are explored, revealed and discovered through technology and machines. Because of the limitations of this type of analysis, the authors were only able to apply and explore theory of the automation of taste.

The author’s present an interesting and complex argument based on previous theory and previous research. Barile and Sugiyama conclude that mobile phone music applications and their algorithms drive users to make emotion driven choices. Through expert and critical review, they find that those choices are directly related to statistically analyzed Internet crowd preferences. This shows that technology plays a significant role in the choices individuals make when interacting with technology, and when the algorithms are changed, so do the preferences over time.