Changing Technology

Improvements in a technology that was exciting and new became a primary factor in the boom of the radio industry.

Technological change continuously morphs the way people interact with media. New technologies can assist in different forms of media reaching a greater, more specialized audience in new ways. Major companies are often wary to invest resources into new technology, but funding a new technology with fortunate timing can pay off greatly.

The standardizing of patents by the U.S. Navy and later, the pooling of patents in 1920 gave the radio industry a huge boost. The invention of the vacuum tube in 1906 allowed the long distance transmission of radio waves. These improvements in technology allowed one station to transmit its signal to the many homes with radios, making radio a huge social force.

Catharsis

The theory of catharsis is displayed in countries with less censorship and less crime.

Carthasis is the theory that antisocial actions in a fantasy world will make someone less likely to perform the actions in real life. This theory rose to popularity in the 1930s and resurfaced later with the introduction of violent television and video games. This theory revolves around the relief of tension and curiosity as well as the ability of consumers to separate real life from fiction.

A major example of this theory is censorship in Canada. In Canada there is significantly less censorship on violent movies and video games, but also significantly less violent crime. If children, especially from a young age are used to letting out stress or violent/criminal urges they may naturally have in the form of violent games such as Grand Theft Auto they may dismiss any thoughts of committing these crimes in real life.

Hegemony

The concept of hegemony raises questions about the medias effects on society's views towards morality. Especially starting around the 60s and 70s, Americans started to become more open about issues of sex, gender, and overall morality. Hegemony may not have been the start of the movement, but the display of new mentalities in film and music spurred new ways of thinking. Even with changes in entertainment media, new media spurs new ways of thinking through the concept of framing. Many ideas seem radical at first, but over the course of time they become more normal for the majority of people.

The use of sex and nudity in film and television and its effects on society is a major example of hegemony. During the 60s and 70s movies such as The Graduate or Animal House barely had nudity, but still displayed premarital sex as normal. Now, many movies, such as the reboot of Friday the 13th, have stepped up the nudity and on shows such as Gossip Girl characters have increasingly ridiculous sex scandals. This shows in the general attitude of current young people, who no longer take sex as seriously as the generations of the early 20th century.