Manchester University Press
3 Class, education and media cultures
Abstract
This chapter investigates in depth two key factors which shape how media messaging is received: interpersonal communities and identity categories in respect of class, education and age. It examines in particular the role of social class in shaping media engagement and the ways in which people interpret and respond to ideas and take up positions. It engages with historical literature from Richard Hoggart, E. P. Thompson and Stuart Hall on how class identities shape distinctive cultures organised around shared perceptions and ways of life. Moving to the present, the chapter examines the role of formal education in constructing online and offline opinion communities which are cemented and sustained by media engagement in both historical forms (tabloid and broadsheet) and newer platform cultures. An aspect of this is the way particular modes of social media usage, such as the careful curation of profiles and entrance into public discourse, add value to those with cultural capital gained in educational settings and can operate to marginalise those who do not possess these resources. However, it is argued, these intensely reflective online performances must also be seen in the context of scarce resources, increasing job precarity and limited opportunities for even those with such skills. In this, the construction of generational conflict (‘boomer’ versus ‘millennial’) sets those with shared economic interests in struggles against one another and is a significant barrier to the building of solidarity and collective demands for change.
Abstract
This chapter investigates in depth two key factors which shape how media messaging is received: interpersonal communities and identity categories in respect of class, education and age. It examines in particular the role of social class in shaping media engagement and the ways in which people interpret and respond to ideas and take up positions. It engages with historical literature from Richard Hoggart, E. P. Thompson and Stuart Hall on how class identities shape distinctive cultures organised around shared perceptions and ways of life. Moving to the present, the chapter examines the role of formal education in constructing online and offline opinion communities which are cemented and sustained by media engagement in both historical forms (tabloid and broadsheet) and newer platform cultures. An aspect of this is the way particular modes of social media usage, such as the careful curation of profiles and entrance into public discourse, add value to those with cultural capital gained in educational settings and can operate to marginalise those who do not possess these resources. However, it is argued, these intensely reflective online performances must also be seen in the context of scarce resources, increasing job precarity and limited opportunities for even those with such skills. In this, the construction of generational conflict (‘boomer’ versus ‘millennial’) sets those with shared economic interests in struggles against one another and is a significant barrier to the building of solidarity and collective demands for change.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 The disconnect 23
- 2 Filtering for opinion 49
- 3 Class, education and media cultures 73
- 4 The new gatekeepers of digital content and opinion 96
- 5 Climate, COVID-19 and the cost of living: getting up close to global crises 120
- Conclusion 143
- Appendix 159
- Bibliography 166
- Index 192
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 The disconnect 23
- 2 Filtering for opinion 49
- 3 Class, education and media cultures 73
- 4 The new gatekeepers of digital content and opinion 96
- 5 Climate, COVID-19 and the cost of living: getting up close to global crises 120
- Conclusion 143
- Appendix 159
- Bibliography 166
- Index 192
