Socialisation: The influence of media on destination choice
Author: Bianca Habron
1 Commentries
Have you ever considered the extent to the effect the television, news or Internet has on the choices you make? Is something safe or dangerous? Do I want to go there???
Socialisation as a topic consists of many components, a number of authors have tried to explain the meaning of socialisation. McPherson (1989) stated, "It is a complex developmental learning process that teaches the knowledge, values, and norms essential to participation in social life. It is through socialization that we learn all types of social roles, among these are roles related to sport and leisure participation". In other words socialisation is the process by which people learn to function in social situations, as mentioned by McPherson it is the "learning" and "teaching". It is considered that there are four elements, which affect this process; these include family, education, media and peers.
Media as a phenomenon as filtered into every part of people's daily lives, computers are used for work and entertainment, and some house can have televisions in more than one room. Voase (2002) contributes, that this ease of accessible information 'has led to a democratisation of knowledge' (2002, P 394) and in turn has enabled anyone one person to become an "expert".
The television allows its viewers to see different countries and places that they might have not known existed or even contemplated, from the comfort of their own home. However the flow of images cannot be considered the only aspect of the Television, which influences destination decisions. The power of news is at times greatly underestimated by the authors and viewers; an example of such estimation was by Lincoln Steffens and his friend and rival Jacob Riis, both men were journalists in New York, 1890. The journalists both reported the crimes within in the city, however for two different newspapers. The race between the two had started with a little information being given, about a few small crimes that had taken place to Steffen, this titbit of information carried forth the witch hunt for any information about the crimes of the city. These stories were read everyday by the cities residents and as Schudson (2003) points out
"It is likely that the sales were good for locks and guard dogs in New York during those weeks and that people walked more carefully down the street or returned to their homes earlier than usual." (P2).
An example of the news's influence could be connected to the January 2011 political unrest in Egypt, although the named demonstrations were taking place in Cairo, the BBC commented that "British tourists have been warned to get out of major Egyptian cities" (BBC, 2011). In link with this information it was noted that 83% of European arrivals had declined in February and 68% in March
Tourists gain vast amounts of information about destinations through destination tourist's board's websites, for example Visit England that gives tourists information regarding the country as well as tips, which can help them during their journey. The aspect of tips and information is one that is closely linked to Online travel communities, these communities allow travellers to upload images of their travels, experiences and views on destinations. An example of such a community is TripAdvisor, this website offers information on all aspects of travel, and destinations worldwide. Through this form of information and advice, although these types of communities offer advice and ratings, these ratings could both deter and attract potential guests.
The way information can so easily be used, altered and accessed has been considered to alter the very framework or "cultural condition" which we live in. Through this easy of information access, it has been mentioned that society are becoming experts, and the careers which once were held in the highest esteem, are not held in the same light (Voase, 2002,P394), this train of thought put forward by Voase could be exemplified through the issue of travel agents, these agents at one time were considered to know everything to do with destinations and all travel aspects, however through societies access to information they have become the experts and the need for travel agents is not as required. However it has been further noted that through the cultural change, what was once considered the Grand Narratives which surrounded ideals such as religion, science and politics (Schulmen,2011) have shifted and instead Lesser narratives came into being. The Lesser narratives can be explained through the breakdown of information such as the Internet and media. However, the information although accessible can be considered"…deathlessness and a new kind of superficiality in the most literal sense… (Jameson,1984, p60). The information provided to tourists, is not often questioned, the reasoning behind certain locations being portrayed in a certain way or the reasons why a certain destination was placed at the top of a list, as the number one holiday choice, rather its is taken in, but not understood.
Bibliography
Schudson, M (2003). The Sociology of News. New York: W.W. Norton & Company . 1-5.
Schulman, J. (2011). In defense of Grand Narratives . Available: http://jacobinmag.com/spring-2011/in-defense-of-grand-narratives/. Last accessed 29th Feb 2012
Voase, R. (2002). Rediscovering the Imagination: investigating active and passive visitors experience in the 21st century. International journal of research. 4 (5), 391-399.
Socialisation as a topic consists of many components, a number of authors have tried to explain the meaning of socialisation. McPherson (1989) stated, "It is a complex developmental learning process that teaches the knowledge, values, and norms essential to participation in social life. It is through socialization that we learn all types of social roles, among these are roles related to sport and leisure participation". In other words socialisation is the process by which people learn to function in social situations, as mentioned by McPherson it is the "learning" and "teaching". It is considered that there are four elements, which affect this process; these include family, education, media and peers.
Media as a phenomenon as filtered into every part of people's daily lives, computers are used for work and entertainment, and some house can have televisions in more than one room. Voase (2002) contributes, that this ease of accessible information 'has led to a democratisation of knowledge' (2002, P 394) and in turn has enabled anyone one person to become an "expert".
The television allows its viewers to see different countries and places that they might have not known existed or even contemplated, from the comfort of their own home. However the flow of images cannot be considered the only aspect of the Television, which influences destination decisions. The power of news is at times greatly underestimated by the authors and viewers; an example of such estimation was by Lincoln Steffens and his friend and rival Jacob Riis, both men were journalists in New York, 1890. The journalists both reported the crimes within in the city, however for two different newspapers. The race between the two had started with a little information being given, about a few small crimes that had taken place to Steffen, this titbit of information carried forth the witch hunt for any information about the crimes of the city. These stories were read everyday by the cities residents and as Schudson (2003) points out
"It is likely that the sales were good for locks and guard dogs in New York during those weeks and that people walked more carefully down the street or returned to their homes earlier than usual." (P2).
An example of the news's influence could be connected to the January 2011 political unrest in Egypt, although the named demonstrations were taking place in Cairo, the BBC commented that "British tourists have been warned to get out of major Egyptian cities" (BBC, 2011). In link with this information it was noted that 83% of European arrivals had declined in February and 68% in March
Tourists gain vast amounts of information about destinations through destination tourist's board's websites, for example Visit England that gives tourists information regarding the country as well as tips, which can help them during their journey. The aspect of tips and information is one that is closely linked to Online travel communities, these communities allow travellers to upload images of their travels, experiences and views on destinations. An example of such a community is TripAdvisor, this website offers information on all aspects of travel, and destinations worldwide. Through this form of information and advice, although these types of communities offer advice and ratings, these ratings could both deter and attract potential guests.
The way information can so easily be used, altered and accessed has been considered to alter the very framework or "cultural condition" which we live in. Through this easy of information access, it has been mentioned that society are becoming experts, and the careers which once were held in the highest esteem, are not held in the same light (Voase, 2002,P394), this train of thought put forward by Voase could be exemplified through the issue of travel agents, these agents at one time were considered to know everything to do with destinations and all travel aspects, however through societies access to information they have become the experts and the need for travel agents is not as required. However it has been further noted that through the cultural change, what was once considered the Grand Narratives which surrounded ideals such as religion, science and politics (Schulmen,2011) have shifted and instead Lesser narratives came into being. The Lesser narratives can be explained through the breakdown of information such as the Internet and media. However, the information although accessible can be considered"…deathlessness and a new kind of superficiality in the most literal sense… (Jameson,1984, p60). The information provided to tourists, is not often questioned, the reasoning behind certain locations being portrayed in a certain way or the reasons why a certain destination was placed at the top of a list, as the number one holiday choice, rather its is taken in, but not understood.
Bibliography
Schudson, M (2003). The Sociology of News. New York: W.W. Norton & Company . 1-5.
Schulman, J. (2011). In defense of Grand Narratives . Available: http://jacobinmag.com/spring-2011/in-defense-of-grand-narratives/. Last accessed 29th Feb 2012
Voase, R. (2002). Rediscovering the Imagination: investigating active and passive visitors experience in the 21st century. International journal of research. 4 (5), 391-399.