Media geographers have made several media arguments that relate to how geographical information is gathered and presented by both social and mainstream media. The most recent arguments by media geographers are found in the arguments by Alexander, (2017, p. 183).
According to this media geographer, the media holds robust transformative possibilities since people utilize cultural representations in the creation of social relationships and to clearly define space. In this aspect, it is vital to understand the concepts of media geography and how it influences human beings in general.
Some of the significant concepts of media geography and their contemporary day application include:
1. Material Production
Material production is the act of providing the materials to enhance communication within a given area of jurisdiction or media coverage. In media geography, the aspect of material production is essential since it defines the people or the techniques utilized in the conveying of the general information.
This concept or aspect of media geography looks at the broader picture of how the information can reach a broader range of audience. For instance, material production as a concept of media geography assists in the selection of the best techniques to convey the information based on the cultural aspects of the area and people’s perspectives (Martin and Rypestøl, 2018, p. 966).
The communication of given information is better served by a particular media aspect which relates to the cultural practice such as clothing that conforms to the audience culture.
2. Cultural Meaning
Culture is another vital concept of media geography. Cultural practices determine the type and amount of information one consumes. A given cultural practice may not permit certain information (Verboord and Noord, 2016, p. 59). In the mainstream media, therefore, media geography through its cultural meaning concepts helps journalists to understand the relationship between the information they relay and the culture of their audience.
Similarly, this applies to social media or new media. In such platforms, people tend to make friends and relationships based on their cultural affiliations and orientations. For instance, on Facebook as one of the major social media platforms of interaction, one would not be a friend or associate with another individual if they do not conform to a given cultural practice.
Therefore, understanding of culture is a vital aspect of media today. Media geography assists significantly in enhancing this cultural meaning to enhance relevance in the type of interaction taking place in new media and the amount of information conveyed on the mainstream media.
3. Bodily Affects and Percepts
The body of an individual and their shape and size also matters a lot in media. In the media industry, particularly, the mainstream media, the body size matters, greatly since it determines the viewpoint of the viewers of the communication made by journalists.
For instance, most of the media houses prefer people with a great body to take part in the news anchoring since they are positively perceived. In media geography through the bodily percepts and effects, the aspect of the body concerning the communicated information is emphasized (Verboord and Noord, 2016, p. 65). The body size, for instance, influences tactile perception in media.
The Bottom Line
Generally, media geography assists in exploring broad concepts including material production, the cultural meaning and the bodily effects and percepts. These concepts are believed to be major influencers of the processes and practices that relate to the gathering of geographical information and facts among the media personalities.
Bibliography
Alexander, T., 2017. Comic Book Geographies. Media Geography at Mainz, Vol. 4. pp. 183-185.
Martin, R. and Rypestøl, J.O., 2018. Linking content and technology: on the geography of innovation networks in the Bergen media cluster. Industry and Innovation, 25(10), pp.966-989.
Verboord, M. and Noord, S.V., 2016. The online place of popular music: Exploring the impact of geography and social media on pop artists’ mainstream media attention. Popular Communication, 14(2), pp.59-72.
