Contemporary technological developments created a new system which has a common body from person to intercontinental communication web all around the world. It can be seen as sociological and psychological reality if we look at this important subject. Today a person recognize him/herself as a member of social community via mass media apparatus. Because it presents too many chances to know identity and global issues. People is influenced by a collective consciousness on integration way to be the part of a common social system.Contemporary technological developments created a new system which has a common body from person to intercontinental communication web all around the world. It can be seen as sociological and psychological reality if we look at this important subject. Today a person recognize him/herself as a member of social community via mass media apparatus. Because it presents too many chances to know identity and global issues. People is influenced by a collective consciousness on integration way to be the part of a common social system.

Effects of mass media had been established after II. World War period, of course there were some useful activities as cinema and journalism before that time. States recognized its importance after clashes between states. Some western states founded special agencies to make propaganda for their people. Also Hitler created a ministry of propaganda and he appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister of Propaganda.(1) Especially this effect gave some directions to people communities and nations in different periods as wars, crisis and peace time. Technological inventions created a new communication age as a result of globalisation.

We can say that effects of mass media over the political behaviors of people took place during 1960s decolonisation period. In that time collective social groups created synergies against to discriminations, wars, injustices and inequalities which are established by hegemonic tools of states. These activities had been effected by mass media apparatus from west to east part of the world. Mass media had been transformed to creator style to make public opinion by rich authorities and political agencies. Among these activations political behavior of the world nations was influenced by this tools and new political and ideological movements formed against to capitalist and imperialist dominance which creates wars and injustice in different regions of the world. Propaganda and media effects regulated some bad situations and conditions of the people. Also it shared a new power to create a hegemony of plural political groups.

After these effects, we see the importance of mass media about presidential campaigns. Promises, propagandas and projects of candidates were presented by columnists, newspapers and televisions. Mc Combs and Donald Shaw introduces it as agenda setting theory. Agenda setting has a great power to influence state issues according to them. Agenda is determined by mass media apparatus and all balances can be changed because there is a changeable line between voters and candidates which is sensitive.(2) It is important to remember spiral of silence theory of Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman. She said that some persons have an emotion about excluding from society because of complexity to define his ideas and perspectives to people. Other persons are using collective media tools to share their ideas as a plural community.(3) So common judge is presented as absolute trues to minorities who are silence groups. If even they are true, nobody can see their effect because of plural groups are using mass media to establish hegemony over the others. Also these circumstances create an atmosphere to struggle for democratisation. There should be an equal position which implements political expects of people. Ramiz Mehdiyev says that information and communication tools create new conditions to implement democratic initiatives. “Political organisations and presidents of them take advantages with these technological equipments to reorganize their activations. In other word mass media apparatus have a great effect over people’s democratisation and its transparentisation period.”(4)

As Ramiz Mehdiyev said that mass media has a power and responsibility about democratization process in the world. We can share some results of its effects. Some examples give chance to understand its function on democratisation like; freedom of speech, right to vote, right to be a member of whichever political organisation and right to meeting. The world system creates these conditions in a time which people get together quickly as a result of globalisation and they know all happenings and situations in the world. But also we need to understand other face and factor of mass media power.

Plural hegemony which is using mass media, effects political issues according to powerful side. Public opinion is directed by these agencies and groups how they want to change stabilities in a country. Mass media facilitate a period of hegemonic system of powerful side to anothers. Theodor Adorno explains that capitalist world system established a culture industry. According to him capitalist world system become stronger than old times via to use these tools. They are battering sensitivities, mutiny minds against to bad things and real humanistic and political values of the world people. Shortly, these tools are making people insensitive and standardising behaviors of people.(5)

Mass media apparatus are part of Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) according to Louis Althusser. He explains that states have a hegemonical desires above thoughts of people who member of state. So it founds some special arguments, agencies or uses ready foundations to implement its systematic ideology. Churches, schools, courts, political parties, mass media apparatus, syndicates and cultural branches are parts of ISA. If we look at special point about functions of these mechanisms, there is an invisible factor to impress each other by mass media apparatus. So today powerful sides which can be groups or states, creates tendencies how they want for people’s actions and ideologies. We can say that mass media is a first apparat to create a common hegemony above people with idea of Althusser and Adorno.

We can classify mass media’s effects from old times to contemporary period. Newspapers, televisions and radios established a tendency about political behaviors of people. Now internet has a role to implement the duty. In presidential campaign of Barack Obama, some internet groups effected positively his situation. Political web sites, blogs, facebook groups are important to create a common outlook about political activations. But we have a problem about common judge and absolute trues which are results of mass media apparatus. People should be careful to define terms and subjects for preventing injustice on democratisation way of the world. In history we saw some negative circumstances as hegemony ideas. Contemporary world should be free and respectful to another, not be a dominance factor which prohibits freedoms of others.

Mehmet Fatih ÖZTARSU

(1)   Nazi Propaganda, http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goebmain.htm

(2)   The Agenda Setting Function of Mass Media by Mc Combs and Donald Shaw, Public Opinion Quarterly 1972, http://www.soc.unitn.it/sus/membri_del_dipartimento/pagine_personali/delgrosso/personali/articoli%5Cagendasettingtotal.htm

(3)   Noelle-Neumann, E. (1974). The spiral of silence: a theory of public opinion. Journal of Communication, 24, 43-51.

(4)   Ramiz Mehdiyev, Şerq,Qerb, 2007-752 pg.

(5)   Ozan Örmeci, Solda Teoriler ve Tarihsel Tartışmalar, Ozan Yay., İstanbul 2009, pg.52,53.