CHAPTER 1 Mass Communication: A Critical Approach

Mass Media and Our Lives “How do media reflect and shape our world? What roles and responsibilities do mass media have? What is our role in media processes? How (if at all) should these processes be changed?”

The Media are good and bad At their worst  The media can erode our quality of life At their best  The media help us understand events and trends Media literacy is crucial  We can have a say in the role media play in our lives

Mass Media Definitions Mass media are industries that create and distribute the following to large numbers of people:  Songs, novels, newspapers, movies, Internet services, TV shows, magazines, other products Mass communication: the creation and use of symbols that convey information and meaning to large, diverse audiences through all manner of channels  Examples of symbols: languages, Morse code, motion pictures, binary computer codes

Evolution of Mass Communication Oral Era  Information and knowledge circulates slowly through spoken traditions by poets, teachers, tribal storytellers. Written Era  Written word emerges, creating manuscript culture that overshadows oral communication.  Manuscripts are transcribed by philosophers, monks, stenographers to record religious works, literature, personal chronicles.  Manuscripts are commissioned and owned by members of ruling classes.

Evolution of Mass Communication (cont) Print Era  Gutenberg creates printing press in 15th century  Books spur change.  Resistance to authority  New socioeconomic classes  Spread of literacy  Focus on individualism

Evolution of Mass Communication (cont) Electronic and Digital Era  Telegraph makes transmission of media messages instantaneous for first time in 1840s.  Important electronic devices include film, radio, and most important, television.  Cutting-edge communication gadgetry emerges, including smaller personal computers, cable TV, , DVDs, DVRs, Internet, direct broadcast satellites, cell phones, PDAs.  Digital communication makes mass communication instantaneous, inexpensive, global.

YOUR LIFE IN Media Make a list of every type of media you can think of. You have 2 minutes! WHAT ROLE DOES MEDIA PLAY IN YOUR LIFE? MOST  List the mass media in order of MOST important to least important in your life  Pretend it’s 1960…….what would your list look like then?  What would it look like in 1860?

WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES TEN YEARS AGO? WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES TEN YEARS AGO? Remember: a decade ago, there was no………… YouTube (2005) Facebook (2004) Twitter (2006) iPhone (2007) Android operating system (2007) iPad (2010) Wikipedia (2001) CHANGES, CHANGES CHANGES, CHANGES Does a telephone still look like this? Does a radio still look like this? Does a TV still look like this? Or this?

Media Convergence Convergence refers to the appearance of older media forms on the newest media channels. Convergence also refers to newspaper, broadcast, and Internet outlets existing under one corporate roof.

Evolution of a New Mass Medium Novelty, or development, stage: inventors and technicians try to solve a particular problem Entrepreneurial stage: inventors and investors determine a practical and marketable use for the new device Mass medium stage: businesses figure out how to market the new device as a consumer product

Debates over Media’s Role in Everyday Life People have always debated media’s merits and dangers.  Ancient Greeks argued over whether exposure to plays would corrupt youth.  Leaders at the turn of the 20th century feared that “low culture” forms like vaudeville shows would undermine American values.  Modern people fear that media violence spawns real violence or media conglomerates unduly influence attitudes and behaviors.

Content vs. the Medium that Delivers the Content What are the meanings that we attach to the medium that delivers the content? What does it mean to defile or burn a holy book (Bible, Quran, Torah, etc.)? Does that action have the same meaning if it’s done to a tablet device or digital file of the book? Is the medium more important, or the content?

Models of Mass Communication (overview) Linear Model:  Sender—message—mass media channel—(gatekeepers)— receivers  Media messages do not always get to intended receivers  Receivers do not always interpret messages as intended Cultural Model:  Individuals assign diverse meanings to messages  Audiences actively interpret messages  Media also shape audience through content

Models of Mass Communication (cont.) Social Scientific Model:  Tests hypotheses with measurable data  Provides valuable insight into questions about media  Helps groups test their messages (politicians, corporations)

Linear Model SENDERS authors, producers, organizations MESSAGE programs, text, images, sounds, etc. MASS MEDIA CHANNEL newspaper, book, magazine, etc. RECEIVERS readers, viewers, consumers GATEKEEPERS editors, executive producers, etc. decide which messages get produced for which audience CONSUMERS Provide feedback to gatekeepers

Cultural Model (overview) Culture as skyscraper:  High culture  Low culture  Different media for each  But many people consume both Culture as map:  Culture is an ongoing, changing process  Modern vs. postmodern values

Culture as Skyscraper HIGH CULTURE  Ballet  New York Times  Public television LOW CULTURE The Simpsons Lil’ Wayne Reality TV  Harry Potter movies  Stephen King novels  HGTV  Facebook  Red Lobster  Toyota Civic

Culture as a Map

Modern Period Values Four values of the modern period (Industrial Revolution–1950s):  Working efficiently  Celebrating the individual  Believing in a rational order  Rejecting tradition/embracing progress

Postmodern Values Four features of the postmodern era (1950s– present):  Celebrating populism (conflict between “the people” and “the elite”)  Reviving older cultural styles  Embracing technology  Embracing the supernatural

Social Scientific Model Gather data using content analysis, experiments, and surveys  Code and count content of various types of media  Conduct experiments using randomly assigned subjects  Conduct original surveys or use data from existing federal government data

Critiquing Media Study results of both cultural and social science media researchers  Understand their limitations  View with critical eye Learn to critique ourselves in methodical, disciplined way

To Conduct Our Own Critiques Obtain working knowledge of the particular medium  Examples: TV show, film, magazine, video game Transcend personal preferences and biases

Critical Process (overview) Description Analysis Interpretation Evaluation Engagement

DESCRIPTION Break down the story Hone your descriptive skills ANALYSIS Find emerging patterns Find connections INTERPRETATION “What does this mean?” Look for cause and/or reason EVALUATION Make a critical judgment Leave behind personal tastes and biases ENGAGEMENT Make your voice heard Take action