Richard E. Caplan The University of Akron 1. Mass Media & Everyday Life Christopher Burnett California State, Long Beach

Mass Media in Our Lives Average time spent using media each year –More than half of our waking lives –More time than we sleep –Impacts every area of life Mass media and American life –Greater influence –Bigger business Shannon Stapleton/The New York Times

Average Media Use Illustration 1.1

Media Earnings Percentages 1.2

Mass Media Today The Past: Wired –Needed an electrical outlet –Limited mobility Today: Wireless –WiFi: Wireless Fidelity –Total mobility –More choices Converged Media –Complex network of media –Global system JMMelton/motleyimage

The Communication Process Intrapersonal –Communication within one person Interpersonal –Direct sharing of experience between two people Mass Communication –Communication from one person or group of persons through a transmitting device (a medium) to large audiences or markets

Elements of Mass Communication Illustration 1.3

Mass Media Industries Book Publishing –40,000 titles a year –Audio books & e-books Newspaper –1500 dailies Magazine –15,000 published a year –Declining Recordings –People over 25 buy CDs –People under 25 download Radio –13,000 radio stations –Satellite and Internet radio Movies –30,000 theaters, 400 films a year –DVDs, downloads, overseas Television –1600 TV stations –Subscription TV (cable and satellite) Internet –Newest media –Ad earnings growing

Media are Profit-Centered Who Owns the Media? Concentration of Ownership –Chains, Broadcast Networks Cross-Media Ownership –News CorporationNews Corporation –Owns multiple media formats Conglomerates –Corp. that owns more than just media –General ElectricGeneral Electric Vertical Integration –Controlling related media –Time WarnerTime Warner AP/Wide World Photos

Concentrated Media Ownership Media Industry and Acquisitions Public ownership of media companies: stockholders Convergence –Melding of communication, computer and electronics industries Deregulation –Since 1980, ownership limitations have been decreasing

Newspaper & Broadcast Properties Attractive Investments –10% profits a year, double the average for manufacturing company Scarce Commodities –Limited number makes them more valuable Family Ownership –Selling off inherited media companies Easier to buy than to create –Expensive to start up

Pros & Cons of Concentrated Ownership Advantages –Employee training –Higher wages –Better working conditions –Greater resources Disadvantages –Limits diversity of opinion –Loss of message pluralism –Authoritarian corporate culture

Paying the Bills Advertising & Consumers –Ads are primary income for newspapers, radio and television –Consumers pay indirectly –Magazines receive over half of income from ads, the rest from subscribers –Movies, recordings and books profit from direct consumer sales JMMelton/motleyimage

The Changing Technologies 1st Information Revolution –Pictographs, 3500 B.C. –Phonetic writing, 1000 B.C –Parchment, 200 B.C. 2nd Information Revolution –Printing, 1455 –Spread of knowledge Storability, portability, accessibility 3rd Information Revolution –Computer technology –Satellite broadcasts, digital recordings, global network Media History Link Universitatsbibliothek, Gottingen, Germany/ Bildarchiv Steffens/The Bridgeman Art Library Gutenberg Bible, 1455 Archivo Iconografico, S.A./Corbis

Time on the Internet Illustration 1.4

Digital Delivery One-Way vs. Two-Way –Classic model of mass communication One-way –New model of mass communication Instantaneous feedback Interactive “Dumb” vs. “Smart” –TVs, VCRS = “dumb” –Telephone = “smart” Digital communication –Information Bits –Storable information

Digital Network Illustration 1.5

Mass Media Audiences & Effects Mass Media influence –Political institutions –Social institutions –Cultural institutions –Selective Perception Different people perceive messages differently Few people share identical mass media environments ABC News Click image to play video TWPS #1- Why don’t people share identical Mass Media environments?

Critical Discussion 1.In spite of the wonderful advantages created by the Internet, what might be some of the drawbacks? 2.How is digital delivery changing the communications industry? Give examples of how digital delivery is changing consumers’ habits.