Resources Print off task sheets.

How do audiences use the mass media? How and why has the use of the mass media changed over time? Starter Think about your average day and write a list of different types of mass media you use throughout the day. Amount of time you spend each day. how this use has changed over time? new or old media? Learning Outcomes A master must be able to explain the reasons for the changes in how we use TV, newspapers and the internet. First you must be able to outline the daily newspaper circulation figures, the growth of digital TV and how widespread internet access is in Britain. identify the changes in newspaper readership, describe TV viewing habits and identify how people use the internet.

Example I watched the BBC Breakfast programme on television while getting ready for work. I set up my Sky Box to record a film in the day so I can watch it in the evening. I read a book while on the bus. As soon as I got to school, I checked my s. Old media broadcast through terrestrial underground cables linked to the areal on the roof of my house. The picture is rubbish! Old media, but it’s been updated through a digital, satellite technology. The quality of the sound and image is better and I can pause it while I watch. In the past I would have needed a VCR and a tape to record the film on. Old media. Today, books can be access through digital means as well. New, electronic media.

Consumption of the mass media Newspaper circulation – this refers to the number of daily national newspapers sold each day. Television viewing – this refers to when we watch TV and why. Internet access – this refers to who uses the internet, how much and why.

Task 1 On each new page in your book, write these three subheadings: 1. Newspaper circulation 2. Television viewing 3. Internet access For each task make notes and answer questions. Make sure you write the notes under the appropriate subheading in your book.

NewspaperCirculation Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Mirror Daily Star Daily Telegraph Financial Times Guardian Independent Sun Times Write the newspapers into your book in order of circulation (number of daily sales) from the highest to the lowest. 2. Label each newspaper with a letter T if it is a tabloid and letter B if it is a broadsheet newspaper. 3. Which type of newspapers, broadsheet or tabloid, have higher circulation? Task 2 Table 1, Daily newspaper circulation, September 2010

Task 3 Type of newspaper 1983 (%)2006 (%) Tabloid5733 Broadsheet1012 Curtice and Mair examined the changes in newspaper readership between 1983 and What has been the general trend in newspaper circulation since 1983? 2. For which type of newspapers has the circulation declined the most? 3. Why do you think the newspaper circulation of broadsheet newspapers has increased slightly since 1983?

Newspaper circulation Tabloid newspapers have a higher circulation than broadsheet newspapers. Curtice and Mair examined the changes in newspaper readership between 1983 and They found that the overall trend in newspaper circulation has been a decline since the 1980s. It is possible that broadsheet newspapers’ circulation has increased as more people go to university and, as they become more educated, choose to read the more reputable broadsheet newspapers.

Task 4 Study Table 1. How many hours of television does an average person watch per day in total? Study Table 2. Which two types of programmes are the most watch on television? What does this tell us about the reasons why people watch TV? Study Table 3. Which two broadcasters attract the largest audience? (on sheet). Table 1. – Minutes per day per person average viewing Adults in England...% Watch TV for an average of 2 hrs per day 27 Watch TV for an average of 3 hrs per day23 Watch the news (local and national)65 Watch films61 Watch comedy54 Watch live sports coverage51 Table 2 - Television viewing habits of adults in England, 2008

Task 5 1. What has been the trend in the availability of digital TV service in Britain since the 1990s? 2. What is the switchover initiative? 3. How can people access digital TV services? 4. Why do people subscribe to digital TV services? 5. What do the critics of digital TV services say about digital TV?

Television viewing An average person watches around 2 hrs 40 min of television per day. The most watched programmes are the news and films. This shows that people watch TV to get information about current affairs as well as a form of entertainment. Most people watch BBC and ITV channels. Since the 1990s, the access to digital TV services has sharply increased. The switchover initiative is the government’s plan to turn off the analogue, terrestrial signal and replace it with a digital signal by Digital TV can be accessed through Freeview which they get as a one-ff payment through a Freeview box or by subscribing to a provider such as Sky. People subscribe to a digital TV service in order to get access to a wider variety of channels or particular channels, e.g. Sky sports or movies. Also, the image and sound broadcast digitally through satellites is of better quality than terrestrial TV. Critics of digital TV services claim that digital channels, rather than providing us with a wider choice of programmes to watch, simply give us more of the same spread out over many channels

Task 6 What has been the trend in internet access at home since the 1990s? What is meant by the term ‘digital divide’? Study Table 2. Which two household types are the most likely to have internet access at home? Which two household types are the least likely to have internet access at home? What does this tell us about the possible reasons why people get internet access for their home, but also about why some people do not have access to the internet at home? Table 1. – Households in the UK with access to the internet Table 2. – Internet access at home by type of household

Task 7 1. Why do people use the internet? 2. Which age group is the most likely to use the internet? Look for information Send and receive s Buy and sell goods and services Bank online Play games Make travel arrangements Visit chat rooms Download music Read online news Listen to radio Watch TV

Internet access Household internet access has grown rapidly in the UK since the 1990s. Digital divide refers to the difference between those who do and those who do not have access to the internet at home. People on higher incomes tend to have internet access at home, while those on lower incomes tend not to have internet access at home. Couples with two or more children are the most likely to have internet access at home, while the elderly and lone parents are the least likely to have internet access at home. This shows that the usefulness of the internet for children, e.g. for HW, is a major reason why people decide to get internet. It also shows that those on lower incomes can not afford internet access. People tend to use the internet for many different reasons, e.g. to look for information, send and receive s, buy and sell goods, bank online, play games, make travel arrangements, visit chat rooms and social networking sites, download music, read online news, listen to radio, watch TV, search for employment, etc. Younger people, especially those aged 16-24, are the most likely to use the internet.

Plenary Identify which type of household is the most likely to have internet access at home. (1 mark)

Qs Identify two reasons why people might watch television. (2 marks) To find out information, e.g. the news. For entertainment, e.g. films. 3. Identify two reasons why people use the internet. (2 marks) To send and receive s. To play games. 4. Identify two reasons why people get a digital television service. (2 marks) For better quality of sound and picture. For access to specific TV channels, e.g. films or sport.

Q 5 5. Identify and explain one change in newspaper readership over the last 25 years. (5 marks) One change in newspaper readership over the last 25 years has been a slight increase in the circulation of broadsheet newspapers. One possible reason for this is that more people attend university and, as they become upwardly socially mobile, they are more likely to read reputable newspapers.

What are the mass media? Technological advances affecting the mass media The consumption of the mass media - newspaper readership, TV watching and the Internet Mass media representations of ethnic groups Mass media and crime What effect do the media have on its audience? How do the mass media act as agents of socialisation? Who owns the mass media? - Theories on the mass media Mass media representations of gender Contemporary media related issues such as violence Revision and end of Topic exam question How can media develop people’s political views? How is the content of the media created? What influence has the development of the internet got over the distribution of power within the media?