1. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World Robert J. Brym and John Lie Wadsworth Group/Thomson Learning © 2003

2. The Mass Media Chapter 14

3. Mass Media Defined WThe Mass Media Are Means of Transmitting Information and Entertainment From One Person or Group to Another WThe Communication Is Typically From a Few Senders to Many Receivers WThe Mass Media Sometimes Blur the Line Between Reality and Fantasy

4. Media Usage, U.S.A., 2001 (Hours Per Capita, Projected) Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census (1998c: 572). Number of hours in a year: 8,760. Number of hours per year the average American uses the mass media: 3,440. Number of hours per day the average American uses the mass media: 9.4

5. Media Usage, U.S.A., 2001 (Dollars Per Capita, Projected) Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census (1998c: 572). Total amount spent by the average American on the mass media per year: $685.18.

6. Development of the Mass Media WThe Mass Media Became Large-scale Only When Penny Newspapers Were Published in the First Half of the 19th Century WThe Electronic Media Emerged in the 20th Century WThree Main Historical Forces Stimulated the Growth of the Mass Media: W The Protestant Reformation W Democratic Movements W Capitalist Industrialization

7. Functionalism W Functionalism Stresses That the Mass Media WCoordinate Society WExercise Social Control WSocialize People WEntertain People

8. Conflict Theory W Conflict Theory Stresses That the Mass Media Reinforce Social Inequality by WActing As Sources of Profit for the Few People Who Own Them WPromoting Core Values That Help Legitimize the Social Order

9. The Relationship Between Centrality of Values and Diversity of Media Opinion Values Diversity of media opinion Low High e.g., capitalism, democracy, consumerism e.g., specific government and corporate policies

10. Minority Representation WAlthough the Mass Media Promote Social Cohesion, They Also Differentiate Groups by Generation, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity. WMinority Groups Tend to Be Underrepresented in the Mass Media.

11. Representation of Minority Groups in Prime Time and Daytime Television, U.S.A.,1991-92 and 1994-97 Percent Representation Note: Data for white males, 1991-92, not reported. Source: Gerbner (1998). Group Proportional representation

12. Interpretive Approaches  Interpretive Approaches Stress That Audiences Filter, Interpret, and Sometimes Even Resist and Reject Media Messages According to Their Interests and Values.

13. Producers Vs. Consumers WThe Interaction Between the Producers and Consumers of Media Messages Is Most Evident on the New Media Frontier Formed by the Internet, Interactive Television, and Other Mass Media  In Terms of Both Access and Content, We Find Evidence of Media Imperialism and Active Consumer Innovation on the New Media Frontier

14. Internet Users Worldwide, 2001 Internet Users Per 1,000 People, 2000 North America 479 Western Europe 218 Eastern Europe 33 Asia-Pacific 17 South/Central America 21 Middle East/Africa 7 Country Millions of Users Sources: Pastore (2001); “The World’s…” (2001).