- . Introduction:-
The question may come in our mind that what is
communication? or say mass communication?? As well as what is mass media? what
is role of mass media in 21 st century? And how both are connected with each
other?
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So, lets begin with meaning of communication.
Communication means
the practice of encoding information
through sounds, symbols, and actions in
order to transmit that information to others. Communication also includes decoding that information and interpreting it to
give it meaning.
By Mass communications,
we mean communicating
with many people, perhaps millions of
people, often simultaneously. Mass communications are messages: the means
of communicating these messages is through the mass media.
Because generally people tend to believe that communication
is limited, one to one communication or one to particular group. But now time
has changed a lot. With the emergence of new media we are able to transmit same
message to very large number of people within no time. The example of it is
T.V. , Facebook or say other notifications to individual via mail or message.
Mass communication is the study of how people and entities
relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the
same time. It is usually understood to relate newspaper , magazine, and book
publishing, as well as radio , television and film, even via internet as these
mediums are used for disseminating information, news and advertising . Mass
communication differs from the studies of other forms of communication, such as
interpersonal communication or organizational communication, in that it focuses
on a single source transmitting information to a large number of receivers. The
study of mass communication is chiefly concerned with how the content of mass
communication persuades or otherwise affects the behavior , attitude , opinion,
or emotion of the person or people receiving the information.(Wikipedia)
Mass communication is "the process by which a person,
group of people, or large organization creates a message and transmits it
through some type of medium to a large, anonymous, heterogeneous
audience." This implies that the audience of mass communication are mostly
made up of different cultures, behavior and belief systems.
• • • Interpersonal communications have existed as long
as humanity; mass communications are a relatively recent development. Mass
media in the past lacked the ability to quickly receive feedback from their
audiences, but new communication technology provides increased interactivity.
Just as interpersonal communications allow people to establish relationships
with each other, mass communications serve a role in building and maintaining
communities. Mass communications are distributed through mass media, which
arose during the • • American
Industrial Revolution of the 1800s to provide mass marketing for firms that
mass manufactured products. (Baran and Dannis)
mass media is a
diversified collection of media technologies that reach a large audience via
mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes
place include a variety of outlets.
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Mass communications require technology. Today,
many forms of mass communications rely on
electronics. However, the first
important event in mass communications was movable type and the printing press, which was originally operated by hand. The German printer Johannes Gutenberg (1398–1468) often is credited
with inventing movable type around 1440.
While many scholars today believe
that movable type originated in
China about 600 years earlier, Gutenberg did popularize it in Europe. Movable type was a
significant improvement over earlier
forms of bookmaking, which involved
either handwritten manuscripts or the
use of carved woodblocks. Movable type
made printing faster and easier, as a printer could quickly set up lines of
type and quickly print documents.
This new efficiency in printing reduced the cost of printing
documents and the cost of the
documents themselves. When books became less expensive, more people could buy
books. (Paxson)
Mass media provide us with reproductions of moving images,
still images, and sounds. We are able
to view
performances and sporting events that we
cannot attend in person. We are able to
see landmarks and works of art
from all around the world. We are able to
watch historic events, such as
presidential inaugurations and wars. It is easy to
take this for granted today, but
this ability to observe or witness
from a distance is a relatively recent phenomenon in the thousands of years of
human existence.
As media scholar
David Buckingham tells, “The media do
not offer us a transparent window on the
world. They provide channels through
which representations and images of the world can be communicated
indirectly. The media intervene;
they provide us with selective versions
of the world, rather than direct access to it.
However, not all
of mass media’s effects
on contemporary culture are harmful. Mass media allow us to learn about the ideas and activities of
people around the world. They allow us
to witness the Because the media greatly
affect our lives, it is important to be media literate. All media messages are
constructed. The media have a distinct language or code. Audience responses to
media vary and are based on individual characteristics and belief systems. The
media have embedded values that reflect their cultural setting. • The media have an agenda; the
media affect our lives in part because that is what media owners want to
do.work of some of the world’s most creative
artists. They can cheer us up
when we are sad or stressed and
keep us company when we are alone.
Advertising, in relation to mass communication, refers to
marketing a product or service in a persuasive manner that encourages the
audience to buy the product or use the service. Because advertising generally
takes place through some form of mass media, such as television , studying the
effects and methods of
advertising is relevant to the study of mass communication.
Advertising is the paid, impersonal, one-way marketing of persuasive information
from a sponsor. Through mass communication channels, the sponsor promotes the
adoption of goods, services or ideas. Advertisers have full control of the message
being sent to their audience.
Broadcasting is the act of transmitting audio and/or visual
content through a communication medium, such as radio , television , or film.
In the study of mass communication, broadcasting can refer to the practical
study of how to produce communication content, such as how to produce a
television or radio program. When broadcasting through radio and television, the
entertainment and information can be distributed by wire and wireless to other radio
stations, television stations, and networks. The channels offer informative and
entertaining content of general and specific interest. Along with radio and
television broadcasting, those presenting the information could present the
information live or recorded.
Journalism , is the collection, verification, presentation,
and editing of news for presentation through the media, in this sense, refers
to the study of the product and production of news . The study of journalism involves
looking at how news is produced, and how it is disseminated to the public
through mass media outlets such as newspapers , news channel, radio station,
television station, and more recently, e-readers and smartphones. The
information provided pertains to current events, trends, issues, and people.
★ Methods of
Study
The main focus of mass communication research is to learn
how the content of mass communication affects the attitudes, opinions,
emotions, and ultimately behaviors of the people who receive the message.
Characteristics
Five characteristics of mass communication have been
identified by sociologist John Thompson of Cambridge University : "[C]omprises both technical and institutional
methods of production and distribution" - This is evident throughout the history
of mass media, from print to the Internet, each suitable for commercial utility
Involves the "commodification of symbolic forms" - as the production
of materials relies on its ability to manufacture and sell large quantities of
the work; jas radio stations rely on their time sold to advertisements, so too
newspapers rely on their space for the same reasons "[S]eparate contexts
between the production and reception of information" Its "reach to
those 'far removed' in time and space, in comparison to the producers" "[I]nformation
distribution" - a "one to many" form of communication, whereby products
are mass-produced and disseminated to a great quantity of audiences.
FILM as a mass media:-
Films are produced by recording people and objects with
cameras , or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects
. Films comprise a series of individual frames, but when these images are shown
in rapid succession, an illusion of motion is created. Flickering between
frames is not seen because of an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby
the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has
been removed. Also of relevance is what causes the perception of motion: a
psychological effect identified as beta movement. Film is considered by many to
be an important art form; films entertain, educate, enlighten, and inspire
audiences. Any film can become a worldwide attraction, especially with the
addition of dubbing or subtitles that translate the film message. Films are
also artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and,
in turn, affect them.
★Internet
The Internet is a
more interactive medium of mass media, and can be briefly described as "a
network of networks". Specifically, it is the worldwide, publicly
accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet
switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It consists of millions of
smaller domestic, academic, business, and governmental networks, which together
carry various information and services, such as email , online chat, file
transfer, and the interlinked web pages and other documents of the World Wide
Web. The Internet is quickly becoming the center of mass media. Everything is
becoming accessible via the internet. Rather than picking up a newspaper, or
watching the 10 o'clock news, people can log onto the internet to get the news
they want, when they want it. For example, many workers listen to the radio through
the Internet while sitting at their desk. Even the education system relies on
the Internet. Teachers can contact the entire class by sending one e-mail. They
may have web pages on which students can get another copy of the class outline
or assignments. Some classes have class blogs in which students are required to
post weekly, with students graded on their contributions.
★ Blogs
Blogging , too, has become a pervasive form of media. A blog
is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of
commentary, descriptions of events, or interactive media such as images or
video. . Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others
function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images
and other graphics, and links to other blogs, web pages, and related media. The
ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important
part of many blogs. Microblogging is another type of blogging which consists of
blogs with very short posts.
★ Podcast:-
A podcast is a series of digital-media files which are
distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media
players and computers. The term podcast, like broadcast, can refer either to the
series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter
is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a
podcaster.
★Print media
Magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety
of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. Magazines
are typically published weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly or quarterly , with
a date on the cover that is in advance of the date it is actually published.
★Newspaper
A newspaper is a publication containing news and information
and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be
general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly. The first printed
newspaper was published in 1605, and the form has thrived even in the face of competition
from technologies such as radio and television. Recent developments on the Internet
are posing major threats to its business model, however. Paid circulation is declining
in most countries, and advertising revenue, which makes up the bulk of a newspaper's
income, is shifting from print to online.
★ Outdoor
media
Outdoor media is a form of mass media which
comprises billboards, signs, placards placed
inside and outside of commercial buildings/
objects like shops/buses, flying billboards,
blimps,
skywriting, AR Advertising. Many commercial
advertisers use this form of mass media when
advertising in sports stadiums.
CONCLUSION:-
The list can be extended. New things are coming everyday
& it will keep developing due to Wtechnical advances.
Wikipedia contributors. "Mass
communication." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
Wikipedia contributors. "Mass media." Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, 13 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
Baran, , Stanley, J and
, Davis K Dannis. Mass Communication theories. 6. Michael Rosenberg,
n.d.
Paxson, Peyton. Mass
communication and media studies. n.d.
Thank you for sharing it. It is very helpful for us in our examination.
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