Mass CommunicationChapter 14

Jade

Lindsey

Jamie

What are some examples of “mainstream?”

Who decides what becomes mainstream and what doesn’t?

For Discussion

Understanding Mass Communication

• Mass Communication – all media that address large audiences or publics

Changes in Mass Communication Change Human Life

• McLuhan identifies 4 media eras in human history• Tribal Epoch• Literate Epoch• Print Epoch• Electronic Epoch

• Global village – modern day, worldwide community made possible by electronic communication that instantaneously links people all over the world

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RvyFFjP7RE

Mass Communication Serves Individuals’ Needs and Desires

• Uses and gratification theory – the use of mass communication to gratify our interests and desires• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_3b5mqI5QQ

Mass Communication Influences Human Knowledge & Perspectives

• Agenda Setting – media’s selection of issues, events, and people to highlight for attention• Encourage attention by giving media coverage• Discourage attention by not giving media coverage

• Gatekeeping – controlling the choice and presentation of topics by media

Human Knowledge & Perspectives, cont.

• Cultivation of World View – a cumulative process by which the media foster beliefs about social reality • Mainstreaming – the effect of TV in stabilizing and

homogenizing views within a society

• Defining Desirability and Normalcy• Shaping of mainstream ideas

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT9FmDBrewA • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17j5QzF3kqE

Mass Communication Advances the Dominant Ideology

• Narrative framing• Product placement – paid for featuring of products

in media so that products are associated with particular characters, storylines, etc.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wW0OSJ-aHs

• Immersive advertising – incorporating a product or brand into actual storylines in books, TV programs, and films

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK9lRE9l9zY

• Non-coverage of criticism

Guidelines for Engaging in Mass Communication

• Mass communication surrounds and influences us. We have an ethical obligation to be responsible and thoughtful consumers.

• Two critical guidelines for interacting with mass communication: • Develop media literacy • Respond actively

Develop Media Literacy

• Invest effort in developing literacy by interacting with media instead of passively absorbing it.• Cultivate your ability to analyze, understand and

respond thoughtfully to media by:• Realistically assessing media influence• Becoming aware of media patterns• Actively interrogating messages• Exposing yourself to range of media sources• Focus on motivation for engaging in media

Realistically Assess Media’s Influence

• How much influence do you believe media has on people?• Mass communication determines individual attitudes &

social perspectives• Mass communication doesn’t affect us at all• Mass communication is one of many influences on

individual attitudes & social perspectives

Become Aware of Patterns in Media

• If you aren’t aware of the pattern that make up baseball, you won’t understand what happens in the game• Learning to recognize patterns in media empower

you to engage media in critical & sophisticated ways

Actively Interrogate Media Messages

• When interacting with mass communication, you should use critical thought to assess what is presented. Ask questions such as:• Why is the story getting so much attention? Whose interests are served,

and whose are muted?• What are the sources of stats and other forms of evidence? Are the sources

current? Do the sources have any interest in taking a specific position?• What’s the frame for the story, and what alternative frames might have

been used?• Are stories balanced so that range of viewpoints are given voices?• How are difference people & viewpoints framed by gatekeepers?

• Equally important to be critical in interpreting mass entertainment communication such as music, magazines & websites

Expose Yourself to a Range of Media SourcesFocus on Your Motivation for Engaging Media• Many people choose to view and listen only to

what they particularly like. When doing that, you don’t give yourself the opportunity to learn about alternatives• Exposing yourself to multiple media means

attending to more than entertainment (e.g. TV)• Focus on your motivation for engaging media• Media users realize that media serve many purposes,

and they make deliberate choices that serve their goals and needs at a certain times

Respond Actively

• People respond critically or uncritically to mass communication.• Mindlessly consume messages & their ideological underpinnings• Recognize that the worldviews presented in mass comm are not unvarnished

truth but partial, subjective perspectives that suerve the interests of some individuals & groups while disregarding the interacting of others

• To begin active role, must recognize that you are an agent who can affect what happens around you• Take action by noticing what media asks you to think about, believe, and do

• Once you become aware of efforts to change perceptions & attitudes, question or challenge the views of reality they advance

PLEASE NOTE:

Chapter summarized from information found in:

Wood, Julia T. (2014). Communication Mosaics: An Introduction to the Field of Communication. 7th Edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

These student lecture notes provide a brief summary of Wood’s discussion on verbal communication (chapter 4) while providing additional commentary and examples. The information in this slideshow is based on the work (content and organization) of Wood (2014).