mass communication

process is the process whereby media organizations produce and transmit messages to large publics and, the process by which those messages are sought, used, understood, and influenced by audiences

institutions & audience institutional sources (mass media) address large, diverse audiences the members of the audience are physically separated form one another devices for the transmission, storage, and reception of information are interposed between source and receiver

sources in mass communication contexts the source is a complex, profit-oriented organization rather than a single individual messages are the products of complex organizations composed of individuals who perform specialized functions

technology different media employ different technologies for the transmission and reception of the messages technologies make different demands on the resourcefulness of both source and receiver (eg. electronic media use special equipment to encode and decode messages) each medium has its own format

receivers are anonymous, dispersed in time and space, and heterogeneous in their interests and background (in interpersonal contexts, sources and receivers are in direct contact); in mass contexts, feedback is indirect and delayed media messages cannot be individualized …

battle each of us is exposed to or seeks out hundreds of messages each day our attention is the object of fierce competition; the contenders are many few messages get through, even fewer have an impact

8 metaphors for media - windows, that enable us to see beyond our immediate surroundings - interpreters, that help us make sense of experience - platforms, that convey information - interactive communication, that includes audience feedback

(contin.) - signposts, that provide us with instructions and directions - filters, that screen out parts of experience and focus on others - mirrors, that reflect ourselves back to us - barriers, that block the truth (Denis McQuail)

thinking of medium as …I - ‘medium-as-vessel’ the idea that media are more or less neutral containers for content

thinking of medium as …II - ‘medium-as-language’ each medium has its own structural elements or grammar, like a language

thinking of medium as …III -‘medium-as-environment’ the idea that we live in a milieu of certain kinds of media-determined sensory information that comes to us with a certain level of speed, directionality, interactivity, physical requirements, and ease of learning

workshop reflecting on: -‘medium-as-language’ -‘medium-as-vessel’ -‘medium-as-environment’

2 faces macro side looks from the media to the larger society and its institutions theorists interested in the media-society link are concerned with the ways media are embedded in society and the mutual influence between larger social structures and the media

(contin.) micro side looks toward people, as groups and individuals, who make use of media theorists interested in the media-audience link focus on group and individual effects and outcomes of the media transaction

3 themes media content and structure; covers the effects of the medium as well as its content society and culture; covers the functions of mass communication in society, the dissemination of information and influence, public opinion and power audience; looks at individual effects, audience communities, and audience uses of media

source McQuail, D. (2010) McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory (5 th ed.) London: Sage Trenholm, S. (2008) Thinking through Communication. New York: Pierson

thank you very much for your attention