Mass Communication: A Critical Approach Chapter 1

Shared Cultural Experiences Shared experiences are not as prevalent in media anymore “Mass” media may become a thing of the past More individual experiences with media and new generation Similar experiences and the hashtag ‘#’

Culture and the Evolution of Mass Communication Creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning Culture: The symbols of expression that individuals, group and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate values Mass Media: The cultural industries (channels) of communication that produce and distribute products to the masses

Eras of Communication I. Oral II. Written III. Print IV. Electronic V. Digital

Oral and Written Eras (1000 BC to Mid-15th Century) Oral communication--passed on by poets, teachers, and story tellers Socrates and Plato and oral debates Critics of modern media: TV, phones and Internet mean that we are once again silencing public debate and discouraging face-to-face communication

Written Era Creation of alphabets and words encouraged written communication Became popular, causing a class division among the literate and illiterate…people put their fate in the literate

The Print Era 14th-17th Cenury Print Revolution with the 14th century invention of moveable type by Gutenberg The Print Era supported more centralization rather than independence

Gutenberg’s Printing Press

Electronic Era 19 Century-20th Century The move from print to the Information Age began with the development of the telegraph (1840s)

Digital Era---20th Century Digital communication—Images, texts , and sounds are converted into electronic signals (binary numbers) that reassemble as a precise reproduction of a TV picture, magazine article, song, or telephone voice E-mail is replacing US Mail (especially defying border boundaries, like International mail) and also controlling/censoring messages Social media: Changed oral communication AGAIN (Facebook—750 million users) The media user is more in control (used to have to watch program at scheduled airtime---now Hulu, DVR, and On-Demand) Viewing videos and pictures (digitally) from friends and family (YouTube, Movie Maker, Snapchat, FaceTime)

Stories: The Foundation of Media Stories we seek and tell are changing in the digital era. Reality TV and social media dominate. Ordinary citizens are able to participate in, and have an effect on, stories told in the media. (Citizen Journalism) Media institutions and outlets are in the narrative business.

Daily Media Consumption by Platform (2015)

Media Convergence in Digital Era Two definitions: Merging of content across different media channels (ex. TV broadcast streamed on Internet) Cross platform: businesses delving into various media (ex. Disney) *Google makes more money selling ads than producing content

Models of Communication: Linear vs. Cultural Linear: Explains the process of a message from one point to another Cultural: Explains the complexity of that process Recognizes individuals bring diverse meanings to messages Audiences affirm or rejects messages and stories flowing through various media channels Selective Exposure: People seek messages responding to their own cultural beliefs

Linear Model Noise ---------------------------------------------------------> Sender Receiver <---------------------------------------------------------

Cultural Model