© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 1 Joseph R. Dominick University of Georgia-- Athens

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 2 Part I The Nature and History of Mass Communication

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 3 Chapter 2 Perspectives on Mass Communication Chapter Outline  Paradigms for Study Paradigms for Study  Functional Analysis Functional Analysis  Functions of Mass Communication for Society (macroanalytical) Functions of Mass Communication for Society (macroanalytical)  Functions of Mass Communication for Society (microanalytical) Functions of Mass Communication for Society (microanalytical)  Critical / Cultural Perspective Critical / Cultural Perspective

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 4 Paradigms for Study A paradigm is a model or pattern that a person uses to analyze something.

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 5 Paradigms for Study  Functional approach to mass communication  How do people use it?  What benefits do people receive from it?  Critical/cultural approach to mass communication  What are its power relationships?  How do people interpret it?  What does it mean to people?

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 6 Paradigms for Study  Example: Operation Iraqi Freedom  March 19, 2003  War dominated media reporting for 6 weeks  Functional perspective  Why did people watch?  What did they get out of it?  Critical/cultural perspective  Questions of objectivity  Role of corporate ownership of the media

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 7 Functional Analysis  Two levels of analysis  Macroanalysis  “Wide-angle lens”  What is the intention of the source?  What is the purpose of the communication?  Microanalysis  “Close-up lens”  What does the receiver receive?  What does the receiver do with the communication?

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 8 Functions of Mass Communication for Society (macroanalytical)  Surveillance  Warning surveillance – example: weather reports and storm warnings  Instrumental surveillance – example: stock market prices  Consequences  Speed of propagation of truth and error  Most news is not verifiable by receiver  Credibility and Conferral

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 9 Functions of Mass Communication for Society (macroanalytical)  Interpretation  Selective inclusion  Express viewpoints and analysis  Linkage  Buyers and sellers – example: eBay  Specialized communities – example: MMORPGs  Individuals and experts  Overreliance

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 10 Functions of Mass Communication for Society (macroanalytical)  Transmission of Values  Also called socialization function  Example: advertisements and motherhood  Entertainment  Also called diversion function  Diversion through mass communication has profound cultural effects

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 11 Functions of Mass Communication for Society (microanalytical)  At micro level, functional analysis called use-and-gratifications model  Needs satisfied by media called media gratifications  Surveys are typical research approach

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 12 Functions of Mass Communication for Society (microanalytical)  Cognition  Information about current events  General information  Diversion  Stimulation  Emotional release  Social utility – conversational currency  Withdrawal – creation of barriers  Relaxation

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 13 Conditions on Functional Approach  Audience use of a medium depends on  Message content  Social context  Assumptions include  Receivers control their media usage  Competing activities exist  People verbalize their motivations accurately

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 14 Critical / Cultural Perspective  Contrast with functional perspective  More qualitative  More humanities-oriented  Macroanalytic  Role of media and its relation to  Ideology  Politics  Culture  Social Structure

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 15 Critical/Cultural Perspective  History  Marx and the Frankfurt School  1930s – 40s  Who controls the means of production?  British Modification  1950s – 60s  Media/individual relationship is more complex  Feminist Movement Influence  1970s – 80s  Patriarchical bias is reinforced by media

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 16 Critical/Cultural Perspective  Culture – common values, practices, and rules that bind people together  Text – object of analysis (programs, films, ads)  Meaning – interpretations audiences take away from media text

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Slide 17 Critical/Cultural Perspective  Polysemic – different person, different meaning  Ideology – text-embedded beliefs, particularly social and political themes  Hegemony – domination and control accepted by both groups with continual negotiation