Mass Media as Social Institution

 Americans spend more than 3,000 hours a year on mass media  Mass media: instruments of communications that reach large audiences with no personal contact between those sending the information and those receiving it Teenagers spend only more time sleeping then they do watching TV in the day

 Sumerians developed the first early form of writing; used as pictograms Known as cuneiform used 1800 BC in the Middle East first alphabet appears Egyptians develop papyrus to write on- early form of paper Greeks used parchment, made from the skins of goats, sheep and calves Chinese develop the skill of papermaking

 Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1450s  Critical to human development because it made books inexpensive and writings could be printed in native languages--- more people learned to read and write

 For centuries, only the wealthy and powerful add access to mass media  The factory becomes the chief setting for the production of goods Lead to more and more people learning to read and write; rising standard of education  Business started to advertise because people had more disposable income to spend  Factors to “urban newspaper”: Rise in urbanization Rising literacy Advertising  Other forms of media: telegraph and telephone

 Computer changes the way people access and store information  Internet revolutionized the way people communicate and access information  Information society: community in which the exchange of information is the main social and economic activity

 Print Media: Examples: newspapers, magazines and books  Audio Media: Sound recordings and radio are the categories  Visual Media: Examples: movies, television, videocassettes, and DVDs TV reaches the largest audience: 98% of all American households have at least one TV

 Online Media: Internet: , online chat and discussion groups Most use the internet: shop, source of info for work, and entertainment-related activities, and source for news  Convergence: Media convergence: integration of the different types of media technologies Some scholars believe it will lead to a single communications medium based on computer technology Some think it will broaden communication choices

 Functionalists Perspective: Believe that mass media performs functions that support the stability and smooth operation of society Functions include: keep track of what's happening in the world, interpreting information, transmitting cultural values and entertaining people Influence socialization: pass on society's basic skills, values, and beliefs

 Conflict Perspective: Maintain the present system of social order Persuade people to accept the existing power structure Control the flow and interpretation of information Media is owned by the elite, present the elites point of view Encourages the acceptance of the power structure by encouraging a culture of consumerism Maintain social inequality  Knowledge-gap hypothesis: new information enters society, wealthy and better-educated members acquire it at a faster rate than the poor and less- educated  Digital Divide: gap between those with access to new technologies and those without

 Spend on the average 28 hours watching TV each week; primary after school activity Main concern: how TV effects children  Connection between violence and aggressive behavior Study findings:  TV depicts a great deal of violence  TV encourages viewers to act aggressively and to see aggression as a valid way to solve problems  TV violence encourages viewers to be less sensitive to suffering of others  TV violence appears to make viewers fearful of the world around them and less trustful of others Rating system: developed in 1997 Another concern: relationship of TV and school performance Advertising: children are vulnerable audience

 Putnam’s Bowling Alone: Argues that Americans have become more and more disconnected from civic and social life Decline in social capital: social networks and the reciprocal norms associated with these networks that encourage people to do things for each other  Religious organizations, civic and social networks and even friendships Blamed at least 25% on TV

 Spiral of silence: people are less likely to voice their opinion when they are bombarded with the same information over and over  Agenda setting: media sets the boundaries of public debate by deciding which issues will receive coverage and which will not  Gate keepers: media executives or reporters