Chapter 1 Living in a Media World
What is Communication? Communication is how we socially interact at a number of levels through messages.
Types of Communication Intrapersonal Communication: Communication you have with yourself Interpersonal Communication: Communication between two people Group Communication: Communication where one person is communicating with an audience of two or more people Mass Communication
What is Mass Communication? When an individual or institution uses technology: To send messages To a large, mixed audience, most of whose members are not known to the sender.
Players in the Mass Communication Process Sender The corporation or individual responsible for the message being sent. Message The content being transmitted by the sender to the receiver. Channel The medium used to transmit the message. Receiver The audience for the mass communication message.
Mass Communication Models Transmission Model (SMCR) A dated model useful for identifying players in the mass communication process. Ritual Model Media use is an interactive ritual by audience members. Looks at how and why audiences consume messages.
Mass Communication Models Publicity Model Looks at how media attention makes a person, concept, or thing important. Reception Model Looks at how audience members derive and create meaning out of media content.
Evolution of the Media World 1100-1400 AD: Pre-mass media communication networks 1450s: Development of movable type, printing 1814: Steam-powered printing press 1844: First U.S. telegraph line 1866: First trans-Atlantic telegraph line
Evolution of the Media World 1880s: Invention of the gramophone Late 1800s: Development of radio 1890s: Development of motion pictures 1939: First television broadcasts 1990s: Internet becomes a channel of mass communication
Media Literacy Audience members’ understanding of: The media industry’s operation The messages delivered by the media The roles media play in society How audience members respond to these media and their messages
Basic Dimensions of Media Literacy Cognitive Dimension Ability to intellectually process information communicated by the media. Emotional Dimension Understanding the feelings created by media messages.
Basic Dimensions of Media Literacy Aesthetic Dimension Interpreting media content from an artistic or critical point of view. Moral Dimension Understanding the values of the medium or the message.
Seven Truths “They” Don’t Want You To Know About the Media Truth One: The media are essential components of our lives. Truth Two: There are no mainstream media (MSM). Truth Three: Everything from the margin moves to the center. Truth Four: Nothing’s new: Everything that happened in the past will happen again.
Seven Truths “They” Don’t Want You To Know About the Media Truth Five: New media are always scary. Truth Six: Activism and analysis are not the same thing. Truth Seven: There is no “they.”