1. Mass Media Connected Text

3. Types of mass media radio TV documentaries
newspapers and large circulation magazines
billboards
internet
news and features
magazine programmes
drama
documentaries
quizzes
chat shows
announcements
jingles
advertising

4. Advantages of mass media
Reaches many people quickly
Low cost per person reached
Can be used to:
Tell people about new ideas and services
Agenda-setting and advocacy
Create a favourable climate of opinion

5. Disadvantages of mass media
Difficult to make specific to local community
Fixed message
Can be easily misunderstood
Access often difficult
Difficult to change cultural behaviours
Not useful in developing skills of informed decision making
Not useful in promoting empowerment
Not useful in learning practical skills

6. People’s use of Mass Media
What mass media do people have access to?
What do they read/listen to?
What are their favourite programmes?
When do they listen/watch programmes?
Who are credible sources on the mass media?

7. How can we use mass media?
What’s the objective of the media campaign?
Who is the audience?
What’s the content? (key message?)
How can we evaluate it?

8. Why use a mixture of Mass Media?
SOUL CITY :: HIV & AIDS User Guide
An integrated communication programme that uses radio, TV drama, print, face to face, training, policy advocacy, networking

9. Criteria to assess Mass Media
PURPOSE
FORM AUDIENCE
LANGUAGE
CONTEXT

10. Purpose
What are the likely purposes behind the creation of the text? (There may be more than one)
How effective is it in achieving these likely purposes?

11. Form
Is it a magazine article, television advertisement, minutes of a meeting … or what?
What are the characteristics that define its form?
Does it follow the typical conventions of its form or break them?

12. Audience Who is the intended audience? Gender? Age? Race?
Socio-economics? (lower, middle, upper)
How can you tell? (who is in the text?)
Is it wide-ranging or very specific?

13. Language (Structural, conventional and linguistic features)
How are the language and features affected by the target audience?
Eg. visual images, tone, graphics, music, layout/ positioning and language used (clear, simple, persuasive, informative, subtle, colloquial, slang).

14. Context
In what context (circumstance) did this communication example arise?
How does its social context affect its style and content?
How may a different social context have altered it?