1. Mass Media and Society Lecture by Dr Christopher Kollmeyer

2. Lecture Outline Sociological Perspective on the Mass Media Examples discussed: –Medias Influence on Personal Behaviour –Medias Influence on National Identity and Social Cohesion (skipped due to lack of time) Political Economy Perspective on the Mass Media Examples discussed: –News Coverage of the Economy –News Coverage of the War in Iraq

3. Before Mass Media: Before Mass Media: Co-presence between sender and receivers of messages was necessary. Face-to-Face Conversation Live Performances

4. Mass Mediated Communication 1.Media: Message is encoded and delivered through technology (medium) 2.Mass: One sender (mass) audience 3.Unidirectional: Messages flow one- way 4.Standardized: Same messages for all members of the audience 5.Spatial-Temporal Disassociation: No co-presence at all. Five Important Features

5. Rapid Rise of Mass Media: Adoption of Media Technology by US Households Media TechnologyYear medium reached 1% of US Households Number of years to reach 75% of US Households Newspaper (Penny Press) 1833? Radio192314 yrs (1937) Television19487 yrs (1955) –VCR –Cable/satellite TV 1980 1970s 12 yrs (1992) 30 yrs (2000) Internet199212 yrs (2004)

6. Early Media Critic: Marshall McLuhan Famous book: Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) Famous quotes and phrases: The medium is the message. Media were creating a global village

7. An obvious benefit of mass media Media bring events from around the world into our homes and local communities.

8. Activity Hours per Week Percent of Total Watching TV1946% Visiting Friends820% Reading37% Eating Out37% Doing Hobbies and Playing Sports 37% Attending Church12% Other Activities410% Total41100% Television crowds out other leisure time activities: Figures for Great Britain, 1995

9. Sociological Model: Media Structure vs. Audience Agency Media Message Collective Response AgencyAgency Hypodermic Model Over-emphasizes structure Active Audience Model Over-emphasizes agency

10. Merchants of Cool (2001) Documentary about the medias influence on youth culture in America. Produced by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Americas one public television channel. Illustrates the dynamic social relationship between the media and teenagers, what they call the giant feedback loop. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/