Introduction to Journalism and Mass
Communication
Week 1 - Mass Communication Culture and Mass Media
 There are 5 type of communication
1.intrapersonal communication = the communication process within
yourself.
2.interpersonal communication = the communication between two
persons.
3.Small group communication = the communication between 3-5
persons
4.Public communication = the communication process between the
speaker to many audiences.
5.Mass communication = the communication process that shared
meaning from the source through mass media channel.
 Function and effects of culture
1.1 Limited effects and Liberating of culture
1)Limited effect = Culture limit you to do something.
2)Liberating effect = Culture allowed you to do something.
1.2 Dominant culture and Bounded culture
1)Dominant culture = Culture that hold away with the majority.
2)Bounded culture = Culture which in the national culture.
 Mass communication and culture
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There’s a link between them.Besides,culture is built and maintained
through communication.
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However, Mass communication and culture are differently
interacted depending on people’s understanding.
Week 2 – Cultural History of Mass communication
 There are 5 main eras of Mass communication history
1.1 Oral/Preliterate Cultures.
Preliterate Cultures = before human start creating a written
language.
The storytellers are seen as the meaning maker who blended
myth and history together.
1.2 The innovation of writing
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Started by developing alphabets.
There’re many type of alphabets such as
Hieroglyphics = picture.
Cuneiform = symbol.
Syllable alphabet = can show the sequences of vowels and
consonants in word.
In this period,the people also invented the medium for writing form
of communication such as papyrus and parchment.
Papyrus = Made by Papyrus trees.The process take 12 days
Parchment = Made by cow skin.The process take 4 weeks
½ day todry
1.3 Literate Culture
Literate Culture = The ability to understand and use written
symbols
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Writing communication can positively impact on commercial,
political,or military expansion
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However,in this period,the communication is still limited because it
can’t copy
1.4 The Gutenberg Revolution
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This period Gudenberg invented The Printing Press call “Gutenberg
Press” and the first thing that it made is “Gutenberg Bible”.
1.5The industrial Revolution
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In this period,There was a growing number of audiences towards
printed information and entertainment.
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This is the beginning of the era of mass communication technology.
 Newspaper,Magazines Motion Picture,and Radio
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Helping people to utilize a rapidly expanding,pluralistic,and
multitechnic country.
 Television
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In 1945,a very few number of people have a tv set at home.
TV became mass medium in 1960 and 90% of US population has TV.
 Computer Networks
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The computer technology brings the world to be the information
society,electronic super highway and the information
infrastructure.
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People search and retrieve information from ‘The world
databases’.
 Development of the Mass Media Industries
1) Innovation Stage
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Each of the mass media industries began as an innovator.
2) Penetration Stage
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A new media can be successful by generating a new need or
increase an existing need depends on competing media.
3) Peak Stage (Maturity)
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Peak stage generally happens when the medium achieved
maximum penetration.
But no new face users.
4) Decline Stage
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The medium is characterized by a loss of audience acceptance
therefore by a loss of revenues.
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Ex. Record tapes.
5) Adaptation Stage
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Repositioning is achieved by identifying a new set of needs.
Ex. Radio.
Week 3 – Use and Function of Mass Communication
 There are 2 of media analysis towards its function
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Macro-analysis
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The functions performed by the mass media for the
entire society.
Micro-analysis
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Focusing on the individual receivers of the content which
is the audiences.
 There are 5 main function of media
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Function 1 : Surveillance
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Give information you need
2 main type of Surveillance
1) Warning or beware
2) Instrumental
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Function 2 : Interpretation
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The mass media do not supply just facts and
data.They also provide information on the ultimate
meaning and significance of those events.
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The individual is exposed to a large number of
different points of views,personal channels.
Function 3 : Linkage
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Mass media are able to join together by
interpersonal channel different elements of society
that aren’t directly connected.
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The public-making ability of media : The media can
create totally new social groups by others have
similar interest.
Function 4 :Transmission of value (Socialization)
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Transmission of the social heritage rom one
generation to the next – the communication of
information,values and social norms such as
educational activities.
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(as teacher)
Mass media can also tranmit values by enforcing
social norms.
Function 5 : Entertaining
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Entertainment – the communication acts focusing on
amusement (as entertainers).
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The media can make entertainment available to a
large number of people at relatively low cost.
 How people use mass media:
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The use -and- gratification model
Four category system of how people use mass
media
1) Cognition
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The act of coming to know something.
2) Diversion
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Stimulation,Relaxation,Emotional release.
3) Social Unity
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Conversational currency,Parasocial
relationship.
4) Withdrawal
6. Theories and Effects of Mass Communications
1) Introduction to Mass Communications Theory
 Five Eras of media theory
- The ear of mass society theory
- The emergence of the scientific perspectives
- The ear of limited effect theory
- The ear of cultural criticism theory
- The emergence of a belief in moderate effect the ear of
meaning making perspective
 The Effect Debate
- Media content has limited impact on audiences because it is
only making people to believe; people know that it is real.
- Media content has limited impact audience because it is only
play or just entertainment
- If media really have effects, they are not the media’s fault. This
is because media simply hold a mirror to society and reflect the
status, showing us and our world as they already are.
 Characteristics of mass communication theory
- There is no one mass communication theory using to
specifically describe or predict the media effects.
- Mass communication theories are often borrowed from other
fields of science e.g. ‘Attitude Change Theory’
- Mass communication theories are creation
- Mass communication are dynamic
 Hypodermic Needle Theory
- Silver bullet theory, Magic bullet theory and one step flow
theory
- Media are dangerous drug or a killing force that directly and
immediately penetrate a person’s system
5. The Frankfurt School
- Communization of culture = Media try to create because they
try to get the benefits from that culture.
- There are a lot of new cultures but low quality.
- Mass media is a part of mass culture
- Mass media, Media culture, Mass culture
 The emergence of the scientific perspectives
- It is was not enough to merely speculate about the influence of
media on society
- It was not enough to assume that political propaganda is
powerful
- The conceptual thinking and theories were needed to prove the
existence of such effect

The ear of the limited effect theory
Two-Step-Flow Theory
- Using the us election in 1940 to do the research ‘Why people
vote for the president’
- The result found that media almost do not impact on
audience’s attitude but opinion leaders.
- Limited effect theory
- E.g. word of mouth
8. Gatekeeper Theory
- Mass Media are seen as the person who can select, create
news before transmitting to the audience.
- The research is from the activity of local news company
- E.g. Editor, news reporter.
9. Attitude Change Theory
Dissonance
- When confronted by new or conflicting information people
experience a king of mental discomfort.
- People then try to work reducing the discomfort.
Selective Processes
- People try to expose themselves and attend to the message
linked with their experience
- People like to keep or memorize the message being consistent
with their preexisting attitudes
Reinforcement Theory
- We can understand and control the people by the condition
that to do something.
- ABC Model = Activator, Behavior, Conseguence
- Classic conditioning theory
Social Cognitive Theory
- The idea that the people learn through observation and
applying it to mass media, especially television.
- The people copy the behavior they see(modeling)
1). Imitation = the direct replication of an observed behavior
E.g. a child hit his sister by a stick because of copying from Tom&Jerry
Social cognitive theory states that imitation and identification are the
products of three processes
(1). Observational learning = Can learn new behavior by seeing those
behavior performed.
(2). Inhibitory effects = to avoid seeing the same situation seen on
the screen because the viewer do not want to make that mistake..
(3). Disinhibitory effects = seeing the model are rewarded by doing
prohibited or threating behavior such as the glorification of crime
and aggressive behavior.
Reductionism
- Most of the mass communication researchers in the us found
limited effect notion and the empirical finding on which they
werebased
- There fore, mass society noting continued to flourish in Europe
Neo-marcism / Neo-Marxist Theory
- People are oppressed by those who control the culture, The
superstructure (Mass Media)
Three main types of news readers:
1). Dominate meaning = Preferred reading
2). Negotiated meaning = Alternative reading
3). Oppositional meaning = the reader interpret opposite from the
sender’s expectation
News Productive Research
Personalized news
- Most news stories revolve around people
- News will focus on one person or family as a center of its story
Dramatized news
- Attractive package
- Stories must have a hero and a villain, a conflict must be
identified and there has to be a showdown
Fragmented news
- Brief or capsulated stories
- Journalist’s obsession with objectivity
The emergence of a brief I moderate / the ear of meaning-making
perspective
1). Symbolic Interaction
- Cultural symbols are learned through interaction and then
mediate that interaction.
- Symbolic behavior which results in various degrees of shared meaning and
values
Television can influence viewer in 3 main aspects:
- Blurring = TV will ears the real word of audience’s experience.
- Blending = TV will mix the reality with TV Culture
- Bending = TV will change the audience world turning into the
TV mainstream that can support the television benefit.
Stereotype
- The application of a standardized image or concept to member
of certain group.
- Linked with cultivation theory, symbolic interaction of realty.
- We understand the stereotype from media.