Mass Media
COMM 1010
Summer 5 Week 2 2006
Mass Communication -- What is
it?
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The process of designing and delivering
cultural messages and stories to diverse
audiences through media channels as old
as a book and as new as the internet.
(Campbell, 1998)
Media is the plural of Medium (also known as
a channel)
 Mass designates the type of audience

 Diverse
in Spatial, Temporal, and Experiential
Proximity
How Many Mediums are in
Media?
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Print (Newspaper,
Magazines, Journals,
Pamphlets, Books,
Flyers, …You get the
idea).
Sound (Radio, CD’s,
Tapes, 8 Tracks, Reel-to
Reel).
Electronic & Visual (TV,
DVD, VCR, CD-Rom,
Computer Games,
Websites, TiVo, etc.)
Media Use
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How often do you use media?
Intersections pg. 79
 Take 2-3 Minutes to complete
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Over 64% of adults read the daily paper, 80% if only once a
week
Adults read 10 magazines a month
Adults listen to the radio 3 hrs/day
The TV is on in each household 7 hrs/day, with adults
watching 4 hrs/day
Why do we treat Mass
Communication differently?

Difference between a
group of people and a
mass

Group Communication
is defined by the ability
for each group
member to interact
with one another

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Mass communication
occurs when
differences in
responses at the
individual level no
longer require much
attention
Less opportunity for
feedback, if any at all
Shannon-Weaver Model
T=Transmitter (Source, Sender)
R=Receiver (Audience)
Functions of Mass Media
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Entertain
Inform
Socialize
Surveillance
Important Themes
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American Media are profit-centered businesses
Technological changes affect the media
Mass Media are culturally bound, they both
reflect and affect the society in which they
operate

They also can transmit across societies (Ex: Us watching the
BBC News or Russian people watching ‘The Price Is Right’)

Today, the trends point toward media
convergence
Convergence
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Homogenizes producers
of media
Diversifies the reach of
each individual message
People practice
convergence (thin of your
self-diagnosis)
Frequently increases the
range of options to the
consumer?
Cultivation Theory
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Heavy viewing of television leads individuals to perceive
reality in ways that are consistent with the portrayals
they see on television.
- George Gerbner
Ex: Watching “Hannity and Colmes” regularly leads he
viewer to believe that all democrats are buffoons.
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Caveat: The influence of Media is not absolute. The circulation of
certain representations or portrayals makes them seem more accurate
and natural
Certain portrayals can be questioned, if one is confronted with other
representations of the same group or event, or other contradictory
personal experiences
Ex: If you know a lot of smart democrats (or at least smarter than Alan
Colmes) you are less likely to see “Hannity and Colmes” as an accurate
barometer for both liberals and conservatives.
Factors Influencing Cultivation
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Orientation of Use
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Audience Attitudes
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Importance
Realism
Medium Dependency
Involvement
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Ritual – Use of Habit
Instrumental – Use for
content
Identifying or getting
caught up in “the story”
(Rubin, 1993)
Gatekeeping

Regulating or determining what
information will be carried over media
channels.
Can be both good and bad
 Good: Newspapers will only print those facts
which can be independently verified
 Bad: Some issues never make the news, they
are deemed to be too controversial or
unworthy (no major news outlets cover the
“Free Mumia” campaign)
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Agenda Setting
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The media determine what issues are important
to the population
An inevitable consequence of gatekeeping
Ex: 10 news reports on the national debt usually
prompts a political response
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Agenda Setting is usually concerned with issues, not
outcomes
Ex: The response may just entail the White House
explaining its position on the national debt, rather
than a debt reduction policy passing the house
Be A Critical Consumer
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Who is Speaking? The mass media are owned
by six corporate conglomerates with agendas -- Time
Warner, Viacom, General Electric, Disney,
Bertelsmann, and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
What is said?
 On which Channel?
 To Whom/ What audience?
 With What Effect?
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