media in world politics - defining mass media (week2)
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Media in World Politics
2
Defining MASS MEDIA
Outline
Medium/Media? Group - Crowd - Public - Mass 4 Big Themes Macro-models Feedback
'medium'
medium |ˈmiːdɪəm|
noun (pl.media or mediums)
1 an agency or means of doing something: their primitive valuables acted as a medium of exchange.
• a means by which something is communicated or expressed: here the Welsh language is the medium of instruction.
2 the intervening substance through which sensory impressions are conveyed or physical forces are transmitted: radio communication needs no physical medium between the two stations.
• the substance in which an organism lives or is cultured. these cells are grown in a nutrient-rich medium.
• a liquid (e.g. oil or water) with which pigments are mixed, with a binder, to make paint.
3 the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer: oil paint is the most popular medium for glazing.
From Latin medius – something in-between other things
What are the mass media 'in-between'?
'medium'
Elements of 'mass media'
People Technologies Companies Professional groups Audiences 'Texts' (all types of content)
Lasswell's Comm. Model
Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect? WHO says WHAT in which CHANNEL to WHOM what EFFECT
The Structure and Function of Communication in Society, 1948
Lasswell's Comm. Model
Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?
Lasswell's Comm. Model
Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?
WHO
Communicator
WHAT
message
CHANNEL
medium
WHOM
receiver
EFFECT
effect
Lasswell's Comm. Model
Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?
WHO
Communicator
WHAT
message
CHANNEL
medium
WHOM
receiver
EFFECT
effect
ControlAnalysis
ContentAnalysis
MediaAnalysis
AudienceAnalysis
EffectAnalysis
What is the 'mass'?
Of all the different types of communication media we distinguish between 'mass' media and others.
MASSmedia
OTHERmedia
Group, crowd, public, mass
Group: members know each other, share identity, stable relations over time
Crowd: shared locality, temporary, event- based
Public: larger, dispersed, enduring, issue-based
Mass: very large, widely dispersed, anonymous, passive, receptive, unstructured H.Blumer, 1939
Mass: political outlook
With positive implications... Genuinely 'popular' Solidarity Strength Cooperation
Mass: political outlook
With pejorative implications... Uneducated Ignorant Potentially irrational Unruly Perhaps even violent!
Mass Media/Communications A type of communication designed
specifically to reach a “mass” Professional / organisational “sender” Impersonal / distant relationship Senders have authority Communicational flow mainly in one
direction
Big Themes
Media Power Social Integration Mass Information Problem media
“The media is powerful”
Propaganda Entertainment Public opinion
Albert Speer on Hitler
“Hitler's dictatorship differed in one fundamental point from all its predecessors in history. His was the first dictatorship [...] which made the complete use of all technical means for domination of its own country. Through technical devices like the radio and loudspeaker, 80 million people were deprived of independent thought. It was thereby possible to subject them to the will of one man.” A. Speer, Minister for Armaments and War Production, Nuremberg Trials, 1946
V. I. Lenin
Iskra (Spark) 1900-1905
Pravda (Truth)
Lenin on newspapers
The necessity to concentrate all forces on establishing a regularly appearing and regularly delivered organ[newspaper] …
Learn, propagandise, organise – and the pivot of this activity can and must be only the organ of the party
V.I.Lenin, Our Immediate Task (Rabochaya Gazeta) 1899
“The media links people”
Industrialisation Urbanisation
1900: 13% 1950: 29% [2030: 60%]
Urbanisation
New problem, new solution
Crime and immorality Loneliness, alienation
New problem, new solution
Crime and immorality Loneliness, alienation Mass media it was thought would
contribute to.. A new type of social cohesion ('mass
culture') Supporting democratic mass politics
“Mass information”
Growth of popular education Spread of literacy / libraries Increasing enfranchisement
Gradual spread of adult male suffrage 1850s -1920s
Women's suffrage: NZ 1893, Norway 1913, UK 1928, Japan 1945
“Inform, educate, entertain” The BBC's mission: To enrich people's lives with
programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.
Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/whoweare/mission_and_values/
“Inform, educate, entertain” The BBC's mission: To enrich people's lives with
programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.
Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/whoweare/mission_and_values/
Approaches to mass media Transmission model
Process of passing in information. Behaviouristic: stimulus-response. Media effects.
Approaches to mass media Transmission model
Process of passing in information. Behaviouristic: stimulus-response. Media effects.
Ritual / Expressive model
Non-utilitarian. Sharing, participation, association, fellowship, emotional satisfaction.
Approaches to mass media Transmission model
Process of passing in information. Behaviouristic: stimulus-response. Media effects.
Ritual / Expressive model
Non-utilitarian. Sharing, participation, association, fellowship, emotional satisfaction.
Publicity model
Attention-getting (important commercially)
Approaches to mass media Transmission model
Process of passing in information. Behaviouristic: stimulus-response. Media effects.
Ritual / Expressive model
Non-utilitarian. Sharing, participation, association, fellowship, emotional satisfaction.
Publicity model
Attention-getting (important commercially) Reception model
Encoding/decoding. Mis-communication?
For next week...
Prepare to think about 'media effects' by reading: “Media Effects: Quantitative Traditions”
A Handbook of Media and Communication Research
Ed. Klaus Bruhn JENSEN
Routledge 2012