chapter 1 - mass communication

8/3/2019 Chapter 1 - Mass Communication

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MASSCOMMUNICATION:

A CRITICAL

APPROACH

Chapter One


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MEDIATHEN AND NOW

What is the major precept or

central idea of contemporary

journalism?According to the book, how and

why did this develop?

What about now?


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VITRIOLIC RHETORIC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xjj4HTEdg0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHoaZaLbqB4


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HISTORY AND COMMUNICATION

Oral Print Electronic

Eras of Communication


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ORAL COMMUNICATION: PRE-MODERN

Information transmitted via oral traditionssuch as storytelling and song

News or ideas traveled by town criers,

rulers sent out a rider to the next town

Governments were decentralized, fuedal


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PRINT REVOLUTION

Writing allowed for codification of ideas/laws,

expansion of central government

First moveable-type press was actually developed

in Korea, called the Jikjii But Gutenbergs press still marked beginning of

modern civilization as we think of it today

Birth (or major growth) of such ideas and things

as:y The Nation-State

y Secularism

y Democracy

y Middle class

y Individualism


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ELECTRONICAGE MODERNISM

Begins with the telegraph in 1840s

Separation of information and transportation


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ELEMENTS OF MODERNITY

Modern Period roughly IndustrialRevolution (1860-1880s) to the 1950s or so

Emphasis on efficiency Age of the

Machines, birth of assembly lines, rise of

capitalism as we know it todayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReDRHDY

hk8&feature=related

The importance of the individual, movement

away from divine order, rise of social mobility

Rational order citizenry guided by

information

Rejecting the past and embracing the future


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DIGITALAGE POST-MODERN

Digital

communication:

images, texts, sounds

all encoded in

electronic signals

(binary, zeroes and

ones) and then

decoded to

watch/listen/view Electronic devices

encode/decode

http://secprodonline.com/articles/20

07/01/03/speaking-encode.aspx


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ELEMENTS OF POST-MODERNITY

Postmodern period roughly 1950 to current

Celebrates populism or the idea ofordinary

people versus the elite

Diversifying and recycling culture borrowingheavily from the past (trends coming back

around, sampling past music, etc)

Questioning science asking whether technology

and science have all the answersy Resurgence of oral traditions

Paradox of postmodernity: nostalgic for the past

while embracing new technologies with a

vengeance


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TERMS & CONCEPTS

The Age of Media Convergence:

y 1: integration of mass media, computers,

and telecommunications: when content of

one medium appears on multiple channelsy 2: media conglomeration, or the business

model where media companies own multiple

formats, consolidation of media ownership,

Cross platform: consolidation through

owning a media product or cultural

product and distributing it through

various media


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TERMS & CONCEPTS

Media Latin plural of medium. Populardefinition is the group of gatekeepers who

produce the news, but:

Proper meaning of a medium is the material or

substance through which something else isconveyed or transmitted

Evolution of a medium:

y 1 Novelty/development stage

inventors/technicians try to solve a particularproblem

y 2 Entrepreneurial stage try to make invention

marketable/profitable and useful

y 3 Mass medium stage businesses market device


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LINEAR MODEL OF MASS

COMMUNICATION

Also known as the SMCR model

Source: originator of the

messageEncoding: process by which the

source translates the thoughts

and ideas so they can beperceived

Transmitting: whatever deviceperforms the physical activity of

ndin ut th m


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LINEAR MODEL, CONT

Channel: pathways through which

the transmitter sends all features of

the message. (can be air or telephone

lines)

Decoding: What has been

transmitted (whether words or

electrical signals) must be convertedto signs that the brain can

understand as having meaning.

y Brain, television receiver, radio


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LINEAR MODEL, CONT

Receiver: person or entity that gets

the message.

y

Can be intended or unintendedFeedback: receiver responds to

perceived message

The bonus element, Noise: sound

which interferes with the delivery of

the message.


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Volunteers: Ten

needed


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DIFFERENCES WITH MASS COMM

Source

Transmission

Feedback

Noise


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WILBUR SCHRAMM, 1971THE PROCESS AND EFFECTS OF MASS

COMMUNICATION

Classic communication model according toSchramm: Source-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR) model

1. Source originates communication

2. Message is content/info to be exchanged3. Encoder translates into a form that can be

communicated

4. Channel is transmission system to convey themessage

5. Decoder reverses encoding process6. Receiver is destination of communication

7. Feedback mechanism between source &receiver regulates flow of communication

8. Distortion or errors during process = noise


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SMRC MODEL

An example: Broadcasting

Source Message Encoder Channel Decoder Receiver

Broadcaster words,sounds studio equipment broadcast transmitter radio

viewer/listener

Feedback, in this model, comes from ratings


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HOW HAS THIS CHANGED?

Classic view of mass communication (Schramm

focused on 1940s to 1980s)

Does this model still work in the age of mediaconvergence?


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CULTURALAPPROACH TO MASS COMM

Individuals bring diverse meanings to

messages, given factors such as gender,

age, education level, ethnicity, and

occupation (among others)y Selective exposure: seeking out information

from sources that agree with you

Stories as foundational

Narrative = story

News media do change the world


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MODELS OF CULTURE

Skyscraper some media products or cultural

phenomena are high art, some are low

High art or high culture things like the

ballet, opera, fine art

Low art or low culture things like soap

operas, video games, slapstick comedies

High art is ofmore value than low art, lowart is throw away or has no staying power

The more we are exposed to low culture, the

less ability we have to appreciate or

understand high culture


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CULTURE AS AMAP

Culture is ongoing, unfolding,

heterogeneous

Culture is more complex than simplehigh-low split

A mix between familiar and innovative

Range of messages, often cross-

referencing each other

Nostalgia for the golden days


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MEDIALITERACY AND THE CRITICAL

PROCESS

If literacy is the ability to read,

what is media literacy?

y Describe close attention/researchyAnalyze recognizing patterns

y Interpret Asking, so what?

y Evaluate Judging good/bad/etcy Engage Taking action


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What are the benefits of a

critical perspective on media?

chapter 1 - mass communication

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