MEDIA AND SOCIETY

-means of mass communication-

Media, which is the plural form of a word borrowed from Latin (“medium”), refers to the collective
communication tools used to store and deliver information or data. It includes the means or channels of general
communication in society, as newspapers, radio, television, internet, magazines etc.

The word communication was originated from the Latin word “communis” which means common. As the
very term indicates, the ultimate aim of the communication process is to create commonness between
communicator and receiver of the message.

Mass communication is the study of how people exchange

their information through mass media to large segments of the
population at the same time with an amazing speed.
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An understanding of the means of mass communication helps one

better appreciate the role of the media in contemporary society.

Through mass communication, information can be transmitted

quickly to a large number of people who generally stay far away
from the sources of information.

Mass communication is not only composed of a large number of

audiences but also aims to heterogeneous audience. The
heterogeneity here means that the audience may belong to different
races, groups, cultures etc.

Mass communication is a branch of social science and a subfield of communication studies.

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According to Wilbur Schramm ‘a mass medium is essentially a working group organized around some
device for circulating the same message, at about same time, to a large number of people’. From this definition, we
can understand that there is a well organized system behind each mass medium.
For example, a newspaper is produced everyday with the collective efforts of a lot of people using various
information sources ranging from local reporters to international news agencies. Same is the case of distribution
of the newspaper. Everybody from circulation manager to local newspaper boy is engaged in the circulation of each
copy of a newspaper. Moreover, every country has its own policy, laws, and telecommunication systems to facilitate mass
media. In this sense, the production of a mass medium is the result of a well organized system.

• Wilbur Lang Schramm (August 5, 1907 – December 27, 1987), was an american scholar and
"authority on mass communications“
• He was hugely influential in establishing communications as a field of study in the United States
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The four functions of mass communications are: surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission and
entertainment. In many ways, the four functions of mass communication are still relevant and transferable to
contemporary media.
Surveillance: Mass media keeps citizens informed of news and events. In times of crisis, mass media
announcements offer warnings and instructions.
For example, when natural disasters occur, such as hurricanes, traditional media and new media are the key
communication tools to provide information. Media is also used as tools of government authorities in order to
inform the citizens about important updates.:
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The Correlation function: it relates to how the media’s selection of

certain news and its interpretation affects how society understands and
responds to it. Articles in newspapers, or discussions on radio and tv about
different aspects within a society have been selected and interpreted by
mass media and have consequences for the way we understand and
respond to these events.
Example: There are a lot of cases where newspapers or TV news
cover the same subject but the way of expressing the information is
significantly different.This can lead to different stories, even if the event is
the same.
One event can transmit multiple stories because of the headlines that
emphasize different elements or interpretations of what occurred.
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Cultural transmission: it reffers to the norms, the values and the rules communicated by media. This
function let the masses understand what forms of behavior are considered acceptable
For example, some television programmes promote family harmony or exemplary behavior of pupils.
Entertainment: this function includes many types of media, providing public entertainment through film,
radio, television, books, magazines, podcasts, social media and websites.
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-types of media
PRINT MEDIA/ELECTRONIC MEDIA

PRINT MEDIA: Newspapers, magazines, books, brochures, flyers, postcards, billboards

ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
- Radio, Television
- Digital media = electronic media that works using digital codes: new media(video games, CD, DVD,
internet- social media, websites, blogs, email)
Most new media are in the form of digital media. It is considered to be the multimedia and digital form of
communication happening via desktop and laptop computers, as well as phones, tablets and other devices.
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PRINT MEDIA
Print media is a form of traditional mass media, that deliver news and information through printed publications.
It is the oldest type of media, through which news, entertainment, education data and promotional messages are
spread to the mass. Messages can be printed in newspapers, magazines, billboards, books, flyers.
Print media play an important role in informing people about the events and developing understanding
of the social realities.
Prin media needs a larger amount of time to produce such materials than online media. In order to print
newspapers, magazines and other media for distribution, the products must be designed, and the text must be written
and checked for errors before being sent to the printer.
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PRINT MEDIA

The frequency of distribution is a key characteristic of print media. Some

publications that contain time-sensitive information such as newspapers and
magazines can be distributed daily, weekly, monthly and even annually. Other media
such as newsletters or booklets can be distributed as needed for individuals to pick
up at their own discretion.
The most common forms of print media are newspapers, magazines and
books.
Now that we live in an age when articles, images and videos can be spread on a
screen nearly anywhere in the world, ink and paper publications may not seem as
vital as they once did.

Mass production of printed documents led to democratization of knowledge. In other words, it made
knowledge and education accessible to common people.
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NEWSPAPERS
Features:
- regular periodicity (delivered to the home or sold at a newsstand, newspapers can be
published daily, or regularly over the course of a week or month)
- the advantage of providing inexpensive and tangible delivery of news and
advertising.
- the paper is usually divided into sections for each of the major groupings.

- diversity of content (a variety of topics like politics,

current affairs, entertainment, finance.) Readers can select
what they want from the entire content. Some newspapers
also includes cartoons, crosswords, Sudoku, movie reviews,
book reviews.
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NEWSPAPERS
- choice of the time of use
- low cost
- future reference facility (being a print medium, newspapers can be kept for future use)
- different types of newspapers: community newspapers, religious newspapers, business newspapers etc

Earlier newspapers were not daily publications as we see now. They

were published weekly or bi-weekly. This was due to the absence of
adequate technology and newsgathering system.
The first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and
Domestick, published by Benjamin Harris (an English publisher and
bookseller) in 1690.
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MAGAZINES
Features:
- collection of written articles
- periodical publication (generally published on a regular
schedule)
-specific type of audience (people who are looking for
information based on a particular subject)
- different types of magazines: general interest magazine,
business, history, sports, glamour, science, health etc
- some magazines contain a various content (topics like
business, luxury, lifestyle, beauty, health, fashion, entertainment,
travel, cooking)
- illustrations or photographs
- the magazines addressed to the general public uses non-
technical language
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MAGAZINES

Most magazine articles do not list references and are written by the
magazine's own staff writers. In general, magazine articles are easy to read.

The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731 in London was the

first general-interest magazine. It was founded by Edward Cave(English
printer, editor and publisher)

Edward Cave’s goal was to create a magazine that the general public
would be interested in. His publication contained everything from essays
and poems to stories and political articles. Cave had two noteworthy
accomplishments: he coined the term "magazine," and he was the first
publisher of a wide-ranging publication.
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BOOKS

-set of written pages that have been fastened together inside a cover in
order to be read
-books are portable and compact, and thus have an advantage over
other media forms.
-unlike other print media, books most often deal with a single subject.
-while newspapers and magazines get old soon due to their time
limitations, books remain fresh because they deal with subjects
significant for a longer period
-unlike magazines and newspapers, books are stored for longer period
in libraries.
-language level of the books is audience specific or subject specific
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BOOKS

Despite technological advancement, book reading remains the most

enduring media habit.
Books are categorized according to their content type and target
audience.
Based on the nature of the content, books can be categorized generally
as fiction and non-fiction. Fictions include stories, novels, poems while
nonfictions comprise of academic/historical/religious books etc
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FLYERS, POSTERS, BROCHURES, BILLBOARD (PRINT ADVERTISING)

Flyer-form of paper advertisement intended for wide

distribution and typically posted or distributed in a public
place. Flyers are used in order to promote a good or service,
such as a restaurant, or to send a social, religious, or political
message.
Posters and billboards are forms of outdoor advertising. The
message has to be brief and eye-catching. They usually attract the
target audience by their colors,creative concept, design

Brochures give detailed information about a product or a

company. These are mainly distributed at events or even at the main
outlet when a consumer needs to read in detail about a product.

The different types of print media content, varies according to the targeted audience.
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ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Electronic media is the type of media that use electronic or electromechanical energy for transmission
of messages .
Electronic media now comes in the forms of tablets, laptops, desktops, cell phones, mp3 players,
DVDs, game systems, radio, television).

Electronic media includes radio, television (broadcast media) and digital media (most new media are in the
form of digital media: Internet- social media, websites, blogs, email + video games, CD, DVD)
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TELEVISION
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium used for
transmitting moving images and sound to audiences. (broadcast
media)
When displayed together or in rapid succession, these images
will blend to produce a full-color image, as seen by the viewer.
It is mainly a mass medium for entertainment, advertising
and news. Television is a popular medium for conveying
documentary information. The visual content of television news
makes it more appealing than radio news. This is because radio
cannot outsmart television in providing the experience of
physical reality.
Television allows you to get informed about events
happening around the world.
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TELEVISION

- The most influential and authoritative medium

- Large audience
- High selectivity and flexibility
- Zapping-changing the channels
- TV can help introduce youth to classic Hollywood films and foreign
movies
- Too much TV viewing can affect social skills
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RADIO

- Radio is one of the popular means of electronic communication(broadcast media)

- It is the technology of using radio waves to carry information, such as sound. Most new radio systems are
nowadays digital .
- Offers selectivity and flexibility advantages
- Wide coverage
- Necessary for both users and advertisers
- Short lived message
- Limited research data
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TV AND RADIO- BROADCAST MEDIA

The broadcast media is a member of the electronic family. It is made up of radio and television. The
practice of journalism takes place in the sphere of the broadcast media.
The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, define "broadcasting" as "transmissions intended for reception by the
general public, either direct or relayed“
The broadcasting media provides valuable information, for example speeches, documentaries, interviews,
advertisements, daily news, financial markets and much more.

Public and Private broadcasting are quite different.

A public serving broadcaster is owned and financed by the public. This means
that the TV license that is paid by us, the public, finances all of the public serving
broadcasters.
A private serving broadcaster is privately owned and they have to finance
themselves through advertisements. This means because the public is not paying
the station, they can broadcast much more than the public broadcaster.
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The term media has achieved a broader meaning nowadays as compared to
that given it a decade ago. Earlier, there was multimedia, once only a piece of
software (application software) used to play audio (sound) and video (visual
object with or without sound). Following this, it was CD (Compact Disc) and
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), then camera of 3G (third generation) applications
in the field.

Media includes all the software which are used in PC (computer) or laptop
or mobile phone installed for normal or better performance of the system; today,
however, hard discs (used to increase the installation capacity of data) of
computer are an example of electronic media.

NEW MEDIA

With the advent of the internet, we are now enjoying the benefits of high technology mass media, which is not only faster
than the old mass media, but also has a widespread range.
Mobile phones, computers,and the Internet are often referred to
as the new-age media (part of DIGITAL MEDIA)
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INTERNET -types of media-
 - Internet is a worldwide medium that provides means of exchanging information through
a series of interconnected computers
 - Rapidly growing medium of advertising
 - It uses world wide web to showcase a website to the world
 - Advertising through internet includes social media marketing, online ads, mobile
marketing etc
 - Very accesible to people
 - High selectivity
 - Generates immediate response
 - Interactive medium
VIDEO GAMES
A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual
feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor.
The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; in addition to general-purpose
computers like a laptop/desktop, there are devices created exclusively for the playing of video games.
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DIGITAL MEDIA comprises both Internet and mobile mass communication.

INTERNET

It allows acces to: SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBSITES

BLOGS

E-MAIL
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Hot media versus cold media

Hot media is that which engages one sense completely. It demands little interaction from the user
because it 'spoon-feeds' the content. Typically the content of hot media is restricted to what the source
offers at that specific time. Examples of hot media include radio, film, print, photographs because they
engage one sense of the user to an extent that although the user's attention is focused on the content, their
participation is minimal.

Cool media generally uses low-definition media that engages several senses less completely in that
it demands a great deal of interaction on the part of the audience. Audiences then participate more
because they are required to perceive the gaps in the content themselves. The user must be familiar with
genre conventions in order to fully understand the medium. Examples: TV, phone conversations, comic
books.