MCOM 101: Fundamentals of Communication, Theories, Media Literacy, and Media Bias

Communication

A process, exchange, or transmission of ideas, facts, emotions, and beliefs between a source and a receiver to meet needs and create shared meaning.

Communis

The Latin root word from which 'communication' is derived, meaning common or shared understanding.

Intrapersonal Communication

Communication that takes place entirely within one person (with oneself), such as deciding what to buy in a grocery store.

Interpersonal Communication

The direct sharing of experience between two or more people using the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste).

Mass Communication

The process of creating and sending a homogeneous message through a transmitting device (medium) to large, anonymous, scattered, and heterogeneous audiences.

Heterogeneous Audience

A characteristic of a mass communication audience meaning messages cannot be directed at specific people without others also receiving them.

Anonymous Audience

A characteristic of a mass communication audience meaning the message is addressed 'to whom it may concern' rather than to a named receiver.

Simultaneous Audience

A characteristic of a mass communication audience meaning the message is available to the entire audience at the exact same time or instantly.

Stimulus

The initial impulse occurring at the ideation stage that triggers the communication process in order to inform, educate, or entertain.

Encoding

The process in which the sender converts ideas, feelings, or information into symbols (such as words, pictures, or gestures) before transmission.

Decoding

The process performed by the receiver of converting communicated symbols back into meaning and personal interpretation.

Feedback

The receiver's response to a message, which is immediate in interpersonal communication but delayed and indirect in mass communication.

Physical Noise

Environmental interference that prevents accurate understanding, such as traffic, loud conversations, side-talks, or workmen's tools.

Psychological Noise

Internal mental interference arising from within an individual, including depression, emotional stress, poor mental attitude, or disability.

Physiological Noise

Bodily interference that inhibits communication, such as physical hunger, exhaustion, tiredness, or physical discomfort.

Linguistic Noise

Interference caused by the sender's inability to use language accurately, correctly, and appropriately.

Gatekeeper

Any media insider (such as a reporter, editor, or producer) with the power to stop, alter, limit, expand, or reorganize a message on its way to the audience.

Kurt Lewin

The theorist who coined the concept of the gatekeeper to describe individuals or groups governing the travel of news items through communication channels.

Regulators

Non-media individuals, external agencies, and pressure groups (such as the FCC or FTC) that attempt to influence media messages before they reach the audience.

Hypodermic Needle / Magic Bullet Theory

A communication theory associated with Harold Lasswell proposing that media inject messages directly into passive audiences, producing direct, immediate, and uniform behavioral effects.

Limited Effects Theory

A theory associated with Paul Lazarsfeld proposing that media have few direct or meaningful effects due to intervening variables like education, intelligence, and social relationships.

Two-Step Flow Theory

A theory developed by Katz and Lazarsfeld positing that media messages travel first to opinion leaders, who then filter, interpret, and pass them on to opinion followers.

Opinion Leaders

Respected individuals (such as clergy, teachers, or scholars) who screen, reshape, and control the flow of media messages to their social circles.

Uses and Gratifications Approach (UGT)

An audience-centered theory associated with Elihu Katz arguing that audiences are active and choose specific media content to satisfy distinct personal needs.

Cognitive Needs (UGT)

A category of audience needs under Uses and Gratifications focused on acquiring knowledge, information, and intellectual comprehension.

Affective Needs (UGT)

A category of audience needs under Uses and Gratifications focused on fulfilling emotional experiences and pleasures.

Personal Integrative Needs (UGT)

A category of audience needs under Uses and Gratifications centered on reinforcing personal status, self-esteem, credibility, and lifestyle.

Social Integrative Needs (UGT)

A category of audience needs under Uses and Gratifications centered on connecting with family, friends, and social groups through media.

Tension-Free Needs (UGT)

A category of audience needs under Uses and Gratifications involving escapism, distraction, and relief from daily stress.

Agenda Setting Theory

A theory formulated by Maxwell McCombs and Don Shaw stating that media do not tell people what to think, but rather what to think about by prioritizing certain topics.

Media Agenda

The specific selection of topics, issues, and events that media organizations prioritize and cover.

Public Agenda

The collection of topics, problems, and issues that members of the general public consider most important.

Policy Agenda

The issues and problems that government officials, policymakers, and decision-makers regard as essential for legislative or political action.

Content Analysis

The primary research methodology used in agenda-setting research to systematically measure the frequency, prominence, headline size, and tone of media coverage.

Social Responsibility Theory

A normative theory associated with Lord Holm and Richard Watts stating that media must balance press freedom with ethical responsibilities to avoid harm and serve the public interest.

Objectivity

An ethical standard in journalism requiring practitioners to withhold personal beliefs and present both sides of an issue with equal space and time.

Impartiality

An ethical practice of reflecting a broad range of conflicting viewpoints without personal preference, enabling audiences to reach conclusions free from thought pollution.

Credibility

The believability of a media message or source, established through two foundational components: trustworthiness and expertise.

Cultivation Theory

A theory developed by George Gerbner asserting that prolonged, heavy exposure to television cultivates a worldview that mirrors television's distorted depiction of reality.

Cultivation Hypothesis

The proposition that the more time people spend watching television, the more their perceptions of reality align with television's depictions of violence, crime, and wealth.

Media Literacy

The learned ability to effectively and efficiently access, analyze, evaluate, and create communication across any mediated medium.

CRAAP Framework

An evaluation checklist used to assess media information based on five criteria: Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

Bias by Omission

A type of media bias where an outlet leaves out one side of an issue or ignores facts that disprove liberal or conservative perspectives within a story or over time.

Bias by Selection of Sources

A type of media bias where a reporter includes more sources supporting one perspective or relies on vague attributions like 'experts believe' or 'observers say.'

Bias by Story Selection

A systemic