Mass Media and Transmission Model - Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms from the lecture on mass media, mass communication, and the SMCR transmission model.

Mass media

The channels used to transmit messages to a large audience (e.g., TV, radio, newspapers, internet, social media).

Mass communication

The sharing of meaning between an entity and a large audience.

SMCR model (Transmission model)

Sender–Message–Channel–Receiver; a basic model of communication outlining how a message is transmitted and received.

Sender

The originator of a message who encodes information for transmission.

Message

The content being communicated; the idea or information the sender wants to convey.

Encoding

The process of turning a sender's ideas into a message that can be understood by the receiver.

Channel

The medium used to transmit the message (e.g., television, internet, print, radio).

Receiver

The audience member(s) who decodes and interprets the message.

Feedback

The response from the receiver back to the sender; can be verbal or nonverbal and helps adjust the message.

Noise

Interference that distorts or disrupts the transmission/decoding of a message; includes semantic, mechanical, and environmental noise.

Decoding

The process by which the receiver interprets and derives meaning from the message.

Medium

A singular channel of communication (as opposed to 'media,' which are multiple channels).

The medium is the message

The idea that the channel carrying a message shapes and influences the message itself; the form of the channel matters as much as the content.

Encoding vs. Decoding

Encoding is converting ideas into a message; decoding is interpreting the message to derive meaning.