Chapter 13: Mass Media and Communication

Media

channels for information flow, mediated communication for large audiences

six changes in mass communication

new form, kinds of interactive media, ownership patterns, viewing patterns, patterns in family life, media use by youth

channels of communication

means by which messages are sent (newspaper, magazines, books, movies, radio, music, TV, internet)

selective exposure

choose messages that are consistent with out attitudes/beliefs/values/interests and stay away from ones that challenge our perspectives

uses and gratifications theory

attempts to understand what people get out of the media they use

uses and gratifications theory > information

to learn or better understand

uses and gratifications theory > personal identity

fortify your identity

uses and gratifications theory > integration and social interaction

help you connect with others

uses and gratifications theory > entertainment

to escape

media diaries

one way to study consumption and identify the needs that each interaction fulfills

why people resist media

politics, religion, preference, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality

cultivation theory

how you learn a culture, its attitudes, values, and beliefs can be cultivated through how media presents a place, people, or belief system

media event

occasions or catastrophes that interrupt regular programming

political economy research

focuses on understanding economic relations in the media industry and government regulations

culture industries

organizations that produce, distribute, and show media (ex. Netflix)