Comm chapters 1 - 3

Telephony - New communication technologies fascinate us, but their initial use is subject to rapid change. Early “misapplication”: Not sure how to use new communication devices, we test out various ideas. People using technology wrong. What is “new” often has deep historical roots: We share similar information with each other through various communication devices Ownership and control: Will industries be privately owned or regulated by government? 

Convergence - The “merging” of computing, telecommunications, and media in a digital environment 

What are the 3 types of convergence - Technological Convergence, Economic Convergence, and Cultural Convergence

Technological Convergence - The technical function of a device/tool have come together. FE - A Phone can be a, Flashlight, GPS, Clock,Television. It can also effect professions  

Economic Convergence- Combining of a tech company with a media company. Prime Example: Amazon because it Produces Many things such as Media, Music, Items. EC is also Personalized advertisements and Media consolidation

Media Consolidation - When 2 media companies come together. FE: ESPN, Disney, Marvel, etc.... 

Apple- Apple TV allows to produce media. Technological though, because of the selling of phones, computers, watches, software, etc... 

Cultural Convergence - Squid Games. FE: Korean TV show, Shown worldwide throughout different cultures, Watched worldwide which Shows that the world is digitally connected 

What are the Implications of Convergence? - Means that a lot of things are changing FE: Audience interpretations and Risks 

Media Organization can be? - Centralized and Converged 

Centralized Media organizations - production, distribution, marketing, and advertising are controlled by a single individual or unit 

Converged Media organizations - may be de-centralized via the Internet, inviting more diffuse methods of production, distribution, marketing, and advertising 

What is Media Type and Media Content? -  How we engage with and what constituted media are in a state of flux. Different protections and restrictions. FE: Stuff we can’t say on TV or the Radio 

Media Use - “24/7” media environment. Ability to always be “on” and “connected”. Media companies need to content to fill time. Good if you work in media. Media companies produce more content. More shows. Re-runs. Use social media more. We live in a multiscreen world, although Internet access and benefits remain unequal 

Media Profession - Era of digital medial requires learning new skills while maintaining professional ethics and standards 

Citizen Journalism - Interactive relationship wherein audiences contribute to story content/ or correction 

Attitude and Values with Increased global communications - With increased global digital communication comes increased desire for transparency and methods for gaining trusts. Confusion over traditions notions for privacy for individuals and companies 

Behavioral Targeting - Advertising techniques are drawn from the information we readily share through our digital footprint 

Types of mass communications in the digital age - Traditional mass communication and Traditional interpersonal communication

Traditional Mass communication - Communication to a large group or groups of people largely unknown to the sender of the message 

Traditional interpersonal communication - Communication between two or more individuals, often in a small group, although it can involve communication between a live speaker and an audience 

Types of Interpersonal Communication - Traditional interpersonal communication and Medial interpersonal communication

Traditional interpersonal communication - Usually interactive; flows at least two ways; tends not to be anonymous; involves both verbal and nonverbal messages 

Medial interpersonal communication - Takes place through an external medium, such as a telephone, text, or messaging apps; visual cues often absent; online medium blurs lines between interpersonal and mass communication 

Types Mass Communication - Mass Media, Synchronous Media, Asynchronous Media, Time shift, An aside

Mass media - Technological means of communicating between large numbers of people distributed widely over space or time. In a traditional model, content creators try to represent and define a shared reality 

Synchronous media - Audiences assemble simultaneously for broadcast, transmissions, or event such as live tv or radio 

Asynchronous media - Audiences can attend on their own time, such as with printed materials or recorded audio or video 

Time shift - Recording of an audio or video event for later 

An aside - “Medium”, “Media”, “Mediums” 

Mass communication and convergence - Digital media blur lines between interpersonal and mass communication, each adopting characteristics of the other.

Functions of mass communication - Surveillance, Correlation, Cultural transmission, and entertainment

Surveillance - Information about processes, issues, events and other developments in society, primarily connected to journalism 

Correlation - Media interpretation of events and issues that help individuals understand roles within larger society. Journalism, advertising, and PR help shape public opinion 

Cultural transmission - Transference of dominant culture and subculture(s) from one generation to the next or to immigrants. Includes socialization, which helps people learn rules of society(Slang, Text abbreviations 

Entertainment - Function performed by other three activities, but content designed specifically to entertain. Potential to encourage lowbrow entertainment and escapism. Potential to perpetuate stereotypes 

Media - are pervasive in our lives: they educate and inform us 

Educators - are recognizing a growing need to teach media literacy skills to school-age children 

What is Media Literacy - The process of critically analyzing media content. It is particular presentation. It is underlying political or social messages. It is media ownership or regulation 

What makes mediated communication different - Concern that mediated information-constructed through sings, symbols, words from books, radio, TV, digital media-affects us in ways unlike unmediated information --”Media effects” 

Semiotics -  Study of signs and symbols, theoretical approach to media literacy Ferdinand de Saussure: sign comprised of signifier (form) and signified (what form represents). FE. Logo and Book cover 

Framing -  Particular presentation and communication of messages influences our perception of it. Audiences must classify, organize, and interpret media information and frameworks, or schemas, simplify the complex. Like signs, frames appear natural and often go unquestioned, and can lead to echo effects 

Media Grammar - Medium’s underlying rules, structures, and patterns that influence audience use and understanding 

Print - Sophisticated media grammar because of long history. FE: Books, Newspapers, Magazine 

Radio -  Audio techniques include volume changes, multiple audio tracks, actualities, sound effects, and voice-overs 

Recorded Music - Particular stylistic conventions include song length and music format 

Film/TV - Intricate media grammar based on editing, camera angles, lighting, movement, and sound. Film uses crosscut scenes to tell more complex and dramatic stories. TV uses film techniques with smaller production budgets 

Digital Media - Media grammar evolves with our communication devices. Digital adopts from traditional forms while creating new ways for us to interact with media. Grammar of mobile and social networking media has become increasingly important 

Critics - Greater influence means greater need to publicly fund media 

Proponents - Profit mtoive remains key incentive to produce quality content 

Implications of Commercial Media - Average media consumer rarely considers commercial factors that shape media content 

Economic factors and corporate decisions influence everything  - What is and is not covered in the news.What is and is not produced as entertainment for the general public 

Concentration of media ownership - Successful media enterprises become larger in size and scope by acquiring, through purchase or merger, other media enterprises 

Greater concentration of ownership may mean a poorly served public which is Less diversity of media voices and Minority and non-mainstream views may be silenced 

Media Bias - A real or perceived viewpoint helps by journalists and news organizations that slant news coverage unfairly, contrary to professional journalism’s stated goals of balanced coverage and objectivity 

Developing Critical Media-Literacy Skills -  What is the purpose of the media content? Consider the source of the media. Examine framing of the media content. What Stereotypes are presented? Question the media ecosystem. Make the media. 

Media Research - Systematic and scientific investigation of communication processes and effects

Media Research methodology - How research is carried out, either quantitatively or qualitatively 

Media theories - Tool to help media professionals predict or explain phenomena and help us understand world 

19^th-20^th-century Europe and US - Dramatic societal and political changes from industrialization provide backdrop for early theorizing on mass communication 

Notion of “the masses:” - Elites rationale for why they should continue to rule 

 Transmission models - Shannon and Weaver mathematical theory of communication (1948) and Schramm’s Simplified communication model (1954) 

Schramm’s Simplified communication Model(1954) - Includes a source who encodes a message, or signal, which is transmitted (via media or directly via interpersonal communication) to a receiver who decodes it 

Critical Theory - Influenced by Marxist notion of ideology, exploitation, capitalism, and the economy  

Media-Effects Research - Media effects are a dominant concern in research that influences movie ratings, TV regulations, and advertising 

Propaganda - Regular dissemination of belief, doctrine, cause, or information with intent to mold public opinion 

Hypodermic-needle model - A model of media effects, also called the “magic bullet,” that claims media messages have profound, direct, and uniform impact on the public 

Payne Fund studies (1928-1933) - Concluded that some film would influence children differently depending on their backgrounds and characteristics. Contrary to original assumptions about largely negative effects, Payne Fun research revealed that children could learn some positive lessons from film and that information retentions were a function of grade in school

Radio’s wider impact - Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds broadcast (1938) 

Bobo doll studies - 1950s media-effects experiments showed children who watched TV episodes that rewarded a violent person were more likely to punch a Bobo doll than children who saw episodes that punished a violent person 

Third-person effect - We tend to overestimate how vulnerable or how impacted other people are and tend to ignore how impacted we are 

Criticisms of Research - Direct-effects research discredited, yet televisions, movies, internet, and video games still blamed for violent or antisocial actions. Believing that audience has no will of its own problematic/ Measuring media exposure difficult. Separating intertwined social, cultural, psychological, and other factors to identify clear cause-and-effect explanations difficult. Examining the wrong dimension of the communications process is possible 

Audiences creating meanings likes - Uses and gratifications, Encoding/decoding, and Reception analysis 

Framing - Particular communication of a message that influences our perception of it  

Cultural Studies - Marked by a broad range of research interests, cultural studies seek to improve culture rather than just describe it 

Sociohistorical Frameworks - Information society, Political economy, Media ecology 

Media Ecology - Media environment. Shape the ways we make sense of the world 

Agenda setting - Mass media can control the conversations we have  

Reading Research - Have to look at basics (title and author), Foundations (Theories/Research questions), Methodology (Sample vs. census), Method (Qualitative vs. quantitative) and Results (Findings and discussions)