Second Lecture_250222_154631 summ

Course Overview

• Course Code: COM235

• Instructor: Fatma Elzahraa Elsayed

Learning Objectives

• Key Concepts in Communication:

  • Legacy media

  • Large-scale social media

  • Mass communication

• Comparison: Operation of natural vs social sciences

• Scientific Method & Causality: Explanation of the scientific method and its implications in social sciences

• Importance of Theory: Define theory and its significance in communication

• Categories of Mass Communication Theory:

  • Postpositive

  • Cultural

  • Critical

  • Normative

• Theory Evaluation: Understand methods for evaluating theories

• Trends in Media Theory:

  • Mass society and mass culture

  • Media-effects

  • Critical cultural

  • Meaning-making

Defining Mass Communication

• Growth in Theories: Escalating theories in mass communication

• Impact of Media Technologies: How advancements in media technologies influence media use and theory development

• Independent Field: Mass communication theory's evolution as a distinct field within social sciences and humanities

Types of Mass Media

• Legacy Media:

  • Older media forms including newspapers, magazines, radio, movies, and television

• Large-scale Social Media:

  • Newer media forms largely defined by technological advancements

• Media Use Evaluation: Spectrum from interpersonal communications to mass communication

Challenges in Social Science Research

• Reluctance: Difficulty in accepting social science findings stemming from logic of causality

• Measurement Issues:

  • Complexity of human behavior

  • Influence of personal goals and self-awareness on research

  • Challenges of applying simple causality to human behavior

Defining Theory

• Theories: Narratives that explain events (Turner, 1998)

• Good Theory: Enhances and clarifies understanding (Kearse, 2018)

Characteristics of Theoretical Frameworks

• Theoretical Differences: Variances in

  • Goals

  • Ontology (nature of reality)

  • Epistemology (knowledge creation methods)

  • Axiology (role of values in research)

Categories of Mass Communication Theory

• Postpositivist Theory:

  • Grounded in empirical observation acknowledging human variability

  • Focuses on explanation, prediction, and control

• Cultural Theory:

  • Examines communication structures to understand culture, based on hermeneutic theory

  • Reality formed through biases and experiences

• Critical Theory:

  • Politically motivated, aims to prioritize human values and address inequality

  • Explores the interplay of structure and agency

• Normative Theory:

  • Discusses ideal operational values for media

  • Develops knowledge through comparisons

Evaluating Theory

• Quote: "Good theory promotes beyond itself" (Andrews, Biggs, & Seidel, 1996)

• Evaluation Importance: Assess theories through targeted questions

Flexible Social Science

• Postpositivist Views: Perceives social science methods as unsystematic, leading to disagreements about methods, evidence, and values

Evolution of Media Theory

• Reflection of Change: Media theory development aligns with technological changes in mass media

Four Trends in Media Theory

• Trends vs Distinct Eras: Identifying trends indicating stable perspectives with potential cross-influence

• Specific Media Theory Trends:

  1. Mass Society and Mass Culture: Understand social change and media impact across political perspectives

  2. Media-Effects: Emphasizes empirical methods for validating theory and understanding media impact

  3. Critical Cultural: Analyzes media's role in preserving power structures, linked to neo-Marxism

  4. Meaning-Making: Investigates how audiences construct meaning from media, considering intended vs unintended outcomes

Conclusion

• Expansion of Communication Theories: Significant growth in the study of communication theories is crucial for understanding today’s media landscape.