Assignment:2

Development of mass media research and method of knowing with Examples

Submitted to:

Sir Ihtisham

Submitted by:

Rana Talha Roshan

Roll number : 031

Department:

Mass Communication and Media

Semester :6th

University of Narowal
 Development of mass media research and method of knowing with Examples

Contents :

1. What is the Research

2. Mass Media Research
3. Evolution of Mass media
4. Types of media research
5. History of media research
6. Factors that influence the development of mass media research
7. Research Elements
8. Research phases in media
9. Methods of research
10. Methods of knowing
11. References

What is Resaerch:
We can define research as an attempt to discover something as Joe Dominick and rogger
whimmer describes in his book mass media research:an introduction.

Mass media Research:

To understand what is mass media research lets have a look on following questions ,so you can
know why research in mass media:

 Why do people choose to watch one television program over another?

 How much time do adults 18 to 24 years old spend reading newspapers?
 How has the Internet affected newspaper reading, TV viewing, radio listening?
 Why are some advertising campaigns successful and others fail?
 What makes a successful advertising sales person?

these are some questions which we finds in mass media research and know the answer of like
these question mass media research in done.

Now with emerging media(facebook,twitter,whatsapp,etc) the field of mass media research is

going expanding day by day.and in online media thebig cause of emerging mass media research
is online advertising.

How many times have you thought of a question while you were listening to the radio, watching
TV, or reading a newspaper or magazine?  For example, who decides which songs to play on a
radio station?  What types of articles are the most popular in your favorite magazine?  When is
the best time to introduce a new TV program? Where do most people go to get local news
information?  Why do local TV news programs spend so much time on sports reports when
research studies show that sports reports are the least liked element of local TV newscasts?

Evolution of Mass media:

The development of mass communication technologies and their resulting applications has been
driven by the complexities of the human condition and the imperative to communicate. All
advances in mass communication technology and practice are built upon foundations established
by prior technologies and practices. Communication has been central to human survival. It is the
force that activates human culture and advances civilization. Mass communication is also an
influential global industry, requiring complex organizational systems. The invention and
diffusion of mass communication technologies have accelerated over the past century with great
consequences for human civilization. The evolution of mass communication has made evident
two impulses in human culture. Evolution of Mass Communication: Mass Communication and
Sustainable Futures -Vibert C. Cambridge ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
The first is the impulse to use tools and other technologies to expand communication capability.
These include speech, writing, printing, telegraphy, broadcasting and the Internet. Each invention
and its diffusion have increased dialogue, thus the possibilities for sharing information and
knowledge. The second impulse is that of using communication tools and technologies to
dominate others. Among the many examples of this is Nazi Germany’s systematic use of mass
communication resources to promote hate and genocide

Types of Mass media Research:

 Content Analysis

Content analysis is a research technique that involves analyzing the content of various forms of
media. Through content analysis, researchers hope to understand both the people who
created the content and the people who consumed it. A typical content analysis project
does not require elaborate experiments. Instead, it simply requires access to the
appropriate media to analyze, making this type of research an easier and inexpensive
alternative to other forms of research involving complex surveys or human subjects.

 Archival Research

Any study that analyzes older media must employ archival research, which is a type of research
that focuses on reviewing historical documents such as old newspapers and past
publications. Old local newspapers are often available on microfilm at local libraries or at
the newspaper offices. University libraries generally provide access to archives of
national publications such as The New York Times or Time; publications can also
increasingly be found in online databases or on websites.

 Surveys

Surveys are ubiquitous in modern life. Questionaires record data on anything from political
preferences to personal hygiene habits. Media surveys generally take one of the following
two forms.

A descriptive survey aims to find the current state of things, such as public opinion or consumer
preferences. In media, descriptive surveys establish television and radio ratings by
finding the number of people who watch or listen to particular programs. An analytical
survey, however, does more than simply document a current situation. Instead, it attempts
to find out why a particular situation exists. Researchers pose questions or hypotheses
about media and then conduct analytical surveys to answer these questions. Analytical
 surveys can determine the relationship between different forms of media consumption
and the lifestyles and habits of media consumers.

 Social Role Analysis

 Depth Interviews

The depth interview is an anthropological research tool that is also useful in media studies. Depth
interviews take surveys one step further by allowing researchers to directly ask a study
participant specific questions to gain a fuller understanding of the participant’s
perceptions and experiences. Depth interviews have been used in research projects that
follow newspaper reporters to find out their reasons for reporting certain stories and in
projects that attempt to understand the motivations for reading romance novels. Depth
interviews can provide a deeper understanding of the media consumption habits of
particular groups of people.Susanna Hornig Priest, Doing Media Research: An
Introduction (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010), 16–22.

 Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical analysis involves examining the “styles” used in media and attempting to understand
the kinds of messages those styles convey. Media styles refer to form, presentation,
composition, use of metaphors, and reasoning structure. Rhetorical analysis reveals the
messages not apparent in a strict reading of content. Studies involving rhetorical analysis
have focused on media such as advertising to better understand the roles of style and
rhetorical devices in media messages.Barrie Gunter, Media Research Methods:
Measuring Audiences, Reactions and Impact (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000), 89.

 Experiments

Media research studies also sometimes use controlled experiments that expose a test group to an
experience involving media and measure the effects of that experience. Researchers then
compare these measurements to those of a control group that had key elements of the
experience removed. For example, reseachers may show one group of children a program
with three incidents of cartoon violence and another control group of similar children the
same program without the violent incidents. Researchers then ask the children from both
groups the same sets of questions, and the results are compared.

 Participant Observation

In participant observation, researchers try to become part of the group they are studying.
Although this technique is typically associated with anthropological studies in which a
researcher lives with members of a particular culture to gain a deeper understanding of
their values and lives, it is also used in media research.
History of media research :

History of mass communication research is very short because its comes over in 1941 whn mass
communication and media studies come over in America and launched .research was focus o
expanding societies,affects of mass media on people and so on.

Read past research so as to not “reinvent the wheel” • Research interest change over time and
interact with available technologies • Understand development of research area over time for
solid understanding of any research area • Know history to know what kind of questions to raise
about study of Media Effects • Some events happen to stir interest in study of Media Effects.
E.g.: Columbine shooting incident.

Factors influencing development of mass media Research:

We have seen that research into the communication process and the mass media can be
influenced by many factors. These might range from the needs of the market place, through
social concern (e.g. about media violence), to the character and stage of development of the
disciplines (e.g. sociology, psychology) involved in research.There are three basic factors which
influence development of mass media research:

 Lack of research
 Level of concern
 Cultural boundaries and restrictions

Research Elements:

 Research question
 Hypothesis
 Randomotization
 Population
 Sample
 Sampling
 Monoeuvre
 Result
Research phasis in mass Media :

Development research

Definition
Development research is a broad concept, it means research that is relevant,
development-oriented, aimed at providing answers to development problems. Such
research can be conducted in the North as well as in the South
Research phases in mass Media.

There are four phases in mass Media Research.

 The medium itself.
 Uses and users of medium.
 Affects of the medium.
 How the medium can be improved?
The medium itself.
There is an interest in the medium itself . What is it ?
The medium is the message. A statement by Marshall McLuhan, meaning that the form of a
message(print, visual, musical, etc.) determines the ways in which that message will be
perceived.
Uses and users of medium :
In this phase, specific information is accumulated about the uses and the users of the medium.
How do people use the medium in real life? Affects of medium :
This includes investigation of social ,psychological and Physical effects of medium .
Media effects refers to consequence of media use experienced by the individual message
recipient or audience messages . These effects can be cognitive, affective, attitudinal, or
behavioral; they can occur in domains as diverse as health, politics, aggression, sexuality,
education, child development, and persuasion.

medium can be improved :

Research is conducting to determine how the medium can be improved either in it’s use or
technological devalopment . Methods of research
rom time immemorial, people have been questioning about various things around them and
because of their inquisitive nature i.e. their instinct to know and to find solution of various
problems i.e. their need to know, people have been figuring out various methods of knowing.
Knowledge is important and everyone needs it so in order to seek knowledge various scholars
have been finding out ways to get knowledge.

Kerlinger (1973) summarizing the writings of the philosopher Charles Pierce provides the four
methods by which we determine truth.

1. Tenacity: The first is the method of tenacity whereby truth is what is known to the
individual or group. It simply is true(Huitt, 1998, April). There is no verification and no
questioning. Validity of statement is mostly due to tradition and belief. It had been
considered true since time immemorial. It worked with the mindset that it worked for
their grand-parents, their parents and it should work for them too. Eg. Black cat crossing
the road is bad and 13 is an unlucky number.

2. Authority: The second is the method of authority in which truth is established through a

trusted source such as God, tradition, or public sanction. Here, question is asked but not
what and why but who said that? Information is considered valid due to authority of
source. But one authority cannot be considered authority for all. It depends on situation
and the type of knowledge sought.

3. Intuition: The third is the a prorimethod or the method of intuition. Here, questions are

raised from all corners and it is solved with the help of intellect. It is much superior that
tenancy or authority. It is not systematic so maybe not possible to forecast.

4. Science: The fourth method is the scientific method which attempts to define a process
for defining truth that produces results verifiable by others and is self-correcting.
Kerlinger’s definition of scientific research is that it is a “systematic, controlled,
empirical, and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about the presumed
relations among natural phenomena.”
References

http://rogerwimmer.com/wrmediaresearch.htm

https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-33-02.pdf

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_understanding-media-and-culture-an-introduction-to-mass-
communication/s05-03-methods-of-researching-media-e.html

https://www.elsevier.com/authors/author-resources/research-elements

https://www.le.ac.uk/oerresources/media/ms7500/mod1unit2/page_13.htm

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321850264_CONSTRAINTS_AND_CHALLENGES_OF_THE_ME
DIA_IN_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_NIGERIA

https://theblackcaterpillar2014.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/research-methodology-methods-of-
knowledge/