Massmedia as an agent of socialization

Socialization is the process in which a child learns how to behave in life and participate in a
group in society. Socialization has four basic/main agents: family, school, peers and the mass
media. Each one of these agents plays a role in our lives. However, in my opinion, Mass Media
has seemed to be an effective agency of socialization for the development of the child. This is
true to some extent because now children are spending more time in front of the television than
mingling with their parents and other family members.

Mass media present a very different form of socialization than any other, because they offer
no opportunity for interaction.
Mass media distribute impersonal information to a wide audience, via television,
newspapers, radio, and the Internet. With the average person spending over four hours a day in
front of the television, media greatly influences social norms. People learn about objects of
material culture, as well as nonmaterial culture—what is true, what is important, and what is
expected–beliefs, values and norms.

So, we can say, that in this advance era, mass media plays a significant role towards all of us
and we can truly admit that mass media is one of the basic essential that used by everyone in
their daily life.