INTRODUCTION TO MASS

MEDIA RESEARCH
PREPARED BY BENJAMIN MUINDI
WHAT IS MASS MEDIA?
 Any form of communication that simultaneously reaches
a large number of people, including but not limited to
radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, billboards, films,
recordings, books and the Internet (Wimmer & Dominick
2003, p. 2)
 Modern technology is redefining the concept of mass
media (Castells, 2010) to an era of “self mass media”
“demassification of the media”
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
 We are constantly doing research in everyday life
(Berger, 2000; Wimmer & Dominick, 2003)
 Cite examples of everyday life moments involving research
 Research is basically an attempt to discover something
(whether formally or informally)
 Research is an important element (if not the most
important) in virtually any business
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
 Scientific research is “an organized, objective, controlled,
qualitative or quantitative empirical analysis of one or
more variables” (Wimmer & Dominick 2006, p. 10).
 Social science research falls into two broad
methodologies: qualitative and quantitative.
 Emerging research designs have incorporated the two
in mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2013)
DEVELOPMENT OF MASS MEDIA
RESEARCH
 PHASE 1: The medium
 PHASE 2: Uses and users of the medium
 PHASE 3: Effects of the medium
 PHASE 4: How the medium can be improved
MAJOR EVENTS/SOCIAL FORCES THAT
HAVE SHAPED MEDIA RESEARCH
 World War 1 – the media was seen as a powerful tool
in spreading propaganda about warring factions
 Advertisers in 1950s found media research as an
important tool for success of their businesses
 Public interest on effects of media on audiences
especially children (Payne Fund studies)
 Competition among media firms for advertising
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
 How do we know? (Kerlinger & Lee 2000 as cited by
Wimmer & Dominick 2003, p. 10) list four ways of
knowing:
 Tenacity (something is true because it has always been true)
 Intuition (a priori approach – relies on theory rather than
sense)
 Authority (trusted sources)
 Science (truth is founded on objective analysis)
CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENTIFIC
METHOD
 Public (usually conducted in the public interest)
 Objective (based on evidence)
 Empirical (proven by way of sense)
 Systematic and cumulative (orderly)
 Predictive (room for replication and prediction)
 Self correcting.
RESEARCH PROCEDURES
 Selection of the problem
 Review of existing research and theory
 Statement of hypothesis or research question
 Determination of appropriate methodology and
research design
 Data collection
RESEARCH PROCEDURES
 Analysis and interpretation of the data
 Presentation of the results
 Discussion (Wimmer & Dominick, p. 16 do not
capture this procedure but it is important).
 Replication
SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC
 Is the topic too broad?
 Can the problem really be investigated?
 Can the data be analysed?
 Is the problem significant?
 Can the results of the study be generalized?
 What costs and time are involved in the analysis?
SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC
 Is the planned approach appropriate to the
project?
 Is there any potential for harm to the subjects?
NEXT CLASS
 We will look at:
 ELEMENTS OF RESEARCH and later delve into
understanding:
 1. Approaches to research – distinguish between
quantitative and qualitative research
 2. Research ethics