Tasks

1) Choose two different types of mass communication—radio shows, television

broadcasts, Internet sites, news paper advertisements, and so on—from two
different kinds of media. Make a list of what role(s) each one fills, keeping in mind
that much of what we see, hear, or read in the mass media has more than one
aspect. Then, answer the following questions.
1.To which of the four roles media plays in society do your selections correspond?
Why did the creators of these particular messages present them in these particular
ways and in these particular mediums?
2.What events have shaped the adoption of the two kinds of media you selected?

2) Find an advertisement—either in print, broadcast, or online—that you have

recently found to be memorable. Now find a nonadvertisement media message.
Compare the ways that the ad and the nonad express social values. Are the social
values the same for each of them? Is the influence overt or covert? Why did the
message’s creators choose to present their message in this way? Can this be
considered propaganda?
Review Questions
1. Section 1
a.What is the difference between mass communication and mass media? b.What
are some ways that culture affects media? c.What are some ways that media affect
culture?
2. Section 2
a.List four roles that media plays in society. b.Identify historical events that have
shaped the adoption of various mass-communication platforms. c.How have
technological shifts affected the media over time?
3. Section 3
a.How does the value of free speech affect American culture and media? b.What is
propaganda, and how does it reflect and/or impact social values? d.Who are
gatekeepers, and how do they influence the media landscape?
4. Section 4
a.What is a cultural period? b.How did events, technological advances, political
changes, and philosophies help shape the Modern Era? c.What are some of the
major differences between the modern and postmodern eras?
5. Section 5
a.What is media literacy, and why is it relevant in today’s world?