Introduction to Media Studies

communication

Two way process of sharing ideas, opinion, news

and information by writing, spoken words and
gestures including body language and facial
expressions.
 Types Of Communication

1- Verbal Communication

2- Non-Verbal Communication
 Verbal Communication

written or spoken words i.e Letters, e-mails, sms,

speeches
 Non-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION

 Gestures
 Facial Reactions
 Body Language
 Settings of Communication
/LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

 INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

 INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

 MACHINE ASSISTED COMMUNICATION/

MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

 MASS COMMUNICATION
 INTRA PERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
 Communication process takes place within an
individual.
 Mostly for the purpose to analyze the situation, to
encourage or motivate self or for clarifying the
ideas and thoughts.
 INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
 FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO OR MORE INDIVIDUALS.
 IMMEDIATE FEED

 Types of Interpersonal communication

1. Dyadic communication:
Involves two people e.g two friends
2. Group Communication:
Involve three or more individuals. e.g class room lecture
meetings, conferences seminars
 MACHINE ASSISTED/
MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
 IT INVOLVES TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE.
 FEED BACK MAY BE IMMEDIATE OR DELAYED
 MEDIATED COMMUNICATED MAY BE PERSONAL, PUBLIC, FORMAL OR
INFORMAL
 TELEPHONE CALL, E-MAIL, TELE - CONFERENCING
 Mass communication
 Where a large formal organization formulated a
uniform message with the help of some machines
(technology) and disseminate it towards a large,
heterogeneous and scattered audience.
 Feed Back is delayed.
 Media

 Channel or medium through which the message

is disseminated toward a large heterogeneous
audience or masses.
 Print Media
 Electronic Media
 Internet
Process of Communication
 Process of Communication
 Source: Initiator of the message.
 Encoding: Translating the thoughts/ ideas into some
meaningful symbols.
 Message: Written or spoken words, non verbal gestures
 Decoding: Understanding the message.
 Channel/ Medium: Ways, through which message is
communicated to the intended audience.
 Feed Back: Response of the message.
 Noise: Anything that interferes the delivery of message
 Noise can be of three types
 Process of communication
 Semantic noise: It occurs when different people have
different meanings for different words. The use of
jargons and technical words also create semantic noise.
 Mechanical Noise: This occurs when there is a problem
with machine that is being used to assist
communication.TV SETS WITH SNOWY PICTURE
 Environmental Noise: This type of noise occurs when
the source of noise is external. Some noise might be out
of the communicator’s control, restaurant's noise.
 Process of mass
communication
 Source: Mass communication was the end product
of more than one person’s effort/ group of
individuals effort who acted in a predetermined
roles in an organizational setting.
 Encoding/ Sending: Encoding in mass
communication is always a multistage process.
 It involves a number of individuals and different
machines in term of encoding a message such as
camera, sound recording system, editing system etc.
 Process of mass
communication
 Message in mass communication are public. Anyone
who can afford the cost of newspaper or a CD player or a
television sets can receive the message.
 The same message is sent for all audience.
 It involves multiple decoding before the message is
received.
Receiver: One of the prime distinguishing
characteristics of mass communication is the audience.
First: the audience is large one, sometimes in millions.
Second: the audience is heterogeneous
 PROCESS OF MASS
COMMUNICATION
 FEED BACK: Feedback is another area where there
are differences between interpersonal and mass
communication.
 The message flow in mass communication is typically
one way, from source to receiver, and the feed back is
more difficult than in interpersonal communication.
 The growing popularity of the internet and the world
wide web has made feedback somehow easier but
there are still situation where feedback to the source
takes a great deal of effort.
 PROCESS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

 Noise: Noise in mass communication setting can

be semantic, environmental, or mechanical.
 In fact, since there may be more machines
involved in the process, mechanical noise can be
compounded.
 Mass media

 Mass media are the channels use for mass

communication. Print media; electronic media

 Media Vehicle: Media vehicle is a single

component of the mass media, such as
newspaper, television
 Functional analysis of mass
communication
 Macro Analysis Approach
 Micro Analysis Approach

 Macro Analysis: Functions/ Role performed by the

media for the society

 Micro Analysis Approach: It deals with, how the

audience is utilizing the media to satisfy their own needs.
 This approach is also known as uses and gratification
approach.
 Macro Analysis
 Surveillance: News and Information role of media. Media
provides news and information to the society. Surveillance can
be of two types:
 Warning or Beware Surveillance: It occurs when media
informs us about immediate threats such as terrorism, hurricane
or long term or chronic threats such as inflation, job crisis
 Instrumental Surveillance: It has to do with the transmission
of information that is useful and helpful in everyday life. News
about fashion trends, film screenings, new restaurant opening
 Consequences: credibility issues. Anxiety, panic, depression.
 Status Conferral

 The fact that certain issues or individuals receive media

attention means that they achieve a certain amount of
prominence, sociologists call this process as status conferral.
 At the basis of this phenomenon is a rather circular belief that
audiences seems to endorse, the audience evidently believes
that if you really matter, you will be at the focus of mass media
attention, and if you are the focus of media attention then you
really matter. Knowing this fact, many individuals and groups
go to extreme measures to get media coverage for themselves
and their causes so that this status conferral; effect will occur.
Parades, demonstrations publicity stunts, outlandish behavior
are commonly employed to capture airtime or column inches.
 Macro function
 Interpretation: Closely allied with the surveillance function is
the interpretation function. The mass media do not supply just
facts and data. They also provide information on the ultimate
meaning and significance of events. Articles, features, editorial,
current affairs talk shows are some of the examples of
interpretation function.
 Consequences/ Dysfunction:
 Audience is exposed to a large number of point of view,
probably far more than they could come in contact with
through personal channels, because of this a person with some
effort can evaluate all sides of an issue before arriving at an
opinion.
 Macro Function
 Additionally media make available to an individual
a wide range of expertise that he she might not have
access to through interpersonal communication.
 Dysfunctions that might occur:
 First, there is no guarantee that interpretations by
media experts are accurate and valid
 Second, there is a danger that an individual may, in
the long run, come to rely too heavily on the views
carried in the media and lose his/her critical ability.
 Macro Function

 Linkage: The mass media are able to join

different element of society that are not directly
connected.
 Telethons that attempt to raise money for the
treatment of certain disease or fundraising for the
earthquake or flood victims.
 Best examples of linkage, however, are the
various websites, newsgroups, and chat rooms on
the Internet.
 Macro Function

 Consequences/ Dysfunction:
 The media can create totally new social groups
by linking members of society who have not
previously recognized similar interest in one
another.
 On the other hand this function have harmful
consequences such as hate site, terrorism sites.
 Macro Function

 Transmission Of Values:
 Transmission of Value is a subtle but the nonetheless
important function of mass media. It has also been
called as socialization function.
 Socialization refers to the ways an individual comes
to adopt the behavior and values of a group.
 The mass media portray our society, and by
watching, listening and reading, we learn how people
are supposed to act and what values are important.
 Macro function
 Consequences/ Dysfunction:
 Sometimes media consciously try to instill values and behavior
in the audience. MOTHER’S DAY, VALENTINES DAY.
 At one level, values transmission via media will help stabilize
society. Common values and experiences are passed down to all
members, thereby creating common bonds among them.
 On the other hand, values and cultural information are selected
by large organizations that may encourage the status quo.
 Mass media can also transmit values by enforcing social norms.
 Not every attempt by media to enforce social norms is
successful. ANTI SMOKING CAMPAIGN
 Macro function
 TV and Socialization:
 Of all the mass media, television probably has the
greatest potential for socialization.
 Because of its wider exposure, several researchers
warned about the possible dysfunctions that might
occur, for instance, since so many TV programs
contain violence, it has been feared that young
people who watch many violent program might be
socialized into accepting violence as legitimate
method of problem solving.
 Macro Function
 Entertainment: Another obvious function of media is
entertainment.
 Troubadours, storytellers, court jesters and magicians fulfilled the
entertainment function in the centuries before the media.
 The media can make entertainment available to a large number of
people at relatively little cost.
 Dysfunction:
 Widespread use of media for entertainment is that it is know quite
easy to sit back and let others entertain you. Instead of playing
football people might simply watch it. Critics have charged that
the media is turning the audience into watchers and listeners
instead of doers.
 Micro functional analysis
 Micro Functional approach deals with how individuals are utilizing the
media to satisfy their own needs.
 This approach is also known as uses and gratification approach, based on
the assumption that the audience members have certain need or drives
that are satisfied by using both non media and media sources. The actual
needs satisfied by media is known as media gratification.
 The uses and gratifications typically comes from survey that ask people
questions about how they use the media. Several researchers have
classified the various uses and gratifications into four category system:
I. Cognition
II. Diversion
III. Social Utility
IV. Withdrawal
 MICRO FUNCTION
 Cognition:
 Cognition is the act of coming to know something.
 When a person uses a mass medium to obtain information about
something, then he or she is using the medium in a cognitive way.
 It is directly parallel to the surveillance function at macro level.
 At individual level researcher noted two different types of cognitive
functions are performed.
 One has to do with media to learn about things in general or things
that relate to a person’s general curiosity i.e current affairs.
 Second type of cognition is to utilize the media to satisfy the desire
of general knowledge.
 MICRO FUNCTION

 Diversion
 Another basic need of human being is for
diversion.
 Some of the forms identified by the researchers
are:
I. Stimulation
II. Relaxation
III. Emotional Release
 MICRO FUNCTION
 Stimulation: Seeking emotional or intellectual stimulation
seems to be an inherent motivation in human being.
 Many people report they watch, read or listen simply to pass the
time, To stimulate themselves
 Relaxation: Too much stimulation, however, is undesirable.
When faced with sensory overload, people tend to seek relief.
The media are one source of this relief. Some people relax by
reading, others might relax by listening to serious classical,
hiphop, or rock n roll.
 The content is not the defining factor, since virtually any media
material might be used for relaxation by some audience
member.
 Micro function
 Emotional Release:
 The last manifestation of the diversion function is the most
complex. On the one hand, the use of the media for emotional
release is fairly obvious such as screaming while watching a
horror movie, crying while watching a tragic scene.
 On the other hand emotional release can take more subtle
forms. For example; many people in the audiences are
comforted by seeing that other people (even fictional people)
have troubles greater than their own. Other people identify
with media heroes and participate in their triumphs. Such a
process evidently enables these people to vent some of the
frustrations connected with their normal lives.
 Micro Function
Social Utility:
Psychologists have also identified a set of social integrative needs including our
need to strengthen our contact with family, friends and others in our society. The
social integrative need seems to spring from an individuals need to affiliate with
others.
The Media function which addresses this need is called social utility and this usage
can take several forms. Discussion on a current movie, drama or music number.
Conversational currency:
The media provide a common ground for social conversation and many people use
things that they read, seen, or heard as topic for discussion when talking with
others.
There are certain social usefulness in having a large repository of things to talk
about so that no matter where you are, you can strike up a conversation and be
fairly sure that the person you are talking about is familiar with the subject.
Going to movie, watching cricket matches on large screens are also the examples of
social utility
 Micro Function
 Withdrawal:
 At times people use the mass media to create a
barrier between themselves and other people or
activities.
 People also use the media to create a buffer zone
between themselves and other people.
 For instance; sitting in a public place or in a bus
you burry your head in newspaper/book/magazine,
insert a pair of head sets and tune everybody out.
 ASSUMPTION
 Audience take an active role in their interaction with
various media.
 Mass media compete with other sources of
satisfaction such as relaxation can achieved by taking
a nap, or having a cup of tea
 Social utility needs can be satisfied by joining a club
or playing cricket or football.
 Uses and gratification approach is based on the
assumption that people are aware of their own needs
and are able to verbalize them.