The Reality of the Mass Media
01 Jan 2002-Journal of Communication Inquiry (Sage PublicationsSage CA: Thousand Oaks, CA)-Vol. 26, Iss: 1, pp 96-97
About: This article is published in Journal of Communication Inquiry.The article was published on 2002-01-01. It has received 292 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Mass media.
Citations
More filters
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: The authors examine four countries and their uses of traditional media and new or digital media, and conclude that consumer culture is rather homogeneous across the four countries, even if this form of culture also contains a variety of plural contents.
Abstract: Weber hardly wrote about media, but his comparative historical analysis of the social implications of technology can be used to understand how the relation between elites and people is shaped by media. To do this, we can examine four countries and their uses of traditional media and new or digital media—the United States, Sweden, India, and China—providing a wide range for comparison. A further distinction can be made, along Weberian lines, between the political and cultural uses of media—the first focusing on the relation between political and media elites and people and the second on how elites are drivers of a popular consumer culture. The essay examines both traditional media and new digital media, with the central question of whether—and, if so, how—new media have reshaped the relation between elites and people, perhaps in different ways across the four countries. The essay concludes by arguing that consumer culture is rather homogeneous across the four countries, even if this form of culture also contains a variety of plural contents. In terms of politics, on the other hand, elites continue to control content, even if this control has been somewhat reshaped by digital media, though asymmetries between elites and people in this respect are quite different in the four countries examined here.
15 citations
Cites background from "The Reality of the Mass Media"
...This constraint is a given in modern societies: As Luhmann (2000) points out, “whatever we know about our society, or indeed about the world in which we live, we know through the mass media” (p. 1)....
[...]
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: DeLong and Froomkin this paper discuss the background, questions, and speculations for the future of the economy and propose a new model of the new economy, which they call the Antic...
Abstract: CONTENTS
Cinzia dal Zotto, What is the New Economy? 3-9.
J. Bradford DeLong and A. Michael Froomkin, Background, Questions, and Speculations for Tomorrow’s Economy. 11- 38.
Aaron Braaten, The Antic ...
15 citations
TL;DR: The idea was intriguing: there was so much academic work on journalism, along with a multitude of books and articles, and the number of scholars in the field was constantly growing.
Abstract: The idea was intriguing: there was so much academic work on journalism, along with a multitude of books and articles, and the number of scholars in the field was constantly growing. But the International Communication Association (ICA), one of the world’s largest organizations of academics in the field of communication, had no journalism section. This held true until May 2004, when a group of scholars concerned with the study of journalism proposed the creation of a Journalism Studies Interest Group at the ICA during the association’s annual conference in New Orleans. It was amazing to see how fast this initiative evolved. After all, it took only four months from the initial idea to institutionalization, and this came as a surprise even for those who started this movement. To establish a new section in ICA, one has to find at least 30 member colleagues who are willing to sign a petition. Therefore, we screened the ICA online membership directory for potential petitioners who had devoted a great deal of research to the study of journalism. Our first call, sent out by e-mail by the end of February 2004, met with an overwhelming response from all over the globe. We approached 50 colleagues; 31 responded during the first six hours! All of them were supportive and not a single one opposed the initiative. Many of them said that the establishment of a journalism section at ICA was a ‘long overdue’ (H. Stocking1) and ‘timely move’ (J. M. Chan2). Some seemed Journalism
15 citations
TL;DR: The mostly implicit assumptions about and understandings of the term information in the context of the field of media ecology are examined.
Abstract: In the field of media ecology, defined as the study of media as environments, media and medium, and ecology and environment are key terms, while information, although commonly employed, is generally used without reference to a specific definition. This article examines the mostly implicit assumptions about and understandings of the term information in the context of the field of media ecology. Information can be seen as a synonym or subset of content or message, can be divided into different orders or levels of content/communication and relationship/medium, and on both levels is dependent on and altered by changes in technology, code, and form. Although sometimes discussed as if it were a substance, information is best understood as a function of communication, which in turn is a function of mediation. As a function of mediated communication, information is closely associated with news and control. Information is also considered the defining characteristic of our contemporary period, but is best understood as a product of electricity, electric technology, and the electronic media. As we have moved from orality to literacy to electricity, so too has the emphasis shifted from wisdom to knowledge to information. Despite popular celebration, this evolution is not an unmitigated good, and what is needed is a balanced media environment.
14 citations
Cites background from "The Reality of the Mass Media"
...Printing gave us the first form of mass communication, allowing for the mass dissemination of information, but whether and to what degree mass media actually transmit information about the environment as opposed to manufacturing news in their own image is a matter of some debate [33,66,68,69]....
[...]
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that post-truth tends to be utilised as an evaluative term of contemporary political public discourse, as articulated by specific politicians, predominantly through social media.
Abstract: In 2016, post-truth was named word of the year. Since then a handful of texts have sought to further describe and explore the notion, moving beyond the initial definition given by the Oxford Dictionary. This paper rejects the term ‘post-truth’, in favor of propaganda; since post-truth tends to be utilised as an evaluative term of contemporary political public discourse, as articulated by specific politicians, predominantly through social media. Taking the field of information management as its starting point, our approach underlines the diachronic character of persuasion efforts through information management, understood as propaganda in the public sphere. As a notion, propaganda, in contrast to post-truth, encapsulates both the diachronic character of information management in the public sphere and the ground-breaking transformation of the process of personal opinion expression, initially described by the spiral of silence model, through the emergence of new interactive media.
14 citations
Cites background from "The Reality of the Mass Media"
...The most prevalent cultural effect of the network society is the ability that everyone potentially now has for customised interaction and access to information production and media focus on specific issues and cultivate specific patterns of social behavior (Luhmann 2000: 76-88)....
[...]
References
More filters
Book•
18 Jul 2003
TL;DR: Part 1: Social Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Text Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Texts, Social Events, and Social Practices 3. Intertextuality and Assumptions Part 2: Genres and Action 4. Genres 5. Meaning Relations between Sentences and Clauses 6. Discourses 8. Representations of Social Events Part 4: Styles and Identities 9. Modality and Evaluation 11. Conclusion
Abstract: Part 1: Social Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Text Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Texts, Social Events, and Social Practices 3. Intertextuality and Assumptions Part 2: Genres and Action 4. Genres 5. Meaning Relations between Sentences and Clauses 6. Types of Exchange, Speech Functions, and Grammatical Mood Part 3: Discourses and Representations 7. Discourses 8. Representations of Social Events Part 4: Styles and Identities 9. Styles 10. Modality and Evaluation 11. Conclusion
6,407 citations
Book•
15 May 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the issues in mass communication, and propose a framework for connecting media with society through a social theory of media and society, as well as four models of communication: power and inequality, social integration and identity, social change and development, space and time, and accountability.
Abstract: PART ONE: PRELIMINARIES 1. Introduction to the Book Our object of study The structure of the book Themes and issues in mass communication Manner of treatment How to use the book Limitations of coverage and perspective Different kinds of theory Communication science and the study of mass communication Alternative traditions of analysis: structural, behavioural and cultural Conclusion 2. The Rise of Mass Media From the beginning to mass media Print media: the book Print media: the newspaper Other print media Film as a mass medium Broadcasting Recorded music The communications revolution: new media versus old Differences between media Conclusion PART TWO: THEORIES 3. Concepts and Models for Mass Communication Early perspectives on media and society The 'mass' concept The mass communication process The mass audience The mass media as an institution of society Mass culture and popular culture The rise of a dominant paradigm for theory and research An alternative, critical paradigm Four models of communication Conclusion 4. Theory of Media and Society Media, society and culture: connections and conflicts Mass communication as a society-wide process: the mediation of social relations and experience A frame of reference for connecting media with society Theme I: power and inequality Theme II: social integration and identity Theme III: social change and development Theme IV: space and time Media-society theory I: the mass society Media-society theory II: Marxism and political economy Media-society theory III: functionalism Media-society theory IV: social constructionism Media-society theory V: communication technology determinism Media-society theory VI: the information society Conclusion 5. Mass Communication and Culture Communication and culture The beginnings: the Frankfurt School and critical cultural theory The redemption of the popular Gender and the mass media Commercialization Communication technology and culture Mass media and postmodern culture Conclusion 6. New Media - New Theory? New media and mass communication What is new about the new media? The main themes of new media theory Applying medium theory to the new media New patterns of information traffic Computer-mediated community formation Political participation, new media and democracy Technologies of freedom? New equalizer or divider? Conclusion 7. Normative Theory of Media and Society Sources of normative obligation The media and the public interest Main issues for social theory of the media Early approaches to theory: the press as 'fourth estate' The 1947 Commission on Freedom of the Press and the social theory of responsibility Professionalism and media ethics Four Theories of the Press and beyond The public service broadcasting alternative Mass media, civil society and the public sphere Response to the discontents of the public sphere Alternative visions Normative media theory: four models Conclusion PART THREE: STRUCTURES 8. Media Structure and Performance: Principles and Accountability Media freedom as a principle Media equality as a principle Media diversity as a principle Truth and information quality Social order and solidarity Cultural order The meaning of accountability Two alternative models of accountability Lines and relations of accountability Frames of accountability Conclusion 9. Media Economics and Governance Media 'not just any other business' The basics of media structure and levels of analysis Some economic principles of media structure Ownership and control Competition and concentration Mass media governance The regulation of mass media: alternative models Media policy paradigm shifts Media systems and political systems Conclusion 10. Global Mass Communication Origins of globalization Driving forces: technology and money Global media structure Multinational media ownership and control Varieties of global mass media International media dependency Cultural imperialism and beyond The media transnationalization process International news flow The global trade in media culture Towards a global media culture? Global media governance Conclusion PART FOUR: ORGANIZATIONS 11. The Media Organization: Pressures and Demands Research methods and perspectives The main issues Levels of analysis The media organization in a field of social forces Relations with society Relations with pressure and interest groups Relations with owners and clients Relations with the audience Aspects of internal structure and dynamics The influence of personal characteristics of mass communicators Role conflicts and dilemmas Conclusion 12. The Production of Media Culture Media-organizational activities: gatekeeping and selection Influences on news selection The struggle over access between media and society The influence of sources on news Media-organizational activity: processing and presentation The logic of media culture Alternative models of decision-making The coming of convergence culture: consumers as producers Conclusion PART FIVE: CONTENT 13. Media Content: Issues, Concepts and Methods of Analysis Why study media content? Critical perspectives on content Structuralism and semiology Media content as information Media performance discourse Objectivity and its measurement Questions of research method Traditional content analysis Quantitative and qualitative analysis compared Conclusion 14. Media Genres and Texts Questions of genre Genre and the internet The news genre The structure of news: bias and framing News as narrative Television violence The cultural text and its meanings Conclusion PART SIX: AUDIENCES 15. Audience Theory and Research Traditions The audience concept The original audience From mass to market Goals of audience research Alternative traditions of research Audience issues of public concern Types of audience The audience as a group or public The gratifi cation set as audience The medium audience Audience as defi ned by channel or content Questions of audience reach Activity and selectivity Conclusion 16. Audience Formation and Experience The 'why' of media use A structural approach to audience formation The uses and gratifi cations approach An integrated model of audience choice Public and private spheres of media use Subculture and audience Lifestyle Gendered audiences Sociability and uses of the media Normative framing of media use Audience norms for content The view from the audience Media fandom The end of the audience? The 'escape' of the audience The future of the audience The audience concept again Conclusion PART SEVEN: EFFECTS 17. Processes and Models of Media Effects The premise of media effect The natural history of media effect research and theory: four phases Types of communicative power Levels and kinds of effects Processes of media effect: a typology Individual response and reaction: the stimulus-response model Mediating conditions of effect Source-receiver relations and effect The campaign Conclusion 18. Social-Cultural Effects A model of behavioural effect The media, violence and crime Media, children and young people Collective reaction effects Diffusion of innovation and development The social distribution of knowledge Social learning theory Socialization Social control and consciousness formation Cultivation Media and long-term social and cultural change Entertainment effects Conclusion 19. News, Public Opinion and Political Communication Learning from news News diffusion Framing effects Agenda-setting Effects on public opinion and attitudes The elaboration-likelihood model of infl uence The spiral of silence: the formation of climates of opinion Structuring reality and unwitting bias The communication of risk Political communication effects in democracies Effects on the political institution and process Media influence on event outcomes Propaganda and war Internet news effects Conclusion EPILOGUE 20. The Future of Mass Communication Origins of the mass communication idea The end of mass communication? The survival of mass communication The consequences of new media for mass communication Conclusion
2,040 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the point of journalistic production in one major news organization and shows how reporters and editors manage constraints of time, space, and market pressure under regimes of convergence news making, drawing connections between the political economy of the journalistic field, the organizational structure of multimedia firms, new communications technologies, and the qualities of content created by med...
Abstract: A paradox of contemporary sociology is that the discipline has largely abandoned the empirical study of journalistic organizations and news institutions at the moment when the media has gained visibility in political, economic, and cultural spheres; when other academic fields have embraced the study of media and society; and when leading sociological theorists have broken from the disciplinary cannon to argue that the media are key actors in modern life. This article examines the point of journalistic production in one major news organization and shows how reportersand editors manage constraints of time, space, and market pressure under regimes of convergence news making. It considers the implications of these conditions for the particular forms of intellectual and cultural labor that journalists produce, drawing connections between the political economy of the journalistic field, the organizational structure of multimedia firms, new communications technologies, and the qualities of content created by med...
273 citations
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a method to compute the probability of a given node having a negative value for a given value of 0, i.e., a node having no negative value is 0.
Abstract: Для числа ε > 0 и вещественной функции f на отрезке [a, b] обозначим через N(ε, f, [a, b]) супремум множества тех номеров n, для которых в [a, b] существует набор неналегающих отрезков [ai, bi], i = 1, . . . , n, таких, что |f(ai)− f(bi)| > ε для всех i = 1, . . . , n (sup ∅ = 0). Доказана следующая теорема: если {fj} – поточечно ограниченная последовательность вещественных функций на отрезке [a, b] такая, что n(ε) ≡ lim supj→∞N(ε, fj , [a, b]) < ∞ для любого ε > 0, то {fj} содержит подпоследовательность, которая всюду на [a, b] сходится к некоторой функции f такой, что N(ε, f, [a, b]) 6 n(ε) при любом ε > 0. Показано, что основное условие в этой теореме, связанное с верхним пределом, необходимо для равномерно сходящейся последовательности {fj} и “почти” необходимо для всюду сходящейся последовательности измеримых функций и что многие поточечные принципы выбора, обобщающие классическую теорему Хелли, вытекают из этой теоремы, а также приводятся примеры, иллюстрирующие ее точность. Библиография: 16 названий.
188 citations
TL;DR: Several recent studies document the rapid growth and success of ethnic or minority media in, for example, North America and Western Europe as mentioned in this paper, and scholars in the field tend to attribute this trend as an...
Abstract: Several recent studies document the rapid growth and success of ethnic or minority media in, for example, North America and Western Europe. Scholars in the field tend to attribute this trend as an ...
185 citations