CRITICAL THEORIES & ROLE OF MASS COMMUNICATION IN A SOCIETY -THE MEDIATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONS

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Theories of Communication MCM 511

LESSON 23

CRITICAL THEORIES & ROLE OF MASS COMMUNICATION IN A SOCIETY -THE

MEDIATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONS

Some cultural theories and political economy theories are also referred to as critical theories because

they openly espouse certain values and use these values to evaluate and criticize the status quo.

However political economy theories are inherently critical but some cultural studies theories are not.

Those who develop critical theories seek to initiate social change that will implement their values. A

critical theory raises questions and provides alternate ways of interpreting the social role of mass media,

e.g., some critical theorists argue that media in general sustain the status quo. Then some critical

theorists identify constraints on media practitioners that limit their ability to challenge established

authority.

They charge that few incentives exist to encourage media professionals to overcome those constraints

and that media practitioners consistently fail to even acknowledge them. Critical theory often analyzes

specific social institutions which promote specific objectives through certain means. Critical theorists

are critical of the promotion of mass media and mass culture. Mass media and mass culture have been

linked to a variety of social problems. Mass media are criticized for aggravating or preventing problems

from being identified or addressed and solved.

A common theme in critical theories of media is that content production is so constrained that it

inevitably reinforces the status quo and undermines useful efforts for constructive social change. Stories

about movements imply problems with the status quo. Movements frequently defy the authority of

existing elites and make demands for social change.

Before we proceed further let's discuss the role of mass communication in a society - the mediation of

social relations. A central pre-supposition, relating to questions both of society and of culture is that the

media institution is essentially concerned with the production and distribution of knowledge in the

widest sense of the word.

The main point to emphasize is the degree to which the different media have come to interpose

themselves between us and any experience of the world beyond our direct sense observation. Since the

media also provide the most continuous line of contact with the main institutions of the society in winch

we live. In a secular society in matters of values and ideas, the mass media tend to take over from the

early influences of school, parents, religion, siblings and companions.

Mediation Concept

Mediation involves several different processes. It refers to the:

1. Relying of second hand or third party version of events and conditions which we cannot directly

observe for ourselves.

2. Secondly it refers to the efforts of other actors and institutions in society to contact us for their own

purposes. This applies to politicians and governments, advertisers, educators, experts and authorities of

all kinds. It refers to the indirect way in which we form our perceptions of groups and cultures to which

we do not belong.

3. Mediation also implies some form of relationship. Relationships which are mediated through mass

media are likely to more distant, more impersonal and weaker than direct personal ties.

The mass media do not monopolize the flow of information we receive and intervene in all our wider

social relations, but their presence is inevitably very pervasive (all encompassing, omnipresent). We an

also say that mediation can mean different things, ranging from neutrally informing, through negotiation

to attempts at manipulation and control. The media have been variously perceived as:

1. A window on events and experience, which extends our vision, enabling us to see for ourselves what

is going on, without interference from others.

Theories of Communication MCM 511

2. A mirror of events in society and the world, implying a faithful reflection. Although the angle and

direction of the mirror are decided by others, we are less free to see what we want.

3. A filter or gatekeeper: - acting to select parts of experience for special attention and closing off other

views voices, whether deliberately or not.

4. A signpost, guide or interpreter: - pointing the way and making sense of what is otherwise puzzling or

fragmentary.

5. A forum or platform:- for the presentation of information and ideas to an audience , often with

possibilities for response and feedback.

6. A screen or barrier:- indicating the possibility that media might cut us off from reality by providing a

false view of the world, thorough either escapist fantasy or propaganda.

Intermediation

Mind you, the various images discussed do not refer to the interactive possibilities of newer media, in

which the receiver can become a sender and make use of the media in interaction with the environment.

This indicates the degree to which new technology may indeed lead to revolutionary changes, with

`intermediation' replacing or supplementing the mediation process.

Briefly we can say the audiences or people acquire information and meaning about `reality' in four main

ways:-

1. Via direct observation and experience

2. From the institutions of society directly

3. From the institutions by way of the media

4. From the media autonomously (alone)

None of the elements indicated institutions, media and people are independent of each other . The

influence of larger events and of economic and political forces is partly channeled through the mass

media.

Media In A Society

Another important concept also needs to be understood before we proceed further and that is mass

media operating in societies in which power is unevenly distributed between individuals, groups and

classes, and since media are invariably related in some way to prevailing structure of political and

economic power, several questions arise about this relationship. So it is evident that first of all, that

media have an economic cost, and value and are an object of competition for control and access and are

subject to political, economic and legal regulation.

Secondly, mass media are very commonly regarded as effective instruments of power, with the potential

capacity to exert influence in various ways. These propositions give rise to following sub-questions:

Who controls the media and in whose interest?

Whose version of the world (social reality) is presented?

How effective are the media in achieving chosen ends?

Do mass media promote more or less equality in society?

In discussions of media power, two models are usually opposed to each other- one a model of

dominant media, the other pluralist media.

I. Model of dominant media

This model see media subservient to other institutions, which are themselves interrelated. Media

organizations, in view are likely to be owned or controlled by a small of powerful interests and to be

similar in type and purpose. The dissemination is a limited and undifferentiated view of the world

shaped by the perspectives of ruling interests. Audiences are constrained or conditioned to accept the

view of the world offered, with little critical response. The result is to reinforce and legitimate the

prevailing structure of power and to head off change by filtering out alternative voices.

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