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TRENDS IN MASS COMMUNICATION I:Communication Science, Direct channels

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Theories of Communication ­ MCM 511
VU
LESSON 42
TRENDS IN MASS COMMUNICATION I
As we discuss the theories do you know that by the year 2008 there will be 2,200-communication
satellite circling the globe providing instantaneous worldwide telephone service, direct home and car
reception of audio and video, and incredibly fast and expanded access to the internet and World Wide
Web.
Our age is no different from the age when mass society theory, limited effects perspective or social
cognitive theory and uses and gratifications theories were produced.
The introduction of new technologies, the interest in and efforts at controlling them and a concern that
their use not conflict with democratic and pluralistic ideals gave rise to different mass communication
theories. These theories initiated and shaped emerging ideas about the role of media in the lives of
individuals and in the cultures and societies they occupy.
Contemporary mass communication theory must evolve ­ and in involving ­ to accommodate these
rapidly moving and powerful alterations in the audience/ mass media relationship.
As we have discussed that mass communication, research has undergone a profound transformation in
the past 40 years.
Some changes were the result of the rise of critical and cultural theories and challenge they posed to the
limited effects paradigm, but change also came from within the limited effects paradigm as researchers
moved away from a narrow focus on short-term, direct effects and developed active audience theories of
mass communication. Still more change was initiated by researchers who argued that mass
communication theory to create comprehensive theories of communication.
We will first consider communication science, a perspective that unites researchers who prefer to base
their inquiry on quantitative, empirical research methods.
Then we will discuss recent critical and cultural studies scholarship and see that these scholars also are
moving toward consensus. Recently Klaus Bruhn Jensen, a Danish scholar, has offered social semiotics
theory as a unifying framework for mass communication research.
We will also discuss the four major issues which are of special concern to the communication scholars
in building new communication theories.
1. The most obvious of the concern is the ongoing revolution in communications technology, one that
shows no signs of weakening. This revolution is producing technologies and applications that fill every
niche on the communications spectrum, ranging from the intrapersonal communication we carry on with
ourselves to powerful forms of mass communication capable of simultaneously sending messages to
every person on earth.
Each of these new media is likely to play different roles in society and in our personal lives. Some will
quickly disappear and others will succeed ­ often for unexpected reasons.
Some older media will persist, but their role will be greatly altered or diminished. This is what happened
to radio after the rise of television in the 1960s. Others will disappear entirely. Media researchers will
struggle to keep pace with this rapidly changing media landscape.
2. The second concern/ force is closely related to the first. Since the end of the cold war, a new world
order has been emerging. One to the primary attributes of this world order is globalization. More and
more social organizations are being developed that have worldwide scope.
These include multinational government organizations such as the EU, multi-national corporations and
world wide nongovernmental organizations.
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Theories of Communication ­ MCM 511
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Powerful communication technologies, such as satellites and the Internet enable these organizations to
easily span space and time. As the power of these organizations expand, the power of individual nation
states tends to contract.
3. The third force is less visible, but some futurists argue it is likely to be even more powerful than these
first two in reshaping the social world. This third force involves a transition from modern forms of
social order to postmodern forms.
French theorists have initiated many intriguing notions about significant changes in social organizations
since the thirteenth century.
4. Fourthly rapidly expanding scientific insight into the powers and the limitations of the human
organism will necessitate constant reformulation of media theories, in a variety of fields ranging from
the biological sciences to cognitive psychology, research is likely to produce powerful insights into the
way we deal with and act on information from both the physical and social environment.
5. Finally we will the discuss on media literacy , seen by many as not only necessitated by the rapid
expansion and diffusion of new communication technologies, but also as one logical outcome of all
these years of ferment in the field of mass communication.
Communication Science
By the 1980s some empirical media researchers concluded that the constant ferment of competing ideas
and research methods was impeding the development of a coherent approach to communications
research. One result of this awareness was the creation of communication science, a perspective on
research that integrates all research approaches that are rounded in quantitative, empirical behavioral
research methods.
Communication science effectively unites limited effects research with active audience and
interpersonal communication research.
Communication science was initially defined in late 1980s by researchers who wanted to eliminate
unfruitful fragmentation and provide defining core philosophy for the scientific study of all forms of
communication.
This is an effort to be inclusive rather than exclusive, to reject many of the outdated assumptions of the
limited effects paradigm while retaining its strong empirical focus- to unify under a single banner
empirical researchers working in area of communication.
Initially the two scholars Charles Berger and Steven Chaffee understood communication science.
These scholars offered a restructure of the scientific study of communication based not on the usual
narrow interest in specific aspects of the communication process as applied in individual circumstances
or settings but, rather, based on the four levels at which communication phenomena occur:
1. Intrapersonal communication, the analysis of communication that occurs within the individual.
2. Interpersonal, the analysis of communication relationships between two of small groups of people.
3. Network or organizational: the analysis of large groups of people and the contexts of their continuing
relationships
4. Macroscopic societal: the analysis of the communication characteristics and activities of large social
systems.
Intrapersonal Communication
Is within yourself:
Feelings, attitudes hope for the future, internal problem solving, self esteem, evaluation of self or
others... basically it is talking to yourself.
Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal
communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages
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Theories of Communication ­ MCM 511
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The individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver, providing feedback to him or herself in an
ongoing internal process. It can be useful to envision intrapersonal communication occurring in the
mind of the individual in a model which contains a sender, receiver, and feedback loop.
Although successful communication is generally defined as being between two or more individuals,
issues concerning the useful nature of communicating with oneself and problems concerning
communication with non-sentient entities such as computers have made some argue that this definition
is too narrow.
In Communication: The Social Matrix of Psychiatry, Jurgen Ruesch and Gregory Bateson argue that
intrapersonal communication is indeed a special case of interpersonal communication, as "dialogue is
the foundation for all discourse."
Intrapersonal communication can encompass:
1. Day-dreaming
2. Nocturnal dreaming, including and especially lucid dreaming
3. Speaking aloud (talking to oneself)
4. Reading aloud, repeating what one hears; the additional activities of speaking and hearing (in the
third case of hearing again) what one thinks, reads or hears may increase concentration and retention.
This is considered normal, and the extent to which it occurs varies from person to person. The time
when there should be concern is when talking to oneself occurs outside of socially acceptable situations.
5. Writing (by hand, or with a wordprocessor, etc.) one's thoughts or observations: the additional
activities, on top of thinking, of writing and reading back may again increase self-understanding ("How
do I know what I mean until I see what I say?") and concentration.
It aids ordering one's thoughts; in addition it produces a record that can be used later again. Copying text
to aid memorizing also falls in this category.
6. Making gestures while thinking: the additional activity, on top of thinking, of body motions, may
again increase concentration, assist in problem solving, and assist memory.
7. Sense-making) e.g. interpreting maps, texts, signs, and symbols. Interpreting non-verbal
communication e.g. gestures, eye contact.
8. Communication between body parts; e.g. "My stomach is telling me it's time for lunch."
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is a process of using language and nonverbal cues to send and receive
messages between individuals that intended to arouse particular kinds of meanings.
Basic elements in Interpersonal Communication
The process involves four basic elements.
·  Sender; person who sends information
·  Receiver; person who receives the information sent.
·  Message; content of information sent by sender
·  Feedback; response from receiver
Communication Channels
Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver.
Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories:
·  Direct channels
·  Indirect channels
Direct channels
Direct channels are those that are obvious, and can be easily recognized by the receiver.
They are also under direct control of the sender. In this category are the verbal and non-verbal channels
of communication.
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Verbal communication channels are those that use words in some manner, such as written
communication or spoken communication.
Non-verbal communication channels are those that do not require words, such as certain overt facial
expressions, controllable body movements (such as that made by a traffic police to control traffic at an
intersection), color (red for danger, green means go etc), sound (sirens, alarms etc.).
Indirect channels
Indirect channels are those channels that are usually recognized subliminally or subconsciously by the
receiver, and not under direct control of the sender...
This includes kinesics or body language that reflects the inner emotions and motivations rather than the
actual delivered message.
It also includes such vague terms as "gut feeling", "hunches" or "premonitions".
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Table of Contents:
  1. COMMUNICATION:Nature of communication, Transactional approach, Communication is symbolic:
  2. THEORY, PARADIGM AND MODEL (I):Positivistic Perspective, Critical Perspective
  3. THEORY, PARADIGM AND MODEL (II):Empirical problems, Conceptual problems
  4. FROM COMMUNICATION TO MASS COMMUNICATION MODELS:Channel
  5. NORMATIVE THEORIES:Authoritarian Theory, Libertarian Theory, Limitations
  6. HUTCHINS COMMISSION ON FREEDOM, CHICAGO SCHOOL & BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY
  7. CIVIC JOURNALISM, DEVELOPMENT MEDIA THEORY & DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPANT THEORY
  8. LIMITATIONS OF THE PRESS THEORY:Concentration and monopoly, Commercialism
  9. MCQUAIL’S FOUR KINDS OF THEORIES:Social scientific theory, Critical theory
  10. PROPAGANDA THEORIES:Origin of Propaganda, Engineering of Consent, Behaviorism
  11. PARADIGM SHIFT & TWO STEP FLOW OF INFORMATION
  12. MIDDLE RANGE THEORIES:Background, Functional Analysis Approach, Elite Pluralism
  13. KLAPPER’S PHENOMENSITIC THEORY:Klapper’s Generalizations, Criticism
  14. DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY:Innovators, Early adopters
  15. CHALLENGING THE DOMINANT PARADIGM:Catharsis Social learning Social cognitive theory
  16. SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEROY:Symbolizing Capacity, MODELLING
  17. MODELING FROM MASS MEDIA:Recent research, Summary, PRIMING EFFECTS
  18. PRIMING EFFECT:Conceptual Roots, Perceived meaning, Percieved justifiability
  19. CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL REALITY:History
  20. SYSTEMS THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION PROCESSES:System
  21. EMERGENCE OF CRITICAL & CULTURAL THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION
  22. REVISION:Positivistic perspective, Interpretive Perspective, Inductive approach
  23. CRITICAL THEORIES & ROLE OF MASS COMMUNICATION IN A SOCIETY -THE MEDIATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONS
  24. ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN SOCIAL ORDER & MARXIST THEORY:Positive View
  25. KEY PRINCIPLES USED IN MARXISM:Materialism, Class Struggle, Superstructure
  26. CONSUMER SOCIETY:Role of mass media in alienation, Summary of Marxism
  27. COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE:Neo Marxism, Characteristics of Culture
  28. HEGEMONY:What exactly is the meaning of "hegemony"?
  29. CULTURE INDUSTRY:Gramscianism on Communications Matters
  30. POLITICAL ECONOMIC THEORY I:Internationalization, Vertical Integration
  31. POLITICAL ECONOMIC THEORY II:Diversification, Instrumental
  32. POLITICAL ECONOMIC THEORY III:Criticism, Power of Advertising
  33. AGENDA SETTING THEORY:A change in thinking, First empirical test
  34. FRAMING & SPIRAL OF SILENCE:Spiral of Silence, Assessing public opinion
  35. SPIRAL OF SILENCE:Fear of isolation, Assessing public opinion, Micro-level
  36. MARSHALL MCLUHAN: THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE AND MASSAGE
  37. KNOWLEDGE GAP THEORY:Criticism on Marshal McLuhan
  38. MEDIA SYSTEM DEPENDENCY THEORY:Media System Dependency Theory
  39. USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY:Methods
  40. RECEPTION THEORY
  41. FRAMING AND FRAME ANALYSIS:Information Processing Theory, Summing up
  42. TRENDS IN MASS COMMUNICATION I:Communication Science, Direct channels
  43. TRENDS IN MASS COMMUNICATION II:Communication Maxims, Emotions
  44. GLOBALIZATION AND MEDIA:Mediated Communication, Post Modernism
  45. REVISION:Microscopic Theories, Mediation of Social Relations