Saturday, 5 September 2015

INTRODUTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION


THE TERM "MASS COMMUNICATION"

Mass communication is a way of interactive distantly with unknown audiences. It is a communication between an institutional source and a large number of receivers. It is not a face to face communication.

Bittner (1989) says essentially, mass communication messages communicate through the mass media to a large number of people. He added that, for mass communication to exist, we need an inter-mediate transmitter through a mass medium such as Newspaper, Magazines, Radio, Television, Internet or combination of these. Accordingly, a politician who delivers a major address without the help of the mass media would be forbidden or losing his chance to reach thousands of or over millions of people who are not physically attending the speech.

According to Dominic (2002), mass communication refers to the process by which a complex organization with the aid of more machines produces and transmit public messages that are directed at large heterogeneous and scattered audiences.

Mass communication may be define as the transmission of message which may be process through the gate-keeper prior to be sent to large audience via a channel of broadcast transmission (media). It occurs when a small number of people, (gate-keepers) send message to large number of people and usually heterogeneous audience through the uses of the mass media. Conventionally, it must pass through a series of arms (gate-keepers) to ensure clarity, accuracy, honesty, professionalism and social taste. In mass communication; the communication and the audience remain personally unknown. Messages are sent to who it may concern, that is the mass audience which comprises of the receiver of different characteristics, and these receivers are uncountable and massive.

Mass communication is the study of how individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. It is usually understood to relate to newspaper, magazine, and book publishing, as well as radio, television and film, as these mediums are used for disseminating information, news and advertising. Mass communication differs from the studies of other forms of communication, such as interpersonal communication or organizational communication, in that it focuses on a single source transmitting information to a large group of receivers. The study of mass communication is chiefly concerned with how the content of mass communication persuades or otherwise affects the behavior, attitude, opinion, or emotion of the person or people receiving the information. Mass communication is the process by which a person, group of people, or large organization creates a message and transmits it through some type of medium to a large, anonymous, heterogeneous audience. Mass communication is regularly associated with media influence or media effects, and media studies. Mass communication is a branch of social science that falls under the larger umbrella of communication studies or communication.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

The history of communication moves from prehistoric forms of art and writing through modern communication methods such as the internet. Mass communication fits in when humans began to be able to transmit messages from a single source to multiple receivers. Mass communication has moved from theories such as the hypodermic needle model (or magic bullet theory) through more modern theories such as computer-mediated communication. In the United States, the study of mass communication is often associated with the practical applications of journalism (Print media), television and radio broadcasting, film, public relations, or advertising. With the diversification of media options, the study of communication has extended to include social media and new media, which have stronger feedback models than traditional media sources. While the field of mass communication is continually evolving, the following four fields are generally regarded to be the major areas of study within mass communication. They exist in different forms and configurations at different schools or universities, but are (in some form) practiced at most institutions that study mass communication.

COMPONENTS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Components of mass communication involves those elements that are necessary for mass communication to take place. These include the following discus below:

- REPORTER: In mass communication, the reporter serve the function of gathering and transmitting of mass message to the yearning massive audiences. It is also the man-power in the communication as it utilize the different technologies in the mass media in order to inform, educate and entertain the audience.

- MASS MESSAGES: This is what differentiates mass communication with other forms of communication. The messages were conveyed in a massive form in order to satisfy the audience needs. The messages were gathered from all sort of human endeavor. Such as politics, finance, health, sports, entertainments, etc.

- THE MASS MEDIA: The mass media comprises of different technologies put together in order to convey the message to the audience. It include the radio and television house, newspaper and magazines, and the internet, each play a vital role in conveying massive message to massive audience.

- MASS AUDIENCES: This comprises of different, scattered, vast, faceless, uncountable and heretegeneous people who relied on the message going to be put across in order to shape their lives. The achieve this aim through the uses of radio or television set, computer and mobile phones to browse the internet, newspaper and magazines to read.

IMPERATIVE OF MASS COMMUNICATION IN THE MODERN SOCIETY 

Shramm and Robert (1971) observe that one of the striking features in modern society is the presence everywhere of mass media - a system that provide information to diverse, scattered and anonymous audiences. And they give a unique quality to age in which we live, according to the authors. Mass media have given us a much wider window of world than was available to individuals and society before our home.

Similarly, Gerald (1956) observed that today command audiences and readers the will to shock our great grandparent and surpass the dream of scientist whose research is found.

The basic purpose of mass communication is the transfer of meaning. During his entire span of life, man is pre-occuppied with the necessity of making himself known and attentive of understanding. Communication is perhaps the fundamental link between people. Murphy (1977) says, it is the process through which knowledge is pass through success or achieved. Indeed, communication may be seen as a social name, social requirement and political necessity.

John (2005) says an understanding of the process of mass communication begins with knowing the fundamental of human communication. According to him, these fundamental are conceptualizing (forming an idea), encoding (putting something e.g. Idea into symbols), transmitting (sending of messages), decoding (translating a symbolic message) and internalizing (making sense out of the decoded messages). John further identifies four communications.

THE THREE BASIC MEANS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

» Through the printed world: - Newspaper, magazines, books etc.
» Through sounds: - Primarily radio but also record or tape decoding.
» Through the combination of sounds and moving pictures: - In televisions, films and video tapes.

DIFFERENCE AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION
Journalism and mass communication are the same on one hand because both employ the mass media to reach vast audience and readers.
But on the other hand they differ because whereas, journalism is primarily with news, mass communication further include advertising, public relations and book publishing. You can say mass communication is the tree and it branches are journalism, advertising, public relations and books publishing.
Advertising, public relation and book publishing are not journalism. But like journalism may have to pass through the technical means of amplifying and spreading messages publicly in order to reach the audience (buyers and other members of the public).

Mass communication helps to immensely and massively to publicize the public relation activities and advertising, Air force or government, non-government organization, prominent individuals and business concern.
Mass communication can also ensure good publishing because books are produce, (written, edited, illustrated, layout and printed) like newspaper and magazines using the printing press. However, books lack the varieties of contents and features that newspaper and magazines have.

Books are include in the definition of mass communication because they have to be preview in newspaper and magazines before many readers will know about them. Some new books are also launch and recorded in radio and television news so that many audiences and readers may know about them.


The technical means that advertising, public relations and book publishing uses the (mass media) are the same channels that journalism uses to reach audiences and readers with the news.

Azzoro (2004) observes that, media is a lot. According to her, media is a business of news but it is also part of other business - advertising and public relations etc. She reveals that total 2003 advertising spending in the United State was almost 249 million dollars. And Azzoro points out that in the U.S.A. the advertising largely support the media. Dominic (2002) agrees by noting that in the United State advertising provide 75% of the media revenue. The mass media serves as a conductor channel for marketers message. It is a deliberate system, whether we are thinking of a newspaper, magazines, the internet, the radio or a television broadcasting station.

Media is the business of transferring content to an audience. Interested content is what attract audiences to the media. The audiences then attract advertisers who want their advertisement to be part of that content (news, drama, sports, or an entertainment program) . The advertiser spend money to buy access through the media to communicate with the audience who wants to buy the product and those advertisement helps to pay for the media to enjoy. Sometimes, the advertising tends to be part of it as in newspaper and magazines and sometimes all of it i.e. Radio and television stations.


SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MASS COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM 

* The first similarities between mass communication and journalism is that both uses the media to transfer the information to the audience.

* In mass communication and journalism the printing is what copy copies of news the large audience.


DIFFERENCE AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

Journalism and mass communication are the same on one hand because both employ the mass media to reach vast audience and readers.  But on the other hand they differ because whereas, journalism is primarily with news, mass communication further include advertising, public relations and book publishing. You can say mass communication is the tree and it branches are journalism, advertising, public relations and books publishing.

Advertising, public relation and book publishing are not journalism. But like journalism may have to pass through the technical means of amplifying and spreading messages publicly in order to reach the audience (buyers and other members of the public).

Mass communication helps to immensely and massively to publicise the public relation activities and advertising, Airforce or government, non-government organisation, prominent individuals and business concern.

Mass communication can also ensure good publishing because books are produce, (written, edited, illustrated, layout and printed) like newspaper and magazines using the printing press. However, books lack the varieties of contents and features that newspaper and magazines have.

Books are include in the definition of mass communication because they have to be preview in newspaper and magazines before many readers will know about them. Some new books are also launch and recorded in radio and television news so that many audiences and readers may know about them.

The technical means that advertising, public relations and book publishing uses the (mass media) are the same channels that journalism uses to reach audiences and readers with the news.

Azzoro (2004) observes that, media is alot. According to her, media is a business of news but it is also part of other business - advertising and public relations etc. She reveals that total 2003 advertising spending in the United State was almost 249 million dollars. And Azzoro points out that in the U.S.A. the advertising largely support the media. Dominic (2002) agrees by noting that in the United State advertising provide 75% of the media revenue. The mass media serves as a conductor channel for marketers message. It is a deliberate system, whether we are thinking of a newspaper, magazines, the internet, the radio or a television broadcasting station.

Media is the business of transfering content to an audiece. Interested content is what attract audiences to the media. The audiences then attract advertisers who want their advertisement to be part of that content (news, drama, sports, or an entertainment program) . The advertiser spend money to buy access through the media to communicate with the audience who wants to buy the product and those advertisement helps to pay for the media to enjoy. Sometimes, the advertising tends to be part of it as in newspaper and magazines and sometimes all of it i.e. Radio and television stations.


SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MASS COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM

* The first similarities between mass communication and journalism is that both uses the media to transfer the information to the audience.

* In mass communication and journalism the printing is what copy copies of news the large audience.


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