Appendix B: Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication

Real Reference: A Study Tool

Now that you have finished reading this Appendix, you can

Define mass and mediated communication:

Mediated communication occurs when there is some technology that is used to deliver messages; when it occurs on a very broad scale, we refer to it as mass communication (pp. 532–533).
Media convergence means the blurred distinctions between traditional and digital media forms, and we often engage in media multitasking, using more than one media type at the the same time (p. 533).

Describe how the business of media and the principle of free speech shape the kinds of media content you encounter:

Most media are businesses that must attract audiences and advertising dollars to remain profitable. Exponentiality means that relatively few items bring in most of the income (p. 535).
Media often cater to low culture in order to attract broad audiences, but they have also found success in programs with narrative complexity. They target niche audiences through narrowcasting (pp. 535–536).
Media producers minimize risk by conducting extensive audience research and engaging in self-censorship, as well as by relying on proven formulas for success (pp. 537–538).
The courts have allowed some restrictions on First Amendment freedoms when it comes to broadcasting (there are limitations on broadcasting indecency, for example) (pp. 539–541).
Like all forms of communication, mass communication can be biased. Framing refers to the particular ways that issues are presented in the news (p. 542).

Provide two explanations for the effects of mass media:

The uses and gratifications perspective argues that we make media choices in order to satisfy our needs and goals. The expectation that media can satisfy all these needs can lead to media dependence (pp. 542–543).
We often make media choices in order to reinforce our existing attitudes and tend to think that media messages have more of an effect on others than they do on us, a phenomena known as the third person effect (p. 544).

Articulate how media exert influence on your attitudes and behaviors:

Social cognitive theory argues that we learn behavior by watching how media models behave (p. 544).
In cultivation theory, a steady, long-term diet of TV viewing can distort our perceptions of the world (p. 545).
News coverage can have an agenda-setting effect—we tend to judge the importance of issues by the amount of new coverage they get (p. 546).

Describe how the convergence of media technologies can enhance or hinder your participation in the social and political process:

A benefit of converging media is that traditional media no longer serve as the sole gatekeeper for information and creative content (p. 546).
Media connections allow marginalized or geographically dispersed groups to build social capital—valuable resources like information and support that come from having connections and relationships among people (pp. 547–548).
Modern media also empower individuals to become citizen journalists and to create other kinds of user-generated content, fostering greater competition in the marketplace of ideas (p. 548).
Digital disparities persist between those who have media access (and use it) and those who do not (p. 549).
Ineffective participation in the digital world can be the result of information overload. A failure to think critically about media also hinders participation (p. 549).

Practice five skills for becoming a more mindful and media literate consumer (pp. 550–552):