MAVA 102 Introduc0on to Media & Communica0ons Week 2 - Media, Communica0on & Culture 1
Media Ubiquity Last week we started by discussing how much of our 6me we may spend using media. The average person almost coexists with media. Your book cites 69% as the percent of 6me during which we are exposed to media messages. Minutes of Media Use Per Day 274 167 48 18 26 65 94 TV and Video Radio Newspapers Other Internet Mobile Magazines 2
Media Ubiquity Much of how we consume media involves what is called media mul0tasking While Watching TV, Do You? Surf the Internet on PC 56% 68% Read Book/Magazine/Newspaper 44% 42% Go on SNS 40% 57% Text on Mobile Phone 37% 57% Shop Online 29% 40% Surf the Internet on Mobile Phone 18% 30% Read a Book on e-reader 7% 6% Surf the Internet on Tablet Sth Else 7% 7% 30% 32% Total Aged 18-34 None Don t Watch TV 3% 5% 8% 14% Source: hnp://www.rbr.com/tv- cable/mul6tasking- tv- viewers- profiled.html 0% 18% 35% 53% 70% 3
Outline What is Communica0on? What is Mass Communica0on? Mass Media Mass Communica0on and Culture Media Literacy 4
Harold Lasswell (1948) Harold Lasswell Harold Lasswell is considered as one of the forefathers of communica6on studies. As a student, his research was to inves6gate the content on WWI propaganda materials. He also talked about the effects of such propaganda messages. One of the first to combine poli6cal science with psychology Propaganda studies became a crucial element of the WWII effort as well. Example: Frank Kapra Why We Fight And his defini6on of communica6on was a simple one: Who says what to whom with what effect? 5
Harold Lasswell (1948) Communicator Message Medium Receiver Does not talk about sharing One- way Effect 6
Shannon & Weaver - Bell Labs (1949) Their defini6on offered a bit more complicated view of communica6on processes: a message proceeds from an informa6on source via a transminer into an encoded signal (which may or may not be corrupted by noise) which is then decoded by a receiver at a des6na6on. 7
Shannon & Weaver - Bell Labs (1949) 8
Shannon & Weaver vs. Lasswell Differences between Lasswell vs. Shanon &Weaver: One- way vs. two- way (feedback) Shannon and Weaver introduce Encoding and Decoding Shannon and Weaver talk about Physical Noise Similari0es: Both are considered as transmission models. In other words, both are concerned about sending of a message Cri0cisms They are too mechanic Both ignore the context within which communica0on takes place Both ignore the rela0onship between sender and receiver 9
Charles Osgood & Wilbur Schramm (1954) Wilbur Schramm (1907-1987). He was the founder of Ins0tute for Communica0ons Research at the University of Illinois. He is also known as one of the founding fathers of communica0on as a field of study. Along with Osgood, Schramm introduced the following model of interpersonal communica0on: There is no source, no receiver, no feedback Messages are encoded, decoded and then interpreted by humans They talk about not just physical noise but also seman6c noise Both source and des6na6on must share a field of experience So what is the difference between interpersonal communica;on and mass communica;on? 10
What Is Mass Communica0on? Schramm s Model of Mass Communica6on Source: The Process and Effects of Mass CommunicaHon. Copyright (c) 1954 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Used with the permission of the University of Illinois Press. Key points: Mass communica6on is performed through a mass medium (plural = media), it is indirect. It is typically distributed to anonymous, mass audiences. The content is highly homogenized Typically mass media ins6tu6ons receive indirect feedback from their audiences. This is called delayed inferen6al feedback. Examples to delayed inferen6al feedback? 11
Key Dimensions of Communica6on Means Network One- many, many- one, many- many Spa0ality Cospa0al v. aspa0al Temporality Synchronous vs. asynchronous Media0on Technological and/or human 12
What is Mass Media? Mass Media: Technological vehicles through which mass communica0on takes place. Paper, stamps, CDs, DVDs, Cell Phones (e.g. when you receive a buy one get one free offer from Beneaon), WWW, e- mail, TV, Radio Mass media outlets: enterprises sending out the message via mass media FOX, TGRT, Hurriyet, Radyo Eksen 13
James Carey (1975) He dis0nguishes between Transmission Model and Ritual Model of Communica0on Transmission Model We have already seen from Lasswell Sender- Message- Channel- Receiver Ritual Model Not the act of impar0ng informa0on but the representa0on of shared beliefs. Communica0on is the process of nego0a0on of these shared beliefs. Communica0on is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and transformed 14
James Carey (1975) The cultural defini6on of Communica6on: Communica6on is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and transformed This is a highly dialec6cal rela6onship. Communica6on is not simply a process where `given` reali6es are relayed, reflected. Through communica6on we constantly nego6ate, reshape and reinforce our culture. But now, what is culture??? Culture is learned and socially acquired and shared ways of thinking and ac6ng How do you greet your friends? Culture provides the references through which we make sense of what we experience. Culture is a transmined panern of meanings and symbolic forms through which people develop their knowledge about and altudes toward life 15
Key Points about `Culture` Dominant Culture (Mainstream Culture): Ways of seeing, understanding that are adopted by most. Languages, symbols, expecta6ons, rituals that majority accepts, takes for granted. 16
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Key Points about `Culture` But `dominant` culture does not remain unchallenged. And mainstream culture is omen accompanied by an ever circula6ng, new, changing bounded cultures. Example: Hip- hop in 1970s. Any examples from Turkey? 18
Influences on Media? Technology? Technological determinism: the idea that machines and technology drive economic, cultural and social change. On the other side of the debate are those who claim that it is not the technology itself but a mix of ins6tu6onal, structural, and social decisions that drives a given technology s impact on society. Certainly, though, we have seen that new technologies may have great impact on media content and func6oning. For example, think about how 3D technology is changing the movie industry. We will talk about the rela6onship between media technologies, audiences, media ins6tu6ons and content each week during the semester. 19
Influences on Media? Financing of Media? What are the sources of revenue for mass media outlets? How do the financing sources influence media content? We will talk about these next week... Government? We will talk about government media rela0onship in some detail next week... We will talk about how government regula0ons may influence media ins0tu0ons and the content they produce throughout the semester but par0cularly in the last week of the course. 20
Elements of Media Literacy Independent judgments about media Understanding process of produc6on and consump6on Strategies for analysis of messages and the underlying mo6va6ons, media language and conven6ons Awareness of impact to individuals and society Avoiding media myths Content as text that reflects our society Development of produc6on skills 21