#NH1074Ward COM 107 is the Communications and Society class at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications by DR4WARD

1. Chapter 1
Mass Communication:
A Critical Approach

2. News Media and Our Political
Process
“But as news-media outlets—often
subsidiary companies of large
entertainment conglomerates—
chase ratings and ads, how well are
democracy and journalism being
served?”

3. Restore Sanity

4. The Media Storytellers
• At their worst, the media’s appetite for telling
and selling stories leads them to exploit or
misrepresent tragedy.
• Hurtle from one event to another
• Lose their critical distance
• If we can examine and critique the powerful
dynamics of the media, we will be better able to
monitor the rapid changes going on around us.

5. Culture and the Evolution of
Mass Communication
• Mass media consists of cultural
institutions/cultural industries:
• Media
• Schools
• Art
• Beliefs

6. Eras in Communication
• Oral communication
• Written communication
• Printed communication
• Electronic communication
• Digital communication

8. The Digital Era
• Digital communication redefined news
and social interaction.
• Bloggers have become an important part
of the news industry.
• Social media like Facebook connect
people in a new way.

9. Media Convergence in the Digital
Era
• Media convergence:
1.The merging of content across different
media channels
2.Also refers to cross platform, the
consolidation of media holdings under one
corporation

10. The Evolution of a
New Mass Medium
• Novelty, or development, stage
• Entrepreneurial stage
• Mass medium stage

11. Models of Mass Communication
• Linear model
• Sender—message—mass media
channel—(gatekeepers)—receivers
• How does feedback fit into the model?
• The cultural model recognizes that
individuals bring diverse meaning to
messages.

12. Figure 1.1
Daily Media Consumption by Platform, 2010
(8- to 18-year-olds)
How much media do you consume per
day?

13. Culture as a Skyscraper
• High culture
• Low culture
• Different media for each, but many
people consume both

14. Culture as a Map
• Culture is an ongoing, changing
process.
• Accounts for diverse and individual
tastes

15. Figure 1.3
Culture as a Map

16. Cultural Values of the
Modern Period
• Four key values:
• Working efficiently
• Celebrating the individual
• Believing in a rational order
• Rejecting tradition/embracing progress

17. Shifting Values in Postmodern
Culture
• Four features of the postmodern:
• Celebrating populism
• Diversifying and recycling culture
• Questioning science and revering
nostalgia
• Acknowledging paradox

18. Critiquing Media and Culture
• Media literacy is a critical, not cynical,
approach.
• Involves an analysis and
interpretation of facts
• Encourages YOU to take action to
help shape the cultural environment

19. Media Literacy and the
Critical Process
• Description
• Analysis
• Interpretation
• Evaluation
• Engagement

20. Benefits of a Critical
Perspective
• Evaluate the standards by which we
judge our culture
• Recognize the links between cultural
expression and daily life
• Monitor how well the media serve
democratic practices