Exam 1 Flashcards
Know definition and examples of (traditional) mass communication [1950s-1960s] – See Wright (1958)
Definition: Messages directed towards large, heterogenous and anonymous audiences. Messages are transmitted publicly, often timed to reach audience members simultaneously.
The communicator tends to be, or to operate
within, a complex organization that may involve
great expense
How does our current new media environment differ from traditional definition of mass communication?
New media has shifted from:
- Media scarcity –> Media abundance.
New media has shifted to:
- content tailored for groups or individuals, rather than large scaled audiences.
- away from one-way interactive media
- Ways people use technologies to communicate have
changed;
- People’s understanding of (and ideas about)
mass/mediated communication has evolved;
- Audience, communicators/Senders; Information flow, the
role of media; communication behavior etc. etc…
Understand the goals and methods of social scientific research
d
Be able to distinguish the four types of theory discussed in the chapter
- Social Scientific Theory* [Postpositivist]
- Hermeneutic Theory
- Critical Theory
- Normative Theory
Be familiar with the role of theory in the study of mass communication
d
Theories differ in “three” types of assumptions. What are those?
- Ontology: The nature of reality, what is
knowable (i.e. “what is the sun?”) - Epistemology: How knowledge is created
& expanded (evidence and facts) - Axiology: The proper role of values in
research and theory building (Media’s role in the U.S. -Vs.- it’s role in North Korea)
What is theory?
“Any organized set of concepts, explanations, and
principles of some aspect of human experience.”
(Littlejohn & Foss, 2008)
- i.e., It’s a general idea that explains an
communication event and behavior
What is the Social Scientific Theory (Postpositivist)
- Explains, predicts and controls social
behaviors/events - Strives for objective reality & empirical
evidence - Assumes knowledge about the social world can
be gained through scientific method and
empirical data
What is the Hermeneutic Theory (i.e. cultural)
- Focuses on understanding and interpreting the
social world
*When applied to people, focuses on how they
interpret and create meaning from their social
experiences
*Reality (knowledge) is socially constructed e.g., What does the fist bump mean?
What is the Critical Theory?
Critical Theory
Describes but also criticizes the social world
Concerned with the structure of power and oppression
in society, human agency, and the struggle b/w the two
e.g., How do social structures & economic systems
serve to oppress certain groups?
What are underlying values/ideologies in media practices?
Openly political and focused on changing the social
world for the better
What is the Normative Theory?
This type of theory explains how ideal
media ought to operate within a specific
system of social values
Be familiar with the four trends of mass communication theory
d
Understand how changes in society and technology have affected how theorists conceptualize media influence
d
What is a grand theory?
A theory designed to describe and explain all aspects of a given phenomena
Mass communication?
When a source, typically an organization, employs a technology as a medium to communicate with a
large audience.
mediated communication:
Communication between a few or many people that employs a technology as a medium.
Interpersonal Communication:
Communication between two or a few people, typically face-to-face.
Social scientists:
scientists who examine relationships among phenomena in the human and social world
Causality
When a given factor influences another, even by way of intervening variable.
Causal Relationship:
When the altercations in a particular variable under specific conditions always produce the same effect in another variable.
Empirical:
Capable of being verified or disproved by observation
Theory:
Any organized set of concepts, explanations, and principles of some aspect of human experience.
Inter-subjective agreement
When members of a research community independently
arrive at similar conclusions about a given social
phenomenon
Social Hermeneutics
Theory seeking to understand how those in an observed social situation interpret their own lot in that situation .
Text
Any product of social interaction that serves as a source of understanding.
