Intro to Mass Comm Theory Flashcards
What is traditional mass communication?
1) Directed toward large, heterogeneous, and
anonymous audiences.
2) Messages are transmitted publicly, often timed to
reach audience members simultaneously.
3) 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?
1) Previously distinct technologies are merging.
2) Media scarcity –> Media abundance
3) Shift to content tailored for groups or
individuals.
4) Shift from one-way to interactive media.
What are the 4 different types of theory?
1) Social Scientific Theory* [Postpositivist]
2) Hermeneutic Theory
3) Critical Theory
4) Normative Theory
What is Social Scientific Theory?
1) Explains, predicts and controls social
behaviors/events
2) Strives for objective reality & empirical
evidence
3) Assumes knowledge about the social world can
be gained through scientific method and
empirical data
What is the goal of social scientific theory?
To try to predict human behavior using the Logic of Casuality (cause and effect)
What are the 3 Conditions for Claiming a Causality?
1) Association (relationship b/w the two)
2) Time order: Cause precedes effect
3) Eliminate other explanations (“third” variables)
What is Hermeneutic/Cultural Theory?
1) Focuses on understanding and interpreting the
social world
2) When applied to people, focuses on how they
interpret and create meaning from their social
experiences
3) Reality (knowledge) is socially constructed
ex) “what does the fist bump mean?”
What is 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
Openly political and focused on changing the social
world for the better
Give 2 examples of a question can be asked using critical theory.
How do social structures & economic systems
serve to oppress certain groups?
What are underlying values/ideologies in media practices?
What is Normative Theory?
This type of theory explains how ideal media ought to operate within a specific system of social values
Give 2 examples that use normative theory.
Press’s role in USA vs North Korea
Media’s operation in Islamic world
Theories differ in “three” types of assumptions. What are those?
1) Ontology
2) Epistemology
3) Axiology
What is Ontology?
The nature of reality, what is knowable
Give an example using ontology.
Single reality or multiple realities?
What is Epistemology?
How knowledge is created & expanded
