W1 Flashcards
Communication
- relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response
Goal of communication researchers
- map the new media and communication environment in order to understand its effects and impacts in society
Mediatized society
- media as powerful agents have their own interests
- institutions have to play the game by following media’s rules
Communication model
Sender (production, distribution) -> Message (content) -> Reciever (use interpretation effect)
Grand theory
- explains all aspects of a phenomenon
Narrow theory
- insight of specific uses / effects of media
Mass communication (old definition)
Source, typically an organization, employs technology as a medium to communicate to larger audiences
Mediated communication
communication between people who employ a technology as a medium
Interpersonal communication —> Traditional forms of mass communication
- different media fall along the line depending on the amount of control and involvement people have in the communication process
Interpersonal communication
between 2/few people, face to face
Contemporary communication
leads to more engagement and active listeners
- media consumers having the power to change messages and share perspectives
Logic of causality
when a factor still influences another even though there is an intervening variable in between
Casual relationship
alterations in a particular variable under specific conditions will always have the same effect on the other variable
Mass communication (new definition)
a complex organization which disseminates messages while promoting itself to attract audience, then repeatedly exposing those members to information
Marketplace of attention
social media platforms compete against each other in order to gain and maintain more publics attention
constant battle between platforms
Big data
yields powerful insights into user behavior, allowing large scale social media to gain control over its users
Continuum range
interpersonal communication on one end, mass communication is on the other
interpersonal communication end - bigger control and involvement in the communication process
mass communication end - limited control over the communication as it is open for interpretation, but these are not going to directly influence the content of the message
Why is it difficult to study the social world
- significant forms of human behavior are difficult to measure
- human behavior is complex and does not allow for isolation of single factors
- humans are self reflexive - more often respond to something that they expect will happen rather than something that has already happened
- tendency to believe social media effects will influence other people but themselves
Theory
A net > we need theories to grasp the world (or parts of it)
A lens > theories influence how we see certain things, they emphasize certain aspects
A map > theories guide us showing us how things are related and how they work
Mass society theory
a collection of conflicting ideas that emerge as a result of society undergoing significant disruptive transformations
Legacy media
older forms of mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, movies, tv.
operated by large and complex organizations responsible for producing and distributing content using media technology
Large social media
developed and controlled by complex orgs.
dependent on internet technology for the distribution of messages
Relationship between scientific method and causality
casual relationships explain how a variable has an effect on another variable even with a intervening variable. the only way this can be demonstrated is through the scientific method
hypothesis, and testing the hypothesis
Critical-cultural trend
Limited media effects theories leave unanswered questions about the possible power of media
members of different subgroups are studied using media to see how this might serve group interests (cultural theory) or might lead people to develop ideas that supported dominant elites (critical theory)
6 principles of scientific method
It is primarily based on systematic observation (a structured method of observational research) and consistent logic throughout it
6 principles of scientific method:
1) empirically testable
2) empirically replicable
3) objective
4) transparent
5) falsifiable
6) logically consistent
Communication theory categories
1) POST POSITIVIST THEORY
2) CULTURAL THEORY
3) CRITICAL THEORY
4) NORMATIVE THEORY
1) post positivist theory
based on empirical observation guided by principles of the scientific method
recognizes that humans and human behavior are not as constant as the physical world
2) cultural theory
seeks to understand contemporary cultures by analyzing the structure and content of their communication
want to understand how and why that behavior occurs in the social world
1) Social hermeneutics:
Theory that seeks to understand how those in an observed situation interpret their own lot in that situation
2) Interpretive theory:
Looks for deep hidden meanings
seeks to find this within any product of social interactions which serve as a source of understanding
3) critical theory
origins from the assumption that some aspects of the social world are deeply flawed and in need of transformation
by getting knowledge from the social world they can change it
by reorganizing society a higher priority can be given to more important human values
4) normative theory
theory explaining how a media system should be structured and should operate in order to conform to or realize ideal social structures
set “ideal standards” of operation of media systems
