Theories and Effects of Mass Communication

In the media effects debate, these arguments for limited media influence have logical countries:

• media content is make-believe; people know its not real.
• media content is only play or entertainment.
• media simply hold a mirror to society.
• if media have any influence, it is only in reinforcing preexisting values and beliefs.
• media influence only the unimportant things like fads and fashions.

Three dichotomies characterise the different sides in the effects debate:

• micro- versus macro- level effects.
•  administrative versus critical research.
• transmission versus ritual perspective on communication. 

In understanding mass communication theory we must recognise that:

• there is no one mass communication theory.
• theories are often borrowed from other fields of science.
• theories are human constructions and they are dynamic.

Developments in mass communication theory are driven by advances in technology or the introduction of new media, calls for their control and questions about their democratic and pluralistic use.

The four major eras or mass communication theory are mass society theory, limited effects theory, cultural theory, and the meaning making perspective. the latter two mark a return to the idea of powerful media effects.

Media literate individuals are themselves good mass communication theories. 

media consumed this week:

• social media
• instant messaging
• newspapers

Advertising

advertising has been a part of commerce for centuries, but it became an industry in its own right with the coming of the american civil war and industrialisation.

Advertising suffer from a number of criticism it is:

• deceptive.
• intrusive.
• it exploits children.
• it demeans and corrupts culture.

Advertising is also considered beneficial:

• it supports our economic system.
• provides information to assist buying decisions.
• supports our media system.
• improves our standard of living.

Advertising agencies typically have these departments: administration, account management, creative, media, market research, PR.

There are different types of advertising:

1. institutional or corporate.
2.  trade or professional.
3. retail.
4. promotional retail.
5. industrial.
6. national consumer.
7. direct marketing.
8. public service. 

Regulation of advertising content is the responsibility of the Federal Trade Commission, which recognises that an ad can be false if it lies outright, does not tell the whole truth, or lies by implication. puffery, the entertaining little lie is permissible. 

There are several ways to measure an ad's effectiveness copy testing, consumer juries, forced exposure, recognition tests, recall testing, and awareness tests. 

The interaction of converging technologies and changes they drive in how, when and why people consume them is reshaping the economics and creativity of the advertising industry as well as its relationship with consumers.

reshaping of the industry has led to calls for better measure of effectiveness, such as engagement, return on investment and performance based advertising. 

Advertisers must also deal with consumers increasingly segmented not only by their media choices but also along demographic and psychographic lines. 

The advertising industry is increasingly globalised. 

Public Relations

Public relations tells an organisations story to its publics and helps shape the organisation and the way it preforms.

• history of PR:
• early PR.
• propaganda publicity stage.
• early two way communication.
• advanced two way communication.
• evolution of public relations has been shaped by advances in technology, the growth of middle class, growth of organisations, better search tools, and professionalisation. 
• publics served by the PR industry include:
• employees.
• stockholders.
• communities.
• media.
• government.
• investment communities.
• customers. 
• PR firms provide multiple services: 
1. community relations
2. counseling
3. development and fund rising
4. employee/member relations
5. financial relations
6. government affairs
7. industry relations
8. issues management
9. media relations
10. marketing communication
11. minority relations
12. multicultural affairs.
13. special events
14. public participation and research

Advertising executes an organisation's communication strategy; public relations provides several important management functions.

Firms usually are organised around an executive, account executive, creative specialist, and media specialist. Larger firms typically include research, government relations, and financial service professionals. 

Globalisation, specialisation, and convergence are reshaping contemporary PR. 

Trust in PR is essential in the industry is to perform its role for its clients and publics.

Recognising video news releases is an increasingly important media literacy skill.

Media consumed this week:

• instant messaging
• social media
• newspapers. 

The Internet and the World Wide Web

• the idea of internet came from the military hoping to maintain communication in times of enemy attacks.

• PC or personal computers were developed by bill gates and steve jobs. 
• e-mails, IM (instant messaging), VoIP(voice over Internet programming) and the WWW are the most useful facilities by the internet.
• the web relies on a system of hosts, browsers, and search engines to bring users to websites characterised by URLs.
• the WWW and internet technology implies on Marshall McLuhan's concept, the global village where everyone in the world is connected to everyone.
• one other concept of his is that the media and the WWW are extensions of our bodies.
• freedom of expression is an important aspect of the internet usage.
• problems of the internet revolve around technological and informational gaps.
• the internet and the WWW especially with their power to reshape all the mass media raise multiple issues for media literate users hoping to effectively make their way in an interconnected world.

Media consumed this week:

• instant messaging.
• newspapers.
• books.

Television, Cable and Mobile Video

chapter viii



During the 1950s Television became one of the most popular mediums out there.

T.V. included many genres with a variety of shows.

Two new formats appeared:

• feature films
• talk shows

T.V. news and documentaries as well as political coverage of the events occurring gave the audience a glimpse of how powerful this medium is.

A share: measures a program audience as a percentage of the television sets in use at the time it airs. it tells us what proportion of the actual audience a program attracts, indicating how a program is doing on is giving time. 

that being measured, attracts a number of advertisers and companies of the marketplace to buy and showcase theirs goods and services. 

• cable designed initially for the importation of distant signals, became a mature medium when it began offering movies and other premium content.
• Basic cable: direct broadcast satellite is the primary multichannel competitor to cable.
• MSO: multiple system operators, companies that own several cable franchises.
• Premium cable: subscription T.V. HBO... etc.

Trends and Convergence in Television and Cable:

• VCR: Videocassette recorders. 1976
• DVD: digital video disc. 1996
• DVR: digital video recorder. 1999
• Digital Television
• Television on the Internet
• Video on the internet
• Interactive Television
• Phone over cable
• Mobile video

Media Consumed this Week:

• social media.
• twitter, instagram, storehouse, snapchat, pinterest, tumblr, periscope, google+, path, whatsapp.
• newspapers.
• magazines.

Radio, Recording and Popular Music

chapter vii


Radio Today:

• Consolidation of the radio industry.
• few companies owning many stations.
• Advertisements generate the majority of revenue.
• Competition between satellite radio and the internet.
• Streaming programs.
• Spectrum scarcity: frequencies are not available for anyone.
• Radio is influential.

Satellite Radio:

• it started 2001
• requires subscription.
• appeals to commuters.
• losing money at the moment.
• facing competition from traditional radio and the internet.

Advantages of Radio:

• Portability.
• Supplemental.
• Universality.
• Selectivity.
• Flexibility.

MUSIC INDUSTRY:

• Music business is most affected by the introduction of the internet.
• People have different tastes and music has a lot of genres.
• Talented artists at the top are the ones making most of the money.
• Music industry is mostly supported by audience purchases and not advertising.

Timeline:

1960s: Cassettes.

1983: CDs.

1997: DVDs

2000: MP3

2001: Internet

2006: iTunes.

Trends of Music Industry:

• 1970s was the BOOM in music industry.
• CDs had a greater profit.
• iTunes claim that they have 10 billion stored songs.
• illegal file sharing.

Record Industry Organisations:

1. Talent: artist.
2. Production: recorded then promoted.
3. Distribution: stores.
4. Retail: record stores sales declined.

Music Economics: 

• It is a very competitive business.
• Few companies control 85% of the market.
• 1 billion CDs sold yearly.
• 55% of music are bought by people over 30.
• Male and female equally purchase music.

Media Consumed this Week:

1. Social media.
2. Internet blogs.

Movies and the Impact of Images

chapter vi

• Images have a powerful impact on us.
• Images we see, stay with us for a long time.
• Movies detach us from reality.
• Movies' plots, engage us in the story.

Verticale Intergration:

1. Production
2. Distribution
3. Exhibition

Production:

• casting
• art
• set
• makeup
• controlled by studios 
• scripting

Distribution:

• from studio to audience.
• produce ads to promote.
• theaters 
• cinemas 
• DVDs
• TV
• pay per view
• video on demand.

Exhibition:

• showing of the movie
• start to show in theaters.
• the cinema generate the most revenue
• it consists of 12-18 screens.

Movie Producers:

• account or 80-90% of box office revenue.
• eg: fox and disney.

Film's Economic Division:

• Synergy: the promotion and sale of a product throughout the varios subsidiaries pf a media conglomerate. 

Trends in Movie Making:

• Concept films:
• movies with a particular theme.
• Audience research:
• involving the audience before the movie is produced.
• Sequels:
• Pirates of the Caribbean, batman...etc.
• Remakes:
• The Lion King.
• Franchises:
• Harry Potter, James Bond.
• Product placement:
• intentionally advertising products in the movie.