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Journalism Class Notes: Media & Society
Journalism Class Notes: Media & Society
Jan. 7, 2020
Mass media refers to the industries that facilitate, create and distribute that media
Communication: to create and use symbols (e.g., language, morse code, pictures,
color, etc.)
- communication breakdown:
- com: with together or in association
- mun or munus: gifts offered publicly
- communicare: impart, share, make common
other words from the same latin root: community, communism, common, commons
Mass: create symbols to convey information and meaning to large diverse audiences
- through mass media technologies
1. Where is the media and where is society in the allegory of Plato’s cave?
A: The fire is the media and the shadows are the society
Written Culture:
Up to the 15th Century:
- Early writing is expensive
- Vellim used back in the day (ancient papers)
- Monks mainly used
Print Communication:
- papyrus
- parchment
- codex
- manuscripts
- block printing, etc.
Digital Communication:
Images, texts, and sounds are encoded into electronic signals that are then decoded as a
precise prediction of tv picture
Convergence:
Meaning 1:the technological merging of content across different media channels
Ex: magazines, articles, and programs are accessible easily
Meaning 2: when a business model consolidates various media holdings that are under
one corporate umbrella. This is corporate consolidation.
Ex: disney plus, CBS, Comcast, AT&T
Models for Studying Media (3 models)
Linear Model:
“a linear model process by which media producers delivered messages
Sender sends messages through mass media channel and receiver then gives feedback
examples: morse code, texting, emails
Cultural Approach: everyone is receiving messages all the time, each message
is encoded with different types of culture. Depends on personal characteristics
such as gender, age, ed level, ethnicity, etc.
Stage 1: Description
- Break down your media text
Stage 2: Analysis
- Focus on patterns that emerge from the description stage
Stage 3: Interpretation
- Interpret findings
Stage 4: Evaluation
- Arrive at a critical judgement beyond personal taste
Stage 5: Engagement
- Take Action