“NEWS’ forms the serious part of Television, but a host of prorammes that fill TV time like serials, game shows, chat shows, and the recent entrant the ‘Reality Show’ have enough takers. Thus as a typical programme content serials have always attracted researchers to probe the implications of these ‘unending serials’.
What are the features of a Serial which is supposed to be the staple for the woman viewer segment?
i) Open-ended narrative forms: the format is one which has no ending ( a story that can be stretched to suit the ad revenue!). Not surprising therefore that one sees the same serial occupying the slot in a punishing schedule of “five-days-a-week-as-long-s-you-want” schedule.
ii) Core locations: The story unspools in a familiar locale. In the case of the Ekta Kapoor “Kyunki” variety it is a large joint family with a business presence. This combination usually provides umpteen crisis situations suited for melodrama! There is the constant vying for support of the matriarch by the ‘lesser women’- the daughters-in-law at the home front, while it is a similar tension between the men at the group’s business centre.
In the regional languages the family-based tensions take up more time, particularly in the Kerala serials, probably because few are able to conceive of ‘large business empires’ and how it affects filial ties.
iii) The tension between the accepted conventions of realism and melodrama: While the realism tends to be portrayed through characters who inhabit “recognizable spaces”and “believable situations”. Melodrama comes as a major ingredient through a increased sense of the ‘dramatic’ and with a focus on ‘life’s torments’. This representation is noticed because of
a) the emphasis on expressions, tones all with no restraint,
b) dramatic music, and
c) lingering close up shots
d) story-lines with twists and turns drawn from possible real life situations
all packaged to get viewer involvement.
e)pivotal themes of inter-personal relationship – the ‘mythic’ family is a major theme. Marriages, divorces, acts of revenge, acts of caring, the absence of a male heir(in Indian set ups where inheritance and family name are major elements). All this provide ample situations that can keep adrenaline flows high enough to send the TRPs shooting up!
These are the general traits in most soaps but it would also be important to remember that it has its national and regional variations. In the case of serials on Indian channels it is the sub-culture features that mark out the regional language serials from the Hindi serials on the National Hindi channels.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
TELEVISION AS TEXT III –WAR NEWS
Our memories are still fresh with visuals of Barkha Dutt in Kargil, helping an injured soldier with one hand while she was bringing the News from the war front to our drawing rooms. Yes, News was bringing the War closer to us. Stop for a moment to think of whether all the News that came to us could in any way generate public opinion strong enough to make the two governments to bring to a close the costly war (lives lost and money).
The reality is that NEWS from the front was only another reportage which provided us with “Our daily dose of information about the War through TV”. Natural therefore that many analysts describe it thus, “War is yet another programme on TV.”
Where else can we find a better example of such a programme than the CNN (1991) telecast of the Gulf War. What is the lasting image in our memories-that of aircrafts landing and taking off from Saudi airfields, and large stretches of desert. But the supporting commentaries told us that ‘smart’ sophisticated weapons would ensure hitting just the target and thus less damage to civilian life. So we sat back in this game because few human lives would be lost. (Could we do anything else?)
Like all truths, there is your truth and my truth. Going by that, the CNN said this, but there is another version which says that the tonnage of bombs used to ‘carpet bomb’ was more than that used during the Second World War. Few remind you on CNN about the fact that many of these ‘missed’ their targets, implying it did hit civilian targets!
It was 24 hr live coverage of War that became the USP, News as it Happens was the CNN punchline. Remind yourself that most of images that were not from the Studio were from military Press briefings, hardly any action of the battle!! Therefore staged press conferences and military tapes defined ‘NEWS’.
P Sainath, the Indian journalist’s take was that in countries like India where strong opinion existed against the War, it always happened that in debates on TV , while the voices present anti-war, the visual were those supporting the War. Thus we realize that War became an event and little was done to analyse and pursue the event for its causes, progress and possible solution. Instead it was “Kudos’ for live coverage of War. Thus “War became a programme on TV” putting in the background the real issues and concerns.
A journalist sent to the region is supposed to have said (during the Iraqi conflict later), “I see no war here.” The response was –“You send us the report, we’ll make the War.”
Any wonder at least some crisis reporting has acquired the label, “teddy bear syndrome.”
If that makes sense, we surely know that visuals will be received and, and remembered, and all that the newsreader mouths will vanish into thin air.
The reality is that NEWS from the front was only another reportage which provided us with “Our daily dose of information about the War through TV”. Natural therefore that many analysts describe it thus, “War is yet another programme on TV.”
Where else can we find a better example of such a programme than the CNN (1991) telecast of the Gulf War. What is the lasting image in our memories-that of aircrafts landing and taking off from Saudi airfields, and large stretches of desert. But the supporting commentaries told us that ‘smart’ sophisticated weapons would ensure hitting just the target and thus less damage to civilian life. So we sat back in this game because few human lives would be lost. (Could we do anything else?)
Like all truths, there is your truth and my truth. Going by that, the CNN said this, but there is another version which says that the tonnage of bombs used to ‘carpet bomb’ was more than that used during the Second World War. Few remind you on CNN about the fact that many of these ‘missed’ their targets, implying it did hit civilian targets!
It was 24 hr live coverage of War that became the USP, News as it Happens was the CNN punchline. Remind yourself that most of images that were not from the Studio were from military Press briefings, hardly any action of the battle!! Therefore staged press conferences and military tapes defined ‘NEWS’.
P Sainath, the Indian journalist’s take was that in countries like India where strong opinion existed against the War, it always happened that in debates on TV , while the voices present anti-war, the visual were those supporting the War. Thus we realize that War became an event and little was done to analyse and pursue the event for its causes, progress and possible solution. Instead it was “Kudos’ for live coverage of War. Thus “War became a programme on TV” putting in the background the real issues and concerns.
A journalist sent to the region is supposed to have said (during the Iraqi conflict later), “I see no war here.” The response was –“You send us the report, we’ll make the War.”
Any wonder at least some crisis reporting has acquired the label, “teddy bear syndrome.”
If that makes sense, we surely know that visuals will be received and, and remembered, and all that the newsreader mouths will vanish into thin air.
Friday, April 27, 2007
TELEVISION AS TEXT II - NEWS
Television News holds a prime position in assessing The significance in moulding opinion and thereby influencing public life.
Once we recognise that News is not an unmediated reality but a selected and represented reality we start looking at other elements behind The selection of items that constitute News. The manner in which items are selected and The way in which The story is "constructed" tells us clearly that News is never "NEUTRAL".
Politics, economy, foreign affairs,domestic affairs, sport and occasional storiyes are usually topics that feature in The News।।
In the West there are four prime news values in the Western world:
· Reference to elite nations
· Reference to elite persons
· Personalization
· Negativity
It is often said that the unexpected always has new value and more so if it has negative consequences involving elite persons of an elite nation.
News on TV can also be an example of manipulation by agencies that control the medium, as in the case of authoritarian regimes or an ideology driven govt which will also use pressure to shape the News the way they want it. Often the owners of the medium become collaborators with the govt.
This sort of “shaping” of the News takes place in the propagandist News that came from the early govts of Soviet Union and China, for example।
In the present set up it is
i) market forces
ii) plurality of voices addressing different audiences and
iii) plurality of outlets
and over above all this professional journalists who ultimately determine the NEWS.
But here what often happens is that there is one part of the world which is kept in total darkness, the spotlight never falls on those ‘backyards’ because ‘Newsmakers” fall in the power elite!
Once we recognise that News is not an unmediated reality but a selected and represented reality we start looking at other elements behind The selection of items that constitute News. The manner in which items are selected and The way in which The story is "constructed" tells us clearly that News is never "NEUTRAL".
Politics, economy, foreign affairs,domestic affairs, sport and occasional storiyes are usually topics that feature in The News।।
In the West there are four prime news values in the Western world:
· Reference to elite nations
· Reference to elite persons
· Personalization
· Negativity
It is often said that the unexpected always has new value and more so if it has negative consequences involving elite persons of an elite nation.
News on TV can also be an example of manipulation by agencies that control the medium, as in the case of authoritarian regimes or an ideology driven govt which will also use pressure to shape the News the way they want it. Often the owners of the medium become collaborators with the govt.
This sort of “shaping” of the News takes place in the propagandist News that came from the early govts of Soviet Union and China, for example।
In the present set up it is
i) market forces
ii) plurality of voices addressing different audiences and
iii) plurality of outlets
and over above all this professional journalists who ultimately determine the NEWS.
But here what often happens is that there is one part of the world which is kept in total darkness, the spotlight never falls on those ‘backyards’ because ‘Newsmakers” fall in the power elite!
TELEVISION AS TEXT - I
Television is a major source of communication and a source of knowledge about the world even if we accept the explanation that what TV does is putting together of reality and it is a "MEDIATED REALITY".
TV we must rememeber, is directly involved with the provision and the selective construction of social knowledge, of social imagery, through which we perceive the
1)'worlds'
2) the 'lived realities' of others,
3) and imaginarily reconstruct their lives and ours into some intellible "world-of-the-whole".
The economic and cultural significance of TV is stronger because of the increasing pace of change in the patterns of global communications.
This often leads to new consuming patterns of the media and through the media as well as "transnational communication".
TV therefore needs to be understood by taking the following aspects into account
i)Texts-programmes
ii)the relshp between texts and audiences (audience research)
iii)political economy (organization/industry)
iv) patterns of cultural meaning.
TV we must rememeber, is directly involved with the provision and the selective construction of social knowledge, of social imagery, through which we perceive the
1)'worlds'
2) the 'lived realities' of others,
3) and imaginarily reconstruct their lives and ours into some intellible "world-of-the-whole".
The economic and cultural significance of TV is stronger because of the increasing pace of change in the patterns of global communications.
This often leads to new consuming patterns of the media and through the media as well as "transnational communication".
TV therefore needs to be understood by taking the following aspects into account
i)Texts-programmes
ii)the relshp between texts and audiences (audience research)
iii)political economy (organization/industry)
iv) patterns of cultural meaning.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The AUDIENCE in MASS MEDIA
The origins of the present-day audience for mass media are presumably to be found in the public theatrical and musical performances as well as games and spectacles of ancient times. These audiences had their own customs, expectations and rules about the time, place and content of performances, conditions for entry etc.
Several features distinguish the early form of audience from the modern media equivalent Most importantly, the original audience was localized in one place and time – they were occupants of the auditorium, the space in which they could hear and see what was going on। The performance was always ‘live’ and open to view. This suggests that the audience was always relatively small and also potentially active within itself and interactive with the performers. The same circumstances are relevant in some situations even now, but a new variant has been introduced in the mass media audience.
The new type of mass audience was
i) large and widely dispersed;
ii) its members could not know each other;
iii) its composition was always shifting;
iv) it lacked any sense of self-identity, because of its size and heterogenity;
v) it was governed by no rules
vi) it appeared not to act for itself but to be acted on from outside
vii) and just as its own internal relations were impersonal, so were the relations between any source and the mass audience also necessarily impersonal. There is also often a large social distance between the mass media audience and a more powerful, expert or prestigious source and thus an asymmetric
relationship.
The four types of audiences can be characterized as follows with indications of further subdivisions within each main category. These categories as follows, are not, of course, mutually exclusive, and the primary character of a given audience is not easy to determine empirically. The assessment has to be made on the basis of wider knowledge of a media system and a society.
The four types of audiences are to be differentiated in the groups that are given –
The Social group: Basically this will correspond with an existing social grouping (such as community or membership of a political, religious or ethnic minority for example -Shalom,Aastha, JAINTV ) and with the shared social characteristics of place, social class, politics, culture etc. Such audiences are likely to be more stable over time than others, with continuity of membership, and are likely to respond actively to what their chosen media provide.
The Gratification set: This forms on the basis of some individual purpose or need existing independently of the media, relating, for instance, to a political or social issue or a general need for information or for some emotional, effectual satisfaction. It is likely to be fairly homogenous in terms of its composition, active in expressing demands that shape supply and also selective. Such audiences are, however, not social groups but aggregates of individuals engaged in essentially the same consumer behaviour.
Fan group or Taste culture: This kind of audience will be formed on the basis of an interest in a particular author, director or type of content (or genre), or through attraction to a particular personality (or a particular cultural or intellectual taste)। Otherwise, it lacks any clear social definition or categorization. Its composition will change over time, although some such audiences may also be stable. Its existence is owed entirely to the content offered, and when this changes (as, for instance at the end of a long-running show or the death or decline of a star) the audience has to disperse or reform in other ways. Occasionally such kinds of audience has to disperse or reform in other ways. ‘Fandom’ demonstrates the productive power of audiences, creating new and deeper meaning from the materials made available, rather than successful manipulation. Attempts at exploitation are common and often associated with merchandising of products linked to media images, characters, themes.( KTV,Rosebowl, MTV etc) .
Channel or Medium audience: Recruited to and held by habit or loyalty to a particular media source –e.g newspaper, magazine or radio or TV channel –such audiences are numerous and changing. Often they are encouraged to form by the media for commercial reasons. Members are typically consumers of the media product in question and customers for other products to be advertised or merchandised.
Several features distinguish the early form of audience from the modern media equivalent Most importantly, the original audience was localized in one place and time – they were occupants of the auditorium, the space in which they could hear and see what was going on। The performance was always ‘live’ and open to view. This suggests that the audience was always relatively small and also potentially active within itself and interactive with the performers. The same circumstances are relevant in some situations even now, but a new variant has been introduced in the mass media audience.
The new type of mass audience was
i) large and widely dispersed;
ii) its members could not know each other;
iii) its composition was always shifting;
iv) it lacked any sense of self-identity, because of its size and heterogenity;
v) it was governed by no rules
vi) it appeared not to act for itself but to be acted on from outside
vii) and just as its own internal relations were impersonal, so were the relations between any source and the mass audience also necessarily impersonal. There is also often a large social distance between the mass media audience and a more powerful, expert or prestigious source and thus an asymmetric
relationship.
The four types of audiences can be characterized as follows with indications of further subdivisions within each main category. These categories as follows, are not, of course, mutually exclusive, and the primary character of a given audience is not easy to determine empirically. The assessment has to be made on the basis of wider knowledge of a media system and a society.
The four types of audiences are to be differentiated in the groups that are given –
The Social group: Basically this will correspond with an existing social grouping (such as community or membership of a political, religious or ethnic minority for example -Shalom,Aastha, JAINTV ) and with the shared social characteristics of place, social class, politics, culture etc. Such audiences are likely to be more stable over time than others, with continuity of membership, and are likely to respond actively to what their chosen media provide.
The Gratification set: This forms on the basis of some individual purpose or need existing independently of the media, relating, for instance, to a political or social issue or a general need for information or for some emotional, effectual satisfaction. It is likely to be fairly homogenous in terms of its composition, active in expressing demands that shape supply and also selective. Such audiences are, however, not social groups but aggregates of individuals engaged in essentially the same consumer behaviour.
Fan group or Taste culture: This kind of audience will be formed on the basis of an interest in a particular author, director or type of content (or genre), or through attraction to a particular personality (or a particular cultural or intellectual taste)। Otherwise, it lacks any clear social definition or categorization. Its composition will change over time, although some such audiences may also be stable. Its existence is owed entirely to the content offered, and when this changes (as, for instance at the end of a long-running show or the death or decline of a star) the audience has to disperse or reform in other ways. Occasionally such kinds of audience has to disperse or reform in other ways. ‘Fandom’ demonstrates the productive power of audiences, creating new and deeper meaning from the materials made available, rather than successful manipulation. Attempts at exploitation are common and often associated with merchandising of products linked to media images, characters, themes.( KTV,Rosebowl, MTV etc) .
Channel or Medium audience: Recruited to and held by habit or loyalty to a particular media source –e.g newspaper, magazine or radio or TV channel –such audiences are numerous and changing. Often they are encouraged to form by the media for commercial reasons. Members are typically consumers of the media product in question and customers for other products to be advertised or merchandised.
Friday, March 30, 2007
ALTERNATIVE OR CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
Rather than names here it is the manner in which the Media functions/operates that each model has derived its name. Very simply stated this is how it is,
1)TRANSMISSION MODEL- recognises the role of a professional journalist in a Media Organisation. So from the conventional SENDER-MESSAGE-CHANNEL_RECEIVER model Communication is seen as-
i) events and voices in society
ii) channel communicator role
iii)messages
iv) receiver
According to this scheme, the communicators are not the originators of the message. They are only putting together/assembling what falls in (i).
2)RITUAL or EXPRESSIVE MODEL-goes beyond the earlier one. Here it is sharing , celebratory and decorative. Therefore art, religious and public ceremonies or festivals become the events that find air time.
3)PUBLICITY MODEL-Communication as display and attention drawing exercise.Often the role of the media is neither to transmit particular information but merely to hold aural attention. The goals are
i)gain audience
ii)gain revenue
iii) sell probability of audience attention through mega events like -Musical nites, live telecast of games, spectator sports etc.
Here it is the fact of being known that is more important than giving stress on content!
4) RECEPTION MODEL-Encoding and Decoding of Media discourse. The meaning of what comes through in a programme depends on the perception of the receiver-interpreted according to the culture and context of the receiver. This is where the manipulative use of language becomes the 'playing ground' of the media and the NEWSMAKERS.
(Take the ever so many accusations and counter accusations made by the Politicians).
Or a simple statement like "WE meet in my office this weekend " by a Professor to the student or by a Boss to his departmental chiefs or said by the US Pres Clinton to Monica-each one has a different implication.
That is why it is said now, that the meaning is not in the sentence, but at the end of it. Thus it means, the person saying it, where it is said, on which channel and which event,and who is the audience can alter the meaning of the sentence.
1)TRANSMISSION MODEL- recognises the role of a professional journalist in a Media Organisation. So from the conventional SENDER-MESSAGE-CHANNEL_RECEIVER model Communication is seen as-
i) events and voices in society
ii) channel communicator role
iii)messages
iv) receiver
According to this scheme, the communicators are not the originators of the message. They are only putting together/assembling what falls in (i).
2)RITUAL or EXPRESSIVE MODEL-goes beyond the earlier one. Here it is sharing , celebratory and decorative. Therefore art, religious and public ceremonies or festivals become the events that find air time.
3)PUBLICITY MODEL-Communication as display and attention drawing exercise.Often the role of the media is neither to transmit particular information but merely to hold aural attention. The goals are
i)gain audience
ii)gain revenue
iii) sell probability of audience attention through mega events like -Musical nites, live telecast of games, spectator sports etc.
Here it is the fact of being known that is more important than giving stress on content!
4) RECEPTION MODEL-Encoding and Decoding of Media discourse. The meaning of what comes through in a programme depends on the perception of the receiver-interpreted according to the culture and context of the receiver. This is where the manipulative use of language becomes the 'playing ground' of the media and the NEWSMAKERS.
(Take the ever so many accusations and counter accusations made by the Politicians).
Or a simple statement like "WE meet in my office this weekend " by a Professor to the student or by a Boss to his departmental chiefs or said by the US Pres Clinton to Monica-each one has a different implication.
That is why it is said now, that the meaning is not in the sentence, but at the end of it. Thus it means, the person saying it, where it is said, on which channel and which event,and who is the audience can alter the meaning of the sentence.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Understanding Television - Karan Thapar (HTV)
“There are four factors that differentiate TV from Newspapers
a) It is heard (seen) and not read. In a newspaper if there is a portion that is difficult to understand you can go back to it but in TV there is no recall. TV therefore must have a linear structure; arguments and facts must flow out of each other.
b) The language of TV has to be simple everyday speech. Print can afford technical terminology or even pompous expression. TV speaks to you from your drawing room and therefore the language must be easy to comprehend.
c) It is what you see on TV that creates the impact and not what you hear. Yet the commentary is the journalist’s contribution. Unlike the print, the TV journalist is alienated from the visual and it is a handicap.
d) TV has to schedule itself to offer at given hours what people can be expected to want to see। A good schedule will make people want to सी.what it is offering.
(Extract from article by Karan Thapar in the SEMINAR )
a) It is heard (seen) and not read. In a newspaper if there is a portion that is difficult to understand you can go back to it but in TV there is no recall. TV therefore must have a linear structure; arguments and facts must flow out of each other.
b) The language of TV has to be simple everyday speech. Print can afford technical terminology or even pompous expression. TV speaks to you from your drawing room and therefore the language must be easy to comprehend.
c) It is what you see on TV that creates the impact and not what you hear. Yet the commentary is the journalist’s contribution. Unlike the print, the TV journalist is alienated from the visual and it is a handicap.
d) TV has to schedule itself to offer at given hours what people can be expected to want to see। A good schedule will make people want to सी.what it is offering.
(Extract from article by Karan Thapar in the SEMINAR )
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
EARLY MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
Lasswell’s Communication Model has become the most famous single phrase m communication research – known as the Lasswell Formula
Who? - Artist/Source or Sender
Says What ? – Text
In which channel – Medium
To Whom? - Audience
With what Effect - Society
The formula exhibits/shows a typical trait of the early models। It takes for granted that the communicator has some intention of influencing the receiver and therefore is treated as a persuasive process. It is also presumed that the messages must have effects. Critics are of the view that he did not consider the matter of feedback and is therefore this is a unidirectional formula, that is --one way - from Sender to Receiver only.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis – According to these two linguists, language is not merely a transparent means of delivering information or messages। Our language is a kind of prism that we use to make sense of the world.It is not a window pane that we can see through without any distortions, and is not a mirror that reflects the world in which we live.It therefore generates the idea that different languages generate different worlds. What we know of society and the world, and what we think about them, is tied to language habits of the group in which we find ourselves.
Play Theory of Mass Communication – William Stephenson suggests that the most significant
Function of mass communication is to facilitate “subjective play” to give people pleasure, an interlude from the pressing matters that concern them most of the time. The functions it serves, according to him, are to provide play, to influence customs, to normalize manners, give people something in common to talk about, so as to encourage mutual socialization. The second function is to shake up society. Mass Communication , has by implication, a very difficult time changing basic beliefs, but it can play a role in shaping our convergent or momentary desires and the relatively unimportant decisions we make। According to Stephenson other theorists have gone wrong because they have given more importance to the persuasive role of COMMUNICATION.
Who? - Artist/Source or Sender
Says What ? – Text
In which channel – Medium
To Whom? - Audience
With what Effect - Society
The formula exhibits/shows a typical trait of the early models। It takes for granted that the communicator has some intention of influencing the receiver and therefore is treated as a persuasive process. It is also presumed that the messages must have effects. Critics are of the view that he did not consider the matter of feedback and is therefore this is a unidirectional formula, that is --one way - from Sender to Receiver only.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis – According to these two linguists, language is not merely a transparent means of delivering information or messages। Our language is a kind of prism that we use to make sense of the world.It is not a window pane that we can see through without any distortions, and is not a mirror that reflects the world in which we live.It therefore generates the idea that different languages generate different worlds. What we know of society and the world, and what we think about them, is tied to language habits of the group in which we find ourselves.
Play Theory of Mass Communication – William Stephenson suggests that the most significant
Function of mass communication is to facilitate “subjective play” to give people pleasure, an interlude from the pressing matters that concern them most of the time. The functions it serves, according to him, are to provide play, to influence customs, to normalize manners, give people something in common to talk about, so as to encourage mutual socialization. The second function is to shake up society. Mass Communication , has by implication, a very difficult time changing basic beliefs, but it can play a role in shaping our convergent or momentary desires and the relatively unimportant decisions we make। According to Stephenson other theorists have gone wrong because they have given more importance to the persuasive role of COMMUNICATION.
Monday, March 26, 2007
SELECTIVITY IN COMMUNICATION - IV
(c) AVAILABILITY THEORIES:
The Consistency theory and the Utility theory both assume that people actively select certain materials from the stream of communications available to them - in the former case, because these materials match or go with with their existing ideas; in the latter case, because the selected communications might help satisfy some of their needs. These theories presuppose an ‘active’ audience. Some scholars however, see the audience as active only part of the time. They may accept the concept of selectivity, but with the reservation that people often select for attention the communications that are most easily available to them and are the easiest to absorb. This phenomenon is labelled as “learning without involvement”. Educators have been interested in this process because materials learned under conditions of low involvement are likely to be soon forgotten, however, unless people are continually reminded of it.
Studies show that people consume mass media when they have the time to do so rather than in pursuit of particular subject matter; this also tends to support availability theory; that is, some TV programs are more available than others - and more watched - because they are presented when most people are at home. Support for the idea that there is a large passive audience comes also from the TV ratings, which show that total TV audience is fairly constant at given times of the day and night.
Availability of time for the media, in turn, is at least partly a matter of habit। Those who like to watch TV during dinner will probably turn the set on regardless of what programs are scheduled। Even people who are attending to communications under conditions of low involvement have to make some choices. In this, they are assisted by “cues” that call their attention to certain parts of the subject matter.
The information overload in the present times is dealt by us by selecting some communications and ignoring or skipping over the rest. Selectivity cannot be explained by any single principle. There seem to be a number of factors involved. The most important ones include:
CONSISTENCY: We have a tendency to favour communications that are congruent with our existing ideas over information that that conflicts with our mental map of the world.
UTILITY: We select communication that we think will be helpful in satisfying some need or that will give us pleasure.
AVAILABILITY: If we have no preference for one communication over the other we will expose ourselves to the one that is more easily available.
There is no agreement among scholars as to the relative importance of these factors. Commonsense would suggest that all of them should be taken into account by anyone who is seeking to gain the attention of a particular audience.
Needless to add that selecting communications for attention is of vital importance to all mass media enterprises and therefore important to communicators in the media and those engaged in the art of persuasion, the advertisers, propagandists, and public relations specialists.
SELECTIVITY IN COMMUNICATION - III
(b) UTILITY THEORIES - “USES AND GRATIFICATIONS”
According to the Utility theory often known as the “uses and gratifications approach”, we will pay attention to and perceive, and remember information that is pleasurable or that will in some way help to satisfy our needs or interests. This information may or may not be in accord with our existing ideas, but we will attend to it if we expect it to be useful or think that it will give us satisfaction. Journalists have long recognized that people must be “rewarded in some way for giving attention to a particular item.” The reader reads selectively - using headlines to direct him to the topics of his interest.
Conversely, according to the Utility theory, if we expect a communication to be uninteresting or unpleasant, we will probably not expose ourselves to it. Or if we are exposed any way, we will disregard or forget it.
Consistency theory and Utility theory are not necessarily opposed to each other; it is possible to reconcile them. One way to do this is by reference to the fact that most people seem to need reassurance that their ideas and attitudes are correct. Because they need reassurance, they seek out communications that are likely to support their existing views of the world. We will pay attention to dissonant information if it helps us in some other way. For instance, it might warn us of impending danger. Or it might help us to impress others with the depth and breadth of our knowledge.
The uses and gratification approach, although it has become the most widely accepted ways of explaining why some people select some content from the stream of communications and ignore other content.
Different strategies have been used to identify needs that mass communications can help to satisfy. Studies reveal that there are several categories of needs for the satisfaction of which the mass media have been found useful. One list is as follows:-
· Diversion, including emotional release, escape from problems, a welcome change from routine.
· Needs having to do with personal relationships. Here the media may provide substitute companionship, or may furnish material for conversation.
· Needs having to do with individual psychology: the desire to obtain reassurance, to understand oneself, to feel important, to gain a sense of personal identity.
· Surveillance of the environment, including the need to know about events that might affect one and to obtain information that will help one do something or accomplish something.
In spite of variations among the needs of individuals and the ways they use the media to satisfy these needs, some recurring patterns can be found. Many of these are related to age and sex, cultural differences and the way media are used to satisfy them.
Utility theory, like the consistency theory, can help to explain some selective behaviour, but it doesn’t explain all.
According to the Utility theory often known as the “uses and gratifications approach”, we will pay attention to and perceive, and remember information that is pleasurable or that will in some way help to satisfy our needs or interests. This information may or may not be in accord with our existing ideas, but we will attend to it if we expect it to be useful or think that it will give us satisfaction. Journalists have long recognized that people must be “rewarded in some way for giving attention to a particular item.” The reader reads selectively - using headlines to direct him to the topics of his interest.
Conversely, according to the Utility theory, if we expect a communication to be uninteresting or unpleasant, we will probably not expose ourselves to it. Or if we are exposed any way, we will disregard or forget it.
Consistency theory and Utility theory are not necessarily opposed to each other; it is possible to reconcile them. One way to do this is by reference to the fact that most people seem to need reassurance that their ideas and attitudes are correct. Because they need reassurance, they seek out communications that are likely to support their existing views of the world. We will pay attention to dissonant information if it helps us in some other way. For instance, it might warn us of impending danger. Or it might help us to impress others with the depth and breadth of our knowledge.
The uses and gratification approach, although it has become the most widely accepted ways of explaining why some people select some content from the stream of communications and ignore other content.
Different strategies have been used to identify needs that mass communications can help to satisfy. Studies reveal that there are several categories of needs for the satisfaction of which the mass media have been found useful. One list is as follows:-
· Diversion, including emotional release, escape from problems, a welcome change from routine.
· Needs having to do with personal relationships. Here the media may provide substitute companionship, or may furnish material for conversation.
· Needs having to do with individual psychology: the desire to obtain reassurance, to understand oneself, to feel important, to gain a sense of personal identity.
· Surveillance of the environment, including the need to know about events that might affect one and to obtain information that will help one do something or accomplish something.
In spite of variations among the needs of individuals and the ways they use the media to satisfy these needs, some recurring patterns can be found. Many of these are related to age and sex, cultural differences and the way media are used to satisfy them.
Utility theory, like the consistency theory, can help to explain some selective behaviour, but it doesn’t explain all.
SELECTIVITY IN COMMUNICATION-II
(a) CONSISTENCY THEORIES:
According to this group, we consciously or subconsciously select from the flow of communication those ideas that fit in with our attitudes and values and that are consistent with our existing beliefs about the world. At the same time, we ignore, dismiss, misunderstand or forget those communications that would be ‘dissonant’ - that would not fit in. Thus, according to this approach, a person who believes in free enterprise would not be likely to read an article advocating government ownership of major industries or would not absorb much information even if she or he did read it. But someone who feels strongly about equal rights for women buys a magazine if he or she sees a story about female achievements in government or the professions featured on its cover.
One mechanism by which people can maintain and strengthen their existing view of the world and avoid having it disturbed by incongruent or unbalancing information, according to consistency theories, is ‘selective exposure’। This behaviour involves exposing oneself to messages that are consistent with one’s attitudes and beliefs and avoiding other messages। But it is difficult to avoid all dissonant communications, so one can do the next best thing: pay attention only to certain parts of the communication and disregard the rest। Social scientists usually refer to this as ‘selective perception’. Or, if one does pay attention to a potentially disturbing message, it may be possible to interpret it so that it will not conflict with the existing idea - one may conclude that it is untrue, unimportant, or does not really mean what it appears to mean. This might be called ‘selective interpretation’. Finally, people may forget dissonant information or may remember it in distorted form, a behaviour known as ‘selective recall’.
Several of these methods of maintaining psychological balance may be used at the same time। We may tune in to a television address by our favourite candidate but fail to notice that he stumbles and stutters when he comes to some words, and we may interpret his stands on issues as being much closer to ours than they actually are. In general, selective exposure and selective perception, although they do occur, seem to be less common patterns of behaviour than once thought. Selective interpretation and selective recall have held up a little better although there are many exceptions.
Active avoidance of unwelcome communications can be observed in the case of children who hold their hands over their ears when there is something they don’t want to hear. A well-known journalist has mentioned, “I don’t like fighting. Since I’ve been a child I’ve always covered my eyes with my hands and crouched low in my seat at the movies when the shooting and punching begins.”
For most older people, it is not necessary to put the hands over the ears or to close the eyes. They know where dissonant (lack of harmony )information IN communications are likely to be found and how to avoid them। When one pays attention to two conflicting communications, but learns more from one of them, selective perception may be at work. A survey of voter reaction to political propaganda in elections concluded that the voters do engage in selective perception, but it is not constant and depends considerably on whether people encounter the type of information that is most likely to activate their defences। Most of us have the capacity for selective perception, but this doesn’t mean that we always make use of it.
We may, however, engage in selective interpretation; that is, we may perceive dissonant information accurately but then interpret it, either consciously or subconsciously, in such a way that it does not throw out of balance our existing view of the world.
Memory too plays a role in preserving our existing attitudes and beliefs. This applies not only to what is remembered, but also to the form in which it is remembered. We learn and remember information more easily if it fits in somehow with what we already know.
Selective perception, interpretation, and recall may all be involved in the way an individual deals with communications about a particular subject.
According to this group, we consciously or subconsciously select from the flow of communication those ideas that fit in with our attitudes and values and that are consistent with our existing beliefs about the world. At the same time, we ignore, dismiss, misunderstand or forget those communications that would be ‘dissonant’ - that would not fit in. Thus, according to this approach, a person who believes in free enterprise would not be likely to read an article advocating government ownership of major industries or would not absorb much information even if she or he did read it. But someone who feels strongly about equal rights for women buys a magazine if he or she sees a story about female achievements in government or the professions featured on its cover.
One mechanism by which people can maintain and strengthen their existing view of the world and avoid having it disturbed by incongruent or unbalancing information, according to consistency theories, is ‘selective exposure’। This behaviour involves exposing oneself to messages that are consistent with one’s attitudes and beliefs and avoiding other messages। But it is difficult to avoid all dissonant communications, so one can do the next best thing: pay attention only to certain parts of the communication and disregard the rest। Social scientists usually refer to this as ‘selective perception’. Or, if one does pay attention to a potentially disturbing message, it may be possible to interpret it so that it will not conflict with the existing idea - one may conclude that it is untrue, unimportant, or does not really mean what it appears to mean. This might be called ‘selective interpretation’. Finally, people may forget dissonant information or may remember it in distorted form, a behaviour known as ‘selective recall’.
Several of these methods of maintaining psychological balance may be used at the same time। We may tune in to a television address by our favourite candidate but fail to notice that he stumbles and stutters when he comes to some words, and we may interpret his stands on issues as being much closer to ours than they actually are. In general, selective exposure and selective perception, although they do occur, seem to be less common patterns of behaviour than once thought. Selective interpretation and selective recall have held up a little better although there are many exceptions.
Active avoidance of unwelcome communications can be observed in the case of children who hold their hands over their ears when there is something they don’t want to hear. A well-known journalist has mentioned, “I don’t like fighting. Since I’ve been a child I’ve always covered my eyes with my hands and crouched low in my seat at the movies when the shooting and punching begins.”
For most older people, it is not necessary to put the hands over the ears or to close the eyes. They know where dissonant (lack of harmony )information IN communications are likely to be found and how to avoid them। When one pays attention to two conflicting communications, but learns more from one of them, selective perception may be at work. A survey of voter reaction to political propaganda in elections concluded that the voters do engage in selective perception, but it is not constant and depends considerably on whether people encounter the type of information that is most likely to activate their defences। Most of us have the capacity for selective perception, but this doesn’t mean that we always make use of it.
We may, however, engage in selective interpretation; that is, we may perceive dissonant information accurately but then interpret it, either consciously or subconsciously, in such a way that it does not throw out of balance our existing view of the world.
Memory too plays a role in preserving our existing attitudes and beliefs. This applies not only to what is remembered, but also to the form in which it is remembered. We learn and remember information more easily if it fits in somehow with what we already know.
Selective perception, interpretation, and recall may all be involved in the way an individual deals with communications about a particular subject.
SELECTIVITY IN COMMUNICATION-I
SELECTIVITY IN COMMUNICATION
With the development of mass media and the exploitation of these media by advertisers, politicians educators and others, we are bombarded with communications more than ever before. A person forced to attend to all available communications would have time for little else and would run the danger of becoming completely disoriented. Fortunately, we are equipped to make a selection from the stream of messages to which we are exposed.
You can observe selectivity at work if you perform a little experiment yourself. Try to write one-line summaries or headlines of stories that you remember from the last time you read a newspaper or saw a TV news program. Your list will probably be a small one. Ask yourself, “Why did I remember these stories?” A second question could be, “Why did I not remember or pay attention to the other stories?”
Each person has different methods of handling the flood of information that comes their way. We can group the major explanations of selectivity into three categories
(a) Consistency theories
(b) Utility theories-Uses and Gratification
(c) Availability theories
All of them are based on aspects of human personality and behaviour and some lay emphasis on certain aspects while others lay stress on yet others.
With the development of mass media and the exploitation of these media by advertisers, politicians educators and others, we are bombarded with communications more than ever before. A person forced to attend to all available communications would have time for little else and would run the danger of becoming completely disoriented. Fortunately, we are equipped to make a selection from the stream of messages to which we are exposed.
You can observe selectivity at work if you perform a little experiment yourself. Try to write one-line summaries or headlines of stories that you remember from the last time you read a newspaper or saw a TV news program. Your list will probably be a small one. Ask yourself, “Why did I remember these stories?” A second question could be, “Why did I not remember or pay attention to the other stories?”
Each person has different methods of handling the flood of information that comes their way. We can group the major explanations of selectivity into three categories
(a) Consistency theories
(b) Utility theories-Uses and Gratification
(c) Availability theories
All of them are based on aspects of human personality and behaviour and some lay emphasis on certain aspects while others lay stress on yet others.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Basics of COMMUNICATION
Communication has come to imply the physical act of moving as well as the transfer of ideas, beliefs and opinions. This was the earliest meaning of the word. But, with the passing of time, it also came to mean a line or channel of communication from place to place. Printing, telecommunication, photography, wireless, film, television are among the new methods by which ideas and information are conveyed with the intention of not only informing, but also exercising an influence on their attitudes.
In a nutshell, communication can best be described as the word which is used to describe the different ways in which people affect one another. Now, we have Technology as a major constant that gives new dynamism to what come through technology driven items like – Radio, TV, Internet etc..
The three major components of any communication are the source or SENDER, the MESSAGE, the destination or the RECEIVER. Any communication presupposes that the sender must be equipped enough to successfully transmit the message in a manner which will enable the receiver to relate to and understand.
SOURCE ----- ENCODED ----- CHANNELS ----- DECODED ----- RECEIVED AT DESTINATION
These are the normal components in any communication. A sender can ‘encode’ a message and the receiver can only ‘decode’ the message in terms of their own experience and knowledge. This is where shared experience assumes importance. Only where this sharing or commonality exists, can there be any meaningful communication. If there is no shared ground of experience, then communication becomes virtually impossible. Common knowledge and experience provide the connecting link.
Elements of Communication:
Message: This is the subject matter of communication and may involve any fact, idea, opinion, figure, feeling, attitude or course of action including information. It exists in the mind of the communicator. Transmitter; is the sender of the message, the communicator; he conceives and initiates the message. He is the driving force behind the change in the behaviour of the receiver.
Encoding: The process of conversion of subject matter into symbols is called encoding. Transmission of the message requires the use of certain symbols. In the encoding process, ideas, facts, feelings, opinions etc are translated into signs, symbols, words, actions, pictures and audio-visuals to suit the receiver and the medium.
That is, in the case of NEWS, for example, the manner in which it is packaged by the Print Media, Radio and Television to suit their priorities and the receptivity of their audiences, alters the way in which we accept the implications of a piece of NEWS.
Communication channel: This is the medium through which the message passes. Media/Channel can be written media or oral media. Oral media include face-to-face conversation, dictaphone, telephone, recording, radio meeting, conference etc. The channel may be a visual channel like slides, neon hoarding, posters etc. Television, documentaries, films represent audio-visual channels.
Feedback is an alienable part in the communication process. Since communication is a two-way process, it is essential that complete information must go back to the communicator so that he is able to assess the impact of his message. The sending back of the reply in return for the message received is what is termed as ‘feedback’. Appropriate feedback enables the sender to make the necessary changes in his message so as to make his communication successful and effective.
Essential factors to be considered while initiating communication to achieve the purpose of Communication: Clarity: Information: Completeness:
The subject matter to be communicated must be adequate and full which enables the receiver to understand the central theme or idea of the message. Incompleteness in the message may result in misunderstanding and this will further result in delay in the decision-making process.
Consistency: The message transmitted should not be contradictory. The subject matter of the communication is said to be consistent when it is in agreement with the objectives and policies.
Feedback: It is the key to effective communication. Knowing about the acceptance or otherwise of the message transmitted is the most important method of improving communication. This enables the sender to ascertain whether or not the receiver has properly understood the message. Interface and interaction are possible in feedback. It avoids errors in transmission of message and invokes effective participation.
BUT, this is where the Mass Media fail. Except a mild ‘Letters to the Editor’ or Phone in Programmes where some element of interaction with the viewer is possible, the A-V medium is a one way medium.
This is the very reason it becomes a one-way medium which in the ultimate cultivates a ‘Passive audience.’
In a nutshell, communication can best be described as the word which is used to describe the different ways in which people affect one another. Now, we have Technology as a major constant that gives new dynamism to what come through technology driven items like – Radio, TV, Internet etc..
The three major components of any communication are the source or SENDER, the MESSAGE, the destination or the RECEIVER. Any communication presupposes that the sender must be equipped enough to successfully transmit the message in a manner which will enable the receiver to relate to and understand.
SOURCE ----- ENCODED ----- CHANNELS ----- DECODED ----- RECEIVED AT DESTINATION
These are the normal components in any communication. A sender can ‘encode’ a message and the receiver can only ‘decode’ the message in terms of their own experience and knowledge. This is where shared experience assumes importance. Only where this sharing or commonality exists, can there be any meaningful communication. If there is no shared ground of experience, then communication becomes virtually impossible. Common knowledge and experience provide the connecting link.
Elements of Communication:
Message: This is the subject matter of communication and may involve any fact, idea, opinion, figure, feeling, attitude or course of action including information. It exists in the mind of the communicator. Transmitter; is the sender of the message, the communicator; he conceives and initiates the message. He is the driving force behind the change in the behaviour of the receiver.
Encoding: The process of conversion of subject matter into symbols is called encoding. Transmission of the message requires the use of certain symbols. In the encoding process, ideas, facts, feelings, opinions etc are translated into signs, symbols, words, actions, pictures and audio-visuals to suit the receiver and the medium.
That is, in the case of NEWS, for example, the manner in which it is packaged by the Print Media, Radio and Television to suit their priorities and the receptivity of their audiences, alters the way in which we accept the implications of a piece of NEWS.
Communication channel: This is the medium through which the message passes. Media/Channel can be written media or oral media. Oral media include face-to-face conversation, dictaphone, telephone, recording, radio meeting, conference etc. The channel may be a visual channel like slides, neon hoarding, posters etc. Television, documentaries, films represent audio-visual channels.
Feedback is an alienable part in the communication process. Since communication is a two-way process, it is essential that complete information must go back to the communicator so that he is able to assess the impact of his message. The sending back of the reply in return for the message received is what is termed as ‘feedback’. Appropriate feedback enables the sender to make the necessary changes in his message so as to make his communication successful and effective.
Essential factors to be considered while initiating communication to achieve the purpose of Communication: Clarity: Information: Completeness:
The subject matter to be communicated must be adequate and full which enables the receiver to understand the central theme or idea of the message. Incompleteness in the message may result in misunderstanding and this will further result in delay in the decision-making process.
Consistency: The message transmitted should not be contradictory. The subject matter of the communication is said to be consistent when it is in agreement with the objectives and policies.
Feedback: It is the key to effective communication. Knowing about the acceptance or otherwise of the message transmitted is the most important method of improving communication. This enables the sender to ascertain whether or not the receiver has properly understood the message. Interface and interaction are possible in feedback. It avoids errors in transmission of message and invokes effective participation.
BUT, this is where the Mass Media fail. Except a mild ‘Letters to the Editor’ or Phone in Programmes where some element of interaction with the viewer is possible, the A-V medium is a one way medium.
This is the very reason it becomes a one-way medium which in the ultimate cultivates a ‘Passive audience.’
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Coming of the 'Powerful' Mass Media
A very simple definition of the now very loaded term "MASS"has a very simple explanation given in the Dictionary - a great body of people or nation.It is extremely easy to identify the characteristics of the "MASS".
1)heterogenous
2)unknown to one another
3) separated from one another and cannot exchange their experiences
4)no leadership in the MASS, a loose organization
This term has also led to the growth of a negative connotation- mass frenzy, mass fury, mass culture. Communication as a process is generally held to involve transfer of information from one person to another Communication is higher and easier among a people who have a set of common beliefs. A process which involves a degree of encoding and decoding-to acieve its ends - a common set of codes.
The concerns of Communication are centred on
1) Sources and receivers
2)Functions and purposes
3) Channels, languages, codes
4)Content,references, types of information
5) Consequences of information
Mass Media onstitutions are located in the public sphere.
Rise of Media
Print Media
1)movable type
2)multiple copies
3)commodity
4)multiple secular content
5) individual in use
6) publication freedom
Film
1) invention of leisure
2) propaganda role
3)message with entertainment
4)documentary
5)ideological
Radio
1) very large output
2) breaks literacy barrier
3) national and international character
4) public broadcasting
5) community radios, FMs
Television
1) audio-visual
2) shared viewing
3) public character
4) initially scope for regulation but now the 'Open skies' you can't build walls to stop air waves and signals
5) very diverse content for equally diverse viewers -'l-c-d' content
6) one way medium creates passive viewers
7) mediated reality
And now entertainment through the Internet treads both the 'MASS' and the 'Individual' pattern.
Interactive, personal use and more an individuated pattern in use. Hence an alteration of the traditional definition of Mass!The users are unknown so to that extent the receiver is unknown!
1)heterogenous
2)unknown to one another
3) separated from one another and cannot exchange their experiences
4)no leadership in the MASS, a loose organization
This term has also led to the growth of a negative connotation- mass frenzy, mass fury, mass culture. Communication as a process is generally held to involve transfer of information from one person to another Communication is higher and easier among a people who have a set of common beliefs. A process which involves a degree of encoding and decoding-to acieve its ends - a common set of codes.
The concerns of Communication are centred on
1) Sources and receivers
2)Functions and purposes
3) Channels, languages, codes
4)Content,references, types of information
5) Consequences of information
Mass Media onstitutions are located in the public sphere.
Rise of Media
Print Media
1)movable type
2)multiple copies
3)commodity
4)multiple secular content
5) individual in use
6) publication freedom
Film
1) invention of leisure
2) propaganda role
3)message with entertainment
4)documentary
5)ideological
Radio
1) very large output
2) breaks literacy barrier
3) national and international character
4) public broadcasting
5) community radios, FMs
Television
1) audio-visual
2) shared viewing
3) public character
4) initially scope for regulation but now the 'Open skies' you can't build walls to stop air waves and signals
5) very diverse content for equally diverse viewers -'l-c-d' content
6) one way medium creates passive viewers
7) mediated reality
And now entertainment through the Internet treads both the 'MASS' and the 'Individual' pattern.
Interactive, personal use and more an individuated pattern in use. Hence an alteration of the traditional definition of Mass!The users are unknown so to that extent the receiver is unknown!
Monday, February 12, 2007
NITHARI KILLINGS AND AFTE......
Sat with my eyeballs glued on to the TV screen while the Channel went to town calling for citizen response to the sceneoutside the Courts where the killers' of many innocent children were being brought. The lawyers had gone berserk because they were not allowed to enter the courtroom.
BUT, a few doubts and fears crossed my mind.
1) The early signs of patience running out with a corrupt police and ineffective judiciary was catching up.
2) The hurt of the parents who are closer to the brutal manner in which their children were handled.
3) In an attempt to be first with the news, it was 'breathless' reporting.
The last aspect left one wondering if such scenes would not sometimes lead to not so serious events being hijacked by the mob frenzy, and the law enforcing authority would have to merely stand and stare unable to control this fury.
With all the justification we accord to this manner of bringing the seriousness of an issue before us, one wondered if inactive, ruthless politicians should not wake up to this fury that revealed itself.
Elections and promises come and go with a regularity but at the end of the term a balance sheet is rarely drawn up. May be time is not far off when such fury will be directed against our 'netas' who mouth inanities, provide for many generations to come from the public coffers, live life as if all were born with a silver spoon, and Forget the common Man whom he is supposed to represent.
The 'first with the News' has its downside too!! It might have a ripple effect much to the detriment of a civil society.
BUT, a few doubts and fears crossed my mind.
1) The early signs of patience running out with a corrupt police and ineffective judiciary was catching up.
2) The hurt of the parents who are closer to the brutal manner in which their children were handled.
3) In an attempt to be first with the news, it was 'breathless' reporting.
The last aspect left one wondering if such scenes would not sometimes lead to not so serious events being hijacked by the mob frenzy, and the law enforcing authority would have to merely stand and stare unable to control this fury.
With all the justification we accord to this manner of bringing the seriousness of an issue before us, one wondered if inactive, ruthless politicians should not wake up to this fury that revealed itself.
Elections and promises come and go with a regularity but at the end of the term a balance sheet is rarely drawn up. May be time is not far off when such fury will be directed against our 'netas' who mouth inanities, provide for many generations to come from the public coffers, live life as if all were born with a silver spoon, and Forget the common Man whom he is supposed to represent.
The 'first with the News' has its downside too!! It might have a ripple effect much to the detriment of a civil society.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
There is more to a Visual than meets the eye...
Have you ever wondered why we go for films, go for spectacular events, watch TV?
It helps us take a break. It entertains. It shows us things we don't have a chance of otherwise experiencing. If these be some of the reasons. then all that the Media brings us must we well-received. But that does not happen?
The Media brings us pictures of the real, we are often told. But as the Media increases its presence in our lives, we'll find just as we learn to read between the lines, we will learn to see beyond the picture. That, in effect becomes a 'mediated reality', particularly in the case of the Television which brings the picture into our drawing rooms.
What really is taking place is, COMMUNICATION.
Why do we Communicate?
There can be plenty of answers - "I have something to say" and how we say it does matter. That is, when we speak we are communicating. when we use a Radio, TV , Computer, telephone or a writing tool, we are communicating.
In all this is involved 1) Non-Verbal Communication and 2) Verbal Communication
In Non-Verbal communication we have the early means of communication. Man, as he developed language and other means of communication, found there are different meanns of communicating, yet many are the occasions when we give meaning to a comment not purely for the way it is said, but also for the words used, the facial expression of the speaker, the body language of the speaker and our own perception of the speaker.
Thus you'll find that when we try to communicate it is not just words but at many levels meaning is put into the message.
In olden times, we have heard of the 'town crier' who went around the streets announcing a major event or the church bells announcing happy and unhappy events. That also was a means of Communication.
Think of the means of communicating
1) Drawings of the cave man
2) Sign language
3) Morse code (used in telegraphs)
4) Semaphore (using flags to convey messgaes between vessels out in the sea)
5) Human beings use their own face and body to communicate-anger, hostility, love, concern, friendliness, practically a lot of daily interaction does take place through non-verbal communication.
When 'Words' find expression thru speech or writing we have Verbal Communication . This opens up a host of possibilities to communicate between people which can be between 2 persons - dyadic communication, more than two which can be small group communication, public meetings.
We also communicate with ourselves this is called INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION.
Therefore in simple terms you have -Intra personal, Inter-personal, Small Group, Large Groups and finally Mass Communications when a MEDIUM helps you multiply a single Message (can be speech, debate, entertainment, commentaries and all that we see on TV, Radio and now computer-aided technology) to reach many people.
Mass Communication involves both Technology as it develops and elements of Human Communication, both of which are evolving constantly And, getting more sophisticated as well as capable of being manipulated according to the potential of the Technology and the ability of the USER.
It helps us take a break. It entertains. It shows us things we don't have a chance of otherwise experiencing. If these be some of the reasons. then all that the Media brings us must we well-received. But that does not happen?
The Media brings us pictures of the real, we are often told. But as the Media increases its presence in our lives, we'll find just as we learn to read between the lines, we will learn to see beyond the picture. That, in effect becomes a 'mediated reality', particularly in the case of the Television which brings the picture into our drawing rooms.
What really is taking place is, COMMUNICATION.
Why do we Communicate?
There can be plenty of answers - "I have something to say" and how we say it does matter. That is, when we speak we are communicating. when we use a Radio, TV , Computer, telephone or a writing tool, we are communicating.
In all this is involved 1) Non-Verbal Communication and 2) Verbal Communication
In Non-Verbal communication we have the early means of communication. Man, as he developed language and other means of communication, found there are different meanns of communicating, yet many are the occasions when we give meaning to a comment not purely for the way it is said, but also for the words used, the facial expression of the speaker, the body language of the speaker and our own perception of the speaker.
Thus you'll find that when we try to communicate it is not just words but at many levels meaning is put into the message.
In olden times, we have heard of the 'town crier' who went around the streets announcing a major event or the church bells announcing happy and unhappy events. That also was a means of Communication.
Think of the means of communicating
1) Drawings of the cave man
2) Sign language
3) Morse code (used in telegraphs)
4) Semaphore (using flags to convey messgaes between vessels out in the sea)
5) Human beings use their own face and body to communicate-anger, hostility, love, concern, friendliness, practically a lot of daily interaction does take place through non-verbal communication.
When 'Words' find expression thru speech or writing we have Verbal Communication . This opens up a host of possibilities to communicate between people which can be between 2 persons - dyadic communication, more than two which can be small group communication, public meetings.
We also communicate with ourselves this is called INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION.
Therefore in simple terms you have -Intra personal, Inter-personal, Small Group, Large Groups and finally Mass Communications when a MEDIUM helps you multiply a single Message (can be speech, debate, entertainment, commentaries and all that we see on TV, Radio and now computer-aided technology) to reach many people.
Mass Communication involves both Technology as it develops and elements of Human Communication, both of which are evolving constantly And, getting more sophisticated as well as capable of being manipulated according to the potential of the Technology and the ability of the USER.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
An All -Powerful Media.......
For all the ills in Society we have one whipping boy "THE MEDIA".
If violence is increasing in the world around you, it is the Media that is making it happen.
If politicians don't see eye-to-eye it is the Media that is responsible for the sad state.
If crimes rates are rising it's because the Media brings into our homes, enough action which keeps our adrenaline flowing and raises our ability to watch violence of all kinds on the small screen.
If families are breaking up because the Media creates a picture of 'reality' which may be difficult for men-women to attain in 'life'- it creates a 'visually appealing picture of life'(thru serials, ads etc) and raise frustration levels. this list can go on and on.
BUT is the Media or the Medium as much of an evil as we make them out to be?
The Media isn't as bad as it is made out to be, provided Man learns how to cope with it and does not allow it to lead you by the nose. 'Media dependence' is our own creation, and the result of other factors like the politics, economics and the manner in which different social groups use the Media.
A few points on "how" and "what" we have to be alerted to when use the Media/Medium.
Print Media-suited for the literate person.From the movable blocks to the printing of multiple copies of the same thing (beginning with the BIBLE), we see printing and publishing coming as an industry. Later you have Newspapers......(more later)
Technology alters the manner in which the Media serves us.
The Radio -- breaks the literacy barrier and b'comes a genuine 'Mass Medium' where technology helps transfer of the same 'message' from one "SOURCE" to many receivers through a "MEDIUM" to many "RECEIVERS". It became popular in the early 20th Century. (Hitler is supposed to have used the Radio to the maximum as a part of his Nazi propaganda machinery!)
The Television went a step further and brought the visual and the sound combination to our drawing rooms.
And now we have Satellite aided methods, the Internet making Communication a totaly different experience with multiple ways of using it.
I)The Media tells us 'look here' and often when our attention is turned there, we are in the 'dark' or 'kept in the dark'by the Media. B'cos we also learn to 'TRUST' the Printed Word and then start accepting that a powerful visual is more communicative than a 'thousand words'.
II)There is a constant race between 'Technology'(Media)and 'Reality'- opened up by the former leads to "mediated" representations. The Media begins to 'shape the reality' and in that manner earns the sobriquet of 'mindbenders', one 'selling lifestyles'etc.
III) As we see it now the Media is also an 'Advertiser's Medium'. Newspapers and Channels become a 'marketplace of different types of wares' and that is why sometimes it is called the "Advertiser's Medium".
If "NEWS" is what we got from the Media in the early years, now we are told "News is what appears between Advertisements".
The presence of the Media is something we cannot ignore. It has arrived. And, is here to stay.
If violence is increasing in the world around you, it is the Media that is making it happen.
If politicians don't see eye-to-eye it is the Media that is responsible for the sad state.
If crimes rates are rising it's because the Media brings into our homes, enough action which keeps our adrenaline flowing and raises our ability to watch violence of all kinds on the small screen.
If families are breaking up because the Media creates a picture of 'reality' which may be difficult for men-women to attain in 'life'- it creates a 'visually appealing picture of life'(thru serials, ads etc) and raise frustration levels. this list can go on and on.
BUT is the Media or the Medium as much of an evil as we make them out to be?
The Media isn't as bad as it is made out to be, provided Man learns how to cope with it and does not allow it to lead you by the nose. 'Media dependence' is our own creation, and the result of other factors like the politics, economics and the manner in which different social groups use the Media.
A few points on "how" and "what" we have to be alerted to when use the Media/Medium.
Print Media-suited for the literate person.From the movable blocks to the printing of multiple copies of the same thing (beginning with the BIBLE), we see printing and publishing coming as an industry. Later you have Newspapers......(more later)
Technology alters the manner in which the Media serves us.
The Radio -- breaks the literacy barrier and b'comes a genuine 'Mass Medium' where technology helps transfer of the same 'message' from one "SOURCE" to many receivers through a "MEDIUM" to many "RECEIVERS". It became popular in the early 20th Century. (Hitler is supposed to have used the Radio to the maximum as a part of his Nazi propaganda machinery!)
The Television went a step further and brought the visual and the sound combination to our drawing rooms.
And now we have Satellite aided methods, the Internet making Communication a totaly different experience with multiple ways of using it.
I)The Media tells us 'look here' and often when our attention is turned there, we are in the 'dark' or 'kept in the dark'by the Media. B'cos we also learn to 'TRUST' the Printed Word and then start accepting that a powerful visual is more communicative than a 'thousand words'.
II)There is a constant race between 'Technology'(Media)and 'Reality'- opened up by the former leads to "mediated" representations. The Media begins to 'shape the reality' and in that manner earns the sobriquet of 'mindbenders', one 'selling lifestyles'etc.
III) As we see it now the Media is also an 'Advertiser's Medium'. Newspapers and Channels become a 'marketplace of different types of wares' and that is why sometimes it is called the "Advertiser's Medium".
If "NEWS" is what we got from the Media in the early years, now we are told "News is what appears between Advertisements".
The presence of the Media is something we cannot ignore. It has arrived. And, is here to stay.
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