LU1: Understanding

the Nature of Mass

Media
COSC7312
Danille Janse van Vuuren

LU
Objectives

LO1: Critically discuss the statement the

power of the radio can be compared only with
the power of the atomic bomb
LO2: Discuss Lazarsfeld and Mertons 3 social
functions of mass media
LO3: Explain what is meant by social
conformism
LO4: Critically discuss how mass media has
impacted upon popular taste
LO5: Discuss the 3 building blocks of media
literacy
LO6: Discuss the 4 dimensions of media
literacy
LO7: Explain the 7 skills most relevant to media
literacy using South African examples

Material
used for
this LU

YOUR module guide, pp.18-22

YOUR prescribed book: pp.1-46

The Mass
Media

 The purpose of this LU is to take you on a

journey of exploring the intricacies of the
mass communications context

Learning
Unit Intro

You will need to assess 2 essays

The first focuses on the role of mass
media on society
The second is devoted to the concept of
media literacy

LU1
Learning
Objective

=
Critically discuss the
statement the power of the
radio can be compared only
with the power of the atomic
bomb (Module guide, p. 18

[T]he power
of the radio
can be
compared
only with the
power of the
atomic bomb
(Module guide, p. 18
and Text book, pp.2021)

This refers to the mass medias impact just

like the atomic bomb on society/world
This impact is of a political, cultural, social
and economic (business) nature

[T]he power
of the radio
can be
compared
only with the
power of the
atomic bomb
(Module guide, p. 18
and Text book, pp.2021)

On the one hand, the power of the media to

persuade individuals to change their opinions,
attitudes and behaviour is just as powerful as the
atomic bomb
Generally speaking the media is seen as a
powerful instrument like the atomic bomb
that is used for good or bad ends
It is how it is used that makes it good or bad
Thus, control plays a focal point
Think about the governments that control
atomic (nuclear) power?
Are these the same countries that control the
media? Or at least the content of popular taste?

[T]he power
of the radio
can be
compared
only with the
power of the
atomic bomb
(Module guide, p. 18
and Text book, pp.2021)

On the other hand, the power of the media to shape

the attitudes, opinions and behaviour of society is
another means of controlling us
This is referred to as social control which is
exercised by the most powerful interest groups in
society
The atomic bomb was used for political ends in war
essentially to control the war
How is the mass media being used to meet political
ends propaganda and PR!
The mass media has been used for decades (and
today) as a tool to manipulate, control and exploit
(just like in war)

But are we at war?

Lazarsfeld
and
Mertons 3
concerns
with Mass
Media (Text
book, pp.20-21)

1. Fearfulness of the ubiquity

(omnipresence) and potential power of
the mass media do we truly recognise and
understand the power of the mass media?
2. The effect of mass media upon audiences
critical faculties, such as thinking, which
inevitably lead to unthinking conformism
(passive media users)
3. Mass media advancements may lead to the
deterioration of esthetical tastes
(indigenous/unique)

Class
Activity

Mass Media

LU1
Learning
Objective

Discuss Lazarsfeld and Mertons 3

social functions of mass media (Text
book, pp.23-26)

The 3 Social
Functions of
Mass Media:

1. The Status Conferral Function

2. The Enforcement of Social
Norms
3. The Narcotizing of
Dysfunction

1. The Status
Conferral
Function (Text
book, pp.23-24)

The mass media confers

status on public issues,
persons, organisations and
social movements
The media tells us who or
what demands favourable
attention
This is done by bestowing a prestige of
authority onto individuals by legitimising
their status
In such the favourable individual then
legitimises the media (see the cycle?)
For example celebrities offering testimony
of a media product (Beckham and
IPhone)

2. The
Enforcement
of Social
Norms (Text
book, pp. 24-25)

The mass media enforces

predominant social norms
Who dictates social norms
powerful interests groups?
governments? media
institutions? elites?
Regardless of who the media clearly serve
to reaffirm social norms by exposing
deviations from these norms to the public
Take for example 1920s-1950s Housewives
adverts (next slide)

3. The
Narcotizing
of
Dysfunction
(Text book, pp.2526)

Refers to the process

where the media is
seen as a narcotic
and its audience the
user
The impact of this social
function has gone largely
unnoticed
Here, large numbers of society have
become apathetic and inert (passive)
It is believed that a flood of information
has resulted in a narcotic state rather
than an energised state
Consequently, social action is not

LU1
Learning
Objective

Explain what is meant by social

conformism (Text book, pp.26-27)

Social conformism??

(Text book,

pp.26-27)

Refers to the approval (passive

acceptance) of the present social
structure by society
Here the media dictates the
extend of the social structure
In other words the status quo
And we passively accept it
Thus, the media restrains society
from developing a genuine
critical outlook
We are all social conformists

LU1
Learning
Objective

Critically discuss how mass media has

impacted upon popular taste (Text book,
pp.27-30)

What is the mass medias impact

on popular taste? (Text book, pp.27-30)

Popular tastes have changed

over the centuries (think
Victorian compared to
contemporary)
Mass media has made
possible mass education, mass
arts and mass communication
Thus, the mass media has a
direct impact on popular taste
What this impact is we are not
entirely sure
However, some believe this

Is this decline a result from

the mass media having
robbed the intellectual and
artistic elite or is it pressure
placed on the creative
individuals to cater to mass
tastes?
Has popular taste become
superficial or esthetic?
Has the mass media
standardised popular taste?
Has it degraded popular
taste?
What do you think?

Class
Activity

Mass Media
and Social
Norms

 HOME STUDY:
The rest of LU1
(the Media
Literacy reading)

For our next

lecture

In addition,
complete revision
exercises
Do not forget to
engage with your
additional
reading material

Definition: [A] set of perspectives that

we actively use to expose ourselves to
the media to interpret the meaning of the
messages we encounter (Potter, n.d,
p.42)
Two main characteristics: (1) media
literacy is multi dimensional and (2)
media literacy is a continuum (pp.43-44)

LU1
Learning
Objective

Discuss the 3 building blocks of media

literacy (Text book, pp.36-39)

There are 3 essential building

blocks of media literacy (Text
book, pp.36-39):

1. Personal Locus: your

position/goals
2. Knowledge Structures: the raw
materials such as information and
knowledge that you have
3. Skills: are the tools that you use

1.

Personal Locus

Or personal position
Is composed of your goals and drives
Goals determine your filters
The more aware you are of your goals the
more direct your info seeking will be
However, if your locus is weak you will
default to media control

The locus operates in 2 modes: conscious

and unconscious

Text book,
pp.36-37

The more you know about your locus and

the more you make conscious decisions to
shape it the more you control the info
gathering process and in turn you
increase your media literacy

2.

Knowledge Structures:
Are sets of organised info

Made by carefully crafting pieces of info into a structure

We rely on a set of skills to mine through large chunks of
facts
We shape facts into info and fit them into their structures
This knowledge structure helps us see patterns in info
We use these patters as maps to either find new info or
build on existing info
Media literacy requires an ability and habit of
transforming info into knowledge structures

Knowledge structures provide the context we use to

make sense of media messages
The more knowledge structures you have the better able
you are to see the bigger picture

Text book,
pp.37-39

In addition, we need strong knowledge structures in 5

areas: media effects, media content, media industries,
the real world, and the self

3.

Skills:

Skills are the tools that people develop through

practice
The more you practice your skills the better they
become
Without practice they become weaker which
makes it easier for the media to control you
There are

skills most relevant to media literacy

(discussed further later on)

We do not only use these skills for media literacy

but in other areas of our lives

Once you are proficient in the different skills you

are better equipped to encounter media messages

Text book,
p.39

The challenge for becoming media literate is to

become better at each of these skills

LU1
Learning
Objective

Discuss the 4 dimensions of media

literacy (Text book, pp.36-39)

The cognitive dimension: refers to factual info

such as dates, names and definitions which reside in
the brain (p.43)
The emotional dimension: contains info about
feelings such as love, anger, happiness and hate.
People show different emotions when exposed to the
media (p.43)
The aesthetic dimension: contains info about how to
produce messages. We use this info to base our
judgements of media (pp.43-44)
The moral dimension: contains info about values
which reside in our conscious or soul. We use this info
to make judgements about right or wrong. We use this
dimension to judge our values/principles against that
of the media (p.44)

LU1
Learning
Objective

Explain the 7 skills most relevant to

media literacy using South African
examples (Text book, pp.39-42)

7 skills of media literacy

1. Analysis
2. Evaluation
3. Grouping
4. Induction
5. Deduction
6. Synthesis
7. Abstracting

1. Analysis: is the breaking down of a message into

meaningful elements. We can either meekly accept media
messages or we can dig deeper and examine its content
and intended meaning (p.39)
. SA example:
2. Evaluation: is making a judgement about the value of
something. This judgment is based by comparing a
message to a standard. We can either meekly accept a
media message or we can choose to compare it to our own
body of knowledge and standard of values (pp.39-40)
SA example:
3. Grouping: is determining which elements are alike
and which are not and grouping them together. It is
important to apply a classification rule (like a theme). The
media tries to apply classification rules for us. We must
make an effort to determine which classification rules
best suit our perception of the world (p.41)
SA example:

4. Induction: refers to the process of inferring a pattern across a

small number of elements and than generalising that pattern to all
elements in a larger set. People tend to use elements in the media to
infer patterns in real life (i.e. if boys see violence on TV they will act it
out rather than rightfully blaming domestic violence) (p.41)
SA example:
5. Deduction: is using general principles to explain particulars.
When we have faulty general principles we will explain
occurrences in a faulty manner. Many wrongfully deduce that the
media only has negative effects on society (p.42)
SA example:
6. Synthesis: assembling elements into a new structure. As we
learn new info we must analyse it (useful, credible and interest) and
assemble it into new or existing structures. Continuous process of
reformulating, refining and updating (p.42)
SA example:
7. Abstracting: is creating a brief, simplified and accurate
description of a message. The idea here is to capture the
essence of a media message in as few words as possible (p.42)
SA example:

LU1
Learning
Objectiv
e

Evaluate the advantages of developing

a higher degree of media literacy (Text
book, pp.45-46)

There are 3 advantages of developing a higher

degree of media literacy (Text book, pp.45-46)

1. Appetite for a wider variety of media messages:

media literacy grows ones appetite for a wider variety of
media messages
2. More self-programming of mental codes: media
literacy provides people with knowledge about how to
programme their own mental codes
3. More control over the media: it provides people with
the skills to exercise more control over the media

Class
Activi
ty

Media
Literacy

 HOME STUDY:
LU2

For our next

lecture

In addition,
complete
revision
exercises
Do not forget to
engage with
your additional
reading
material
Access material from:
http://communicationscience7312.weebly.com