Seminar Report

On
MASS MEDIA
By
Kapil Sachan
( 1503310097 )

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of

B. Tech.
In
Computer Science and Engineering

Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology, Ghaziabad

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow

2018-2019
 ABSTRACT

The role of the mass media in shaping of youth socialization cannot be underestimated. The
mass media reach large numbers of the public via radio, television, newspapers and the
Internet. One of the most popular forms of media among the Russian youth is television due to
lots of extraordinary ideas and themes on youth telecasts. Moreover television is free of charge
and available to anyone. People with higher education prefer newspapers and magazines, as
they think that the government prints won’t give inadequate information. Besides reading
requires more intellectual efforts and abilities in analysis.

Elderly people rely on facts given over the wireless, because in the times of communism news
given over the radio was considered to be the honest truth.
Mass media have been a core social institution throughout modern history and in
contemporary life. The term “mass media” refers to an array of technological systems,
industries, cultural forms, and practices of production and consumption characterized by the
transmission of information from a few producers to large groups of consumers.
Technologically, mass media include the printing press, telegraphy, telephony, music
recording, film projection, radio and television transmission systems, and the World Wide
Web or internet.

Cultural forms associated with mass media include cinema, recorded popular music,
newspapers, broadcast journalism, popular literature, television programming, video games,
computer software, and advertisements.

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 Table of Contents

Chapter No. Title Page no.

1 Introduction 6
2 Discussion on Mass Media
2.1 Types of Mass Media 7
2.2 Function of Mass Media 8
2.3 Mass Media and Its Important 9
2.4 New Media versus Traditional Media 10
2.5 Information Delivery Method 11
2.6 Privacy Laws 12
3 Mass Media, New Technology and The Public 13
4 Advantage of Mass Media 14
5 Disadvantage of Mass Media 15
6 Conclusion 16
7 Reference 17

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 DECLARATION

I Kapil Sachan, Roll No. 1503310097, student of B.Tech. (Computer Science &Engineering)
declare that the Seminar Report entitled Mass Media is an authenticated work done by me.
I further declare that to the best of my knowledge the report does not certain any part of any
work which has been submitted elsewhere by any other person in any other
University/Institute/Organization for the award of any degree or diploma.

Date: 03/05/2019 (Signature of Student)

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In process of making this presentation on the topic Mass Media, I got to learn a lot about the
innovative technologies being used to make society more social and tell them how mass
media is useful for them and how can we safely use it as our requirements.
I would like to thank my guide Miss Payal Mishra ma’am for his constructive advice and
constant support and for this fantastic topic.
In the end I would like to thank my friends for their support in this and critical views to give
this presentation its present form.

Kapil Sachan
CSE,4th year
1503310097

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 1. Introduction

Think about this for a second: whenever you want to hear your favourite song, watch your
favourite show, or see the latest current events, where do you go? You more than likely turn
on your television, radio, or computer. The source that the majority of the general public uses
to get their news and information from is considered mass media.

Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary
means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most
common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the
Internet. The general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information
regarding political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture.

Mass media refers collectively to all media tools and technologies including the traditional
media (performing arts, folk theatre and puppetry), print media (newspapers, journals and
books), electronic media (radio, television and cinema) and new media (internet and
multimedia) which are used as means of mass communication. Mass media play a
significant role in shaping public perceptions on important social, political and economic
issues, both through the information that is dispensed through them, and through the
interpretations they place upon this information. Mass media also play a pivotal role in
shaping modern culture, by selecting and portraying a particular set of beliefs, values, and
traditions as reality. The term- ‘media" began to be used in the 1920s, but referred to
something that had its origins much further in the past. The invention of the printing press
in the late 15th Century gave rise to some of the first forms of mass communication, by
enabling the publication of books and newspapers on a scale much larger than that was
previously.

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 2. Discussion on Mass Media

2.1 Types of Mass Media:

The mass media fall into 3 categories based on the technology by which they are print
media, electronic and new media.

1. Print Media: The print media includes newspapers, magazines, brochures,

newsletters, books and even leaflets and pamphlets. Visual media like photography
can also be mentioned under this sub-head, since photography is an important mass
media, which communicates via visual representations. Although, it is said that the
electronic or new media have replaced the print media, there exists a majority of
audiences who prefer the print media for various communication purposes.

2. Electronic Media: For many people, it is impossible to imagine a life without their
television sets, be it the daily news dose or even the soap operas. This mass media
includes television and radio. This category also includes electronic media like
movies, CDs and DVDs as well as the new hottest electronic gadgets.

3. New Media: With the advent of new technologies like Internet, we are now enjoying
the benefits of high technology mass media, which is not only faster than the old-
school mass media, but also has a widespread range. Mobile phones, computers and
Internet are often referred to as the new-age media. Internet has opened up several
new opportunities for mass communication which include email, websites, blogging,
Internet TV and many other mass media which are booming today. This is the new
media.

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2.2 Function of Mass Media:

There are four major functions of mass media :-

 The first is for surveillance. This is to provide information about issues, events and
developments in society.
 The second is Media must interpret events and issues and ascribe meaning so that
individuals understand their roles in society. A term that best fits with correlation is
agenda setting, which means the media doesn’t tell you what to think, but what to
think about. Media tells you what is and isn’t important and to what degree, but that
will be covered in a later chapter.
 The third is cultural transmission. This is where the media aids the transference of
dominant cultures and subcultures from one generation to the next or to immigrants.
 The last and fourth function of mass media is to simply entertain.

According to Pavlik & McIntosh, there is a standard, overarching model for mass
communication that has been used since the invention of the first printing press. The model
has four main points :-
 The first is “communication flow is largely one-way, from sender or source to
receiver or audience”.
 The second is “communication is from one or a few too many”.
 The third is “communication is anonymous (sources generally do not know their
audiences and audience do not know the sources, except at a general level)”.
 The fourth is “audiences are largely seen as passive recipients of the messages
distributed by the media, with little opportunity for feedback and practically no
opportunity for immediate feedback or interaction with one another”.

So what does this all mean? This model refers to movies/films, books, newspapers,
television, radio, or any other form of mass media. It states that mass communication isn’t
interactive, audiences and senders are unknown to one another and it can only flow one way.
Digital media and convergence (terms that will be covered later in the chapter) of media
changes all of that. Consumers aren’t just passive.

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2.3 Mass Media and Its Important:

 “Media” is one of the most useful essences of human life. We speak of mass
media, of media revolution and of living in a media society. We are overloaded
with all these letters, sounds and films, pixels, headlines, jingles. When we use the
term media in this context we speak of print and electronic media, the so called
mass media. Media affect our modern life in nearly every way. With a turn of a
magazine page or an easy flip of the TV channel there at our disposal is a huge
array of potential identity replicas. In contemporary society, identity is
continuously unstable; it must be selected, constructed and created with reference
to inevitable surrounding media traditions.

 There are a variety of mediums from which people can pick and access information
from such as radio, TV, Internet, or even cell phones. Consequently, the media holds
a very powerful capacity to set a social issue for mass audience to assume and talk
about. Often, media do not intentionally set the agenda and resolve the pros and cons
of that particular matter, so it repeatedly causes terrible consequences towards public
as well as establishes ‘moral panics’, which can sometimes direct to mob violence.
This writing will argue that identity is a social construction, managed primarily by
the contemporary media and created in relation. An individual’s identity is formed
by society in which media plays a predominant role. There is a daily interactive
relationship between the subject and the object, that is, human agents and the
conditions of their subsistence, respectively. Theories of the individual emphasize on
differences between people and deem these differences as natural.

 Main work of media is to inform the people. This relates to our form of government:
In a democracy the “demos” now what goes on in the world as it is the one, that
decides. A modern democracy cannot work without the media which are an agent
between public and state, the Latin word ‘medius’ describes a status in the middle
and that is exactly where we can find media: between two entities of communication.

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2.4 New Media versus Traditional Media:

 Traditional media include printed materials (books, magazines, and newspapers),

broadcast communications (television and radio), film, and music. New media
include all forms of communication in the digital world, including electronic
video games, the Internet, and social media. The Internet has added a social aspect
to video gaming that has bridged the generation gap and opened up a whole new
audience for video game companies, including senior citizens and families. The
prevalence of the Internet in modern daily life affects us in nearly every way, from
how we receive our news, to the way we do business, conduct research, contact
friends and relatives, apply for jobs, and even how we watch television.

 New media frequently trump traditional media for three main reasons: They are
more immediate, are often free, and can reach a wider number of people. New
media have three major advantages over traditional media. First, it is immediate,
enabling consumers to find out the latest news, weather report, or stock prices at
the touch of a button. Digital music can be downloaded instantly, movies can be
ordered via cable or satellite on-demand services, and books can be read on e-
readers. In an increasingly fast-paced world, there is little need to wait for
anything. The second advantage is cost. Most online content is free, from blogs
and social networking sites to news and entertainment sources. Whether readers
are willing to pay for content once they are used to receiving it for free is
something that the The New York Times set to find out in 2011, when it introduces
a metered fee model for its online paper. So new media reach out to all people.

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2.5 Information Delivery Method:

 Information delivery methods to audiences include print (newspapers, books,

magazines), broadcast (radio, television), new media (Internet, social media,
blogs), and documentary films. When a big news story breaks, digital media
sources have the advantage of speed over traditional media sources—but are
not yet considered completely accurate or trustworthy. Established newspapers
and magazines still have the advantage of credibility. A big news story passes
through every media outlet, starting with the Internet and online newspapers,
moving to print newspapers, magazines, television, and radio, and finally on to
slower, more detailed types of media such as books and documentaries.

 Information delivery methods are changing. Most people still get their news
from local and national television stations, but the Internet is the third most
popular source of information, and its popularity is increasing. Smartphone
technology is making Internet news more portable, while social networking
sites provide a participatory aspect, enabling people to comment on or share
news stories of interest. The ability to customize social networking home pages
to filter news topics and sources is making news more personalized, allowing
consumers to read only the information that interests them.

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2.6 Privacy Law:

 Privacy issues have become increasingly important in recent years with the rise of
identity theft, workplace monitoring, and the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act
in 2001. The PATRIOT Act was signed in the wake of the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks. It gave the federal government extended surveillance rights,
including the ability to obtain roving wiretaps over multiple communication
devices, seize suspects’ records without their knowledge, monitor an individual’s
web-surfing and library records, and conduct surveillance of a person deemed to
be suspicious but without known ties to a terrorist group.

 Monitoring employees in the workplace has begun to stray outside of office hours,
and employees are now finding their social networking sites being scanned by
employers for offensive material. Inappropriate comments or photos on a social
networking site may negatively affect a person’s chance of finding a job if
employers use sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a means of screening
applicants. The issue of whether employers are allowed to discriminate against
employees based on their out-of-work activities has not been fully decided;
however, in general, anything that takes place on company property or on
company time may be scrutinized and used as a reason for dismissal.

 Some websites are attempting to restore privacy settings in light of recent scandals
in which personal information was divulged on the Internet. Google has
established an encrypted search facility that enables users to browse the web
without running the risk of sensitive information being intercepted. The
encryption also prevents websites from being stored on the computer’s history and
stops them from appearing on the AutoFill function during future searches.
However, the encryption is not entirely private because Google still retains a
record of search information.

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 3. Mass Media, New Technology and the Public

 The technology adoption life cycle offers a diffusion model of how people
accept new ideas and new technology. The model recognizes five categories of
participants: innovators, who tend to be experimentalists and are interested in
the technology itself; early adopters, who are technically sophisticated and are
interested in using the technology for solving professional and academic
problems; early majority, who constitute the first part of the mainstream,
bringing the new technology into common use; late majority, who are less
comfortable with the technology and may be sceptical about its benefits; and
laggards, who are resistant to the new technology and may be critical of its use
by others.

 When new technology is released in the market, it follows the technology

adoption life cycle. Innovators and early adopters want to be the first to own
the technology and are unconcerned about the cost, whereas mainstream
consumers wait to find out how popular or successful the technology will
become before buying it. As the technology filters into the mainstream, it
becomes cheaper and more user-friendly. Some people remain resistant to new
technology, however, which helps to control its development. Technological
flops such as Microsoft Bob and DIVX result from sceptical late adopters or
laggards refusing to purchase innovations that appear unlikely to become
commercially successful.

 As new technology transitions into the mainstream, traditional media outlets

have to adapt to the new technology to reach consumers. Recent examples
include the development of traditional media applications for the iPod, such as
newspaper, magazine, and television network apps.

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 4. Advantage of Mass Media

1. It educates people. Through television and radio programs, people get to learn
about health matters, environmental conservation, and much more.

2. People get the latest news in a very short time. Distance is not a barrier. People get
news daily through the media and this keeps them updated on the happenings around
the world.

3. People get to bring out their hidden talents. Through media showcase their
talents such as comedy, acting and singing.

4. Children’s knowledge increases. Children can learn from quiz programs, animal
programs and so on.

5. Radio is convenient as people do get short news and with a mobile phone one can
access it.

6. Great in promoting mass consumer products. This can in turn increase sales of the
product.

7. Serves as a good source of entertainment. People get entertained through music and
television programs.

8. Television allows electronic duplication of information. This reduces the

production cost making mass education possible.

9. Media leads to diffusion of different cultures. Media showcases different cultural

practices.

10. It helps people around the world to understand each other and embrace their
differences.

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 5. Disadvantage of Mass Media

1. It leads to individualism. People spend too much time on the internet and watching
television. As a result, socialization with friends, family and neighbours is affected.

2. Some media contents are not suitable for children. Limiting children’s access to
such content can be difficult.

3. Newspaper is geographically selective.

4. Increase in advertisements in television and radio is making them less attractive.

5. Internet as a form of media opens up possibilities of imposters, fraud and hacking.

6. Media can be addictive, e.g. some television programs and internet. This can lead to
decrease in people’s productivity.

7. Health problems. Prolonged watching of television can lead to eyesight problems

and radio listening using earphones exposes one to possible hearing defects.

8. It glamorizes drugs and alcohol. Some programs make the use of these things appear
cool’.

9. It can lead to personal injury. Some people decide to follow the stunts that are
showcased in the media. This can lead to injuries.

10. It can lead to ruin of reputation. It is possible for one to create an anonymous account.
Such accounts can be used to for malicious reasons such as spreading rumours. This
can lead to ruin of reputation of an individual or a company or an organisation.

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 6. Conclusion

All these changes in media and communication that have taken place over the last century are
due to a huge technological development. Furthermore, this is a cultural and technological
evolution and it is the nature of evolution that it accelerates. Therefore "the pace of change is
itself accelerating", according to Ray Kurzweil "the 20th century was like 25 years of change
at today’s rate of change. In the next 25 years we’ll make four times the progress you saw in
the 20th century. And we’ll make 20,000 years of progress in the 21st century, which is almost
a thousand times more technical change than what we saw in the 20th century".

“Technology is a drug.”

“We can’t get enough of it.”

We feed it to our kids and watch them grow on a forced diet of desensitisation. Switch on the
TV and someone will tell you 50,000 people died in India. Two seconds later you’re
watching a comedy. Technology can do that. It gives us simulated realities that make us
oblivious to the real world. Heroin does the same thing. So do most class a drugs. Basically
we are all addicts – addicted to the comfort and convenience that technology provides –
addicted to the notion that progress is directly related to the size of your computer screen,
when I look in front of me, I see two paths – spiritual or material. Two worlds – developed or
developing. You decide which is which and what is good for you and which is not.

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 7. References

1. Report of the Mass Media Task Group “Mass Media and the Technology”
2. www.google.com
3. www.wikipedia.com
4. www.studymafia.com

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