Syllabus

Communication and Social Change

Social Change meaning
Media as a catalyst for social change
Social Movement examples

SOCIAL CHANGE

Social changes are variations from the accepted modes of life whether due to alteration in
geographical conditions, in cultural equipment, composition of the population or
ideologies, whether brought about by diffusion or inventions with the groups. Social
changes is a universal social phenomenon. It is a phenomenon of transformation. The
nature is never at rest. It is changeful. Change is ever present in the world, because change
is the Law of Nature. Society is subject to constant changes. Social change has occurred in
all societies and at all times. Of all the objects we study, none changes before our very eyes
as the society itself. Incessant changeability is the very inherent nature of the human
society. Individuals may strive for security and stability, societies may faster an illusion of
permanence and the belief in eternity may persist unshaken. Yet the fact remains true that
society like all other phenomenon changes inevitably. Society is influenced by many forces
and factors that irresistibly cause changes. India of today is different from the India of
yesterday; what it is going to be tomorrow is hence, difficult to predict. In course of a
decade or two, significant changes can and do occur in human society. The territory which
the sociologist explores, changes even as he explores it. This fact has an important bearing
both on his methods and on his results. Here at least we can seek the principles of eternal
change. What then, do we mean by change and social change?

Social change is an eternal social phenomenon. Sociologist M E Jones has remarked that,
"social change is a term used to describe variations or modifications of any aspect of social
processes, social patterns, social interactions, or social organization". Change is a universal
phenomenon because it is believed that the whole cosmos is constantly in flux. The literal
meaning of change is the transformation of an idea or object of its present form. The change
can be observed according to three points, i.e., object, time and variation. In brief, social
change means a chance in social relationships.

The human composition of societies changes over time, technologies expand, ideologies
and values take on new components; institutional functions and structures undergo
reshaping. Hence, no society remains complete static. Incessant changeability is very
inherent nature of human society.

A social structure is a nexus of present relationships. It exists because social beings seek to
maintain it. It continues to exist because men demand its continuance. But the existing
social structure is influenced by many factors and forces that inevitably cause it to change.
Society is thus subject to continuous change.
The change of man and society has been the central and quite dominant concern of
sociology right from the time when it emerged as branch of learning. The concern for social
change is of great importance not only in studying past changes but also in investigating
‘future’ developments.

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The term social change is used to indicate the changes that take place in human
interactions and interrelations. Society is a web of social relationships and hence social
change means change in the system of social relationships. These are understood in terms
of social processes and social interactions and social organization. Auguste Comte the
father of Sociology outlined the structure of the society and sought to know its causes.
According to Morris Ginsberg social change is a change in the social structure.

Social change is a structural transformation of political, social and economic systems and
institutions to create a more equitable and just society and it is a universal phenomenon
that occurs in every society. Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of
a social group or society; a change in the nature, social institutions, social behaviours
or social relations of a society. Change is inevitable and it takes place in all fields. The
term “social change” is often used to describe variations in, or, modifications of any respect
of social process, social patterns, social interaction or social organization.

Social change is a very basic term and must be assigned further context. It may refer to the
notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution; the philosophical idea that society
moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change
in the socio-economic structure, for instance a shift away from feudalism and towards
capitalism. Accordingly, it may also refer to social revolution, such as the Communist
revolution presented in Marxism, or to other social movements, such as Women's suffrage
or the Civil rights movement. Social change may be driven by cultural, religious, economic,
scientific or technological forces.

Characteristics of Social Change:

1. Social Change is Social:

Society is a “web of social relationships” and hence social change obviously means a change
in the system of social relationships. Social relationships are understood in terms of social
processes and social interactions and social organizations. Thus, the term social change is
used to describe variation in social interactions, processes and social organizations. Only
that change can be called social change whose influence can be felt in a community form.
The changes that have significance for all or considerable segment of population can be
considered as social change.

2. Social Change is Universal:

Change is the universal law of nature. The social structure, social organization and social
institutions are all dynamic. Social change occurs in all societies and at all times. No society
remains completely static. Each society, no matter how traditional and conservative, is
constantly undergoing change. Just as man’s life cannot remain static, so does society of all
places and times. Here adjustment take place and here conflict breaks down adjustment.
Here there is revolution and here consent. Here men desire for achieving new goals, and
here they return to old ones.

3. Social Change occurs as an Essential law:

Change is the law of nature. Social change is also natural. Change is an unavoidable and
unchangeable law of nature. By nature we desire change. Our needs keep on changing to
satisfy our desire for change and to satisfy these needs, social change becomes a necessity.
The truth is that we are anxiously waiting for a change.

4. Social Change is Continuous:

Society is an ever-changing phenomenon. It is undergoing endless changes. It is an
“ongoing process”. These changes cannot be stopped. Society is subject to continuous
change. Here it grows and decays, there it finds renewal, accommodates itself to various
changing conditions. Society cannot be preserved in a museum to save it from the ravages
of time. From the dawn of history, down to this day, society has been in flux.

Social change manifests itself in different stages of human history. In ancient times when
life was confined to caves (Stone Age), the social system was different from that of the
computer age today. There is no fixity in human relationships. Circumstances bring about
many a change in the behaviour patterns.

5. Social Change Involves No-Value Judgement:

Social change does not attach any value judgement. It is neither moral nor immoral, it is
amoral. The question of “what ought to be” is beyond the nature of social change. The study
of social change involves no-value judgement. It is ethically neutral. A correct decision on
what is empirically true is not the same as correct decision on what ought to be.

6. Social Change is Bound by Time Factors:

Social change is temporal. It happens through time, because society exists only as a time-
sequences. We know its meaning fully only by understanding it through time factors. For
example, the caste system which was a pillar of stability in traditional Indian society, is now
undergoing considerable changes in the modern India. There was less industrialisation in
India during 50s. But in 90s, India has become more industrialized. Thus, the speed of
social change differs from age to age. The reason is that the factors which cause social
change do not remain uniform with the changes in time.

7. Rate and Tempo of Social Change is Uneven:

Though social change is a must for each and every society, the rate, tempo, speed and
extent of change is not uniform. It differs from society to society. In some societies, its
speed is rapid; in another it may be slow. And in some other societies it occurs so slowly
that it may not be noticed by those who live in them. For example, in the modern, industrial
urban society the speed and extent of change is faster than traditional, agricultural and
rural society.
8. Definite Prediction of Social Change is Impossible:
It is very much difficult to make out any prediction on the exact forms of social change. A
thousand years ago in Asia, Europe and Latin America the face of society was vastly
different from that what exists today. But what the society will be in thousand years from
now, no one can tell.

But a change there will be. For example, industrialisation and urbanisation has brought
about a series of interrelated changes in our family and marriage system. But we cannot
predict the exact forms which social relationships will assume in future. Similarly, what
shall be our ideas, attitudes and value in future, it is unpredictable.

9. Social Change Shows Chain-Reaction Sequences:

Society is a dynamic system of interrelated parts. Changes in one aspect of life may induce a
series of changes in other aspects. For example, with the emancipation of women, educated
young women find the traditional type of family and marriage not quite fit to their liking.

They find it difficult to live with their parents-in-law, obeying the mother-in-law at every
point. They desire separate homes. The stability of marriages can no longer be taken for
granted. The changing values of women force men to change their values also. Therefore,
society is a system of interrelated parts. Change in its one aspect may lead to a series of
changes in other aspects of the society.

10. Social Change takes place due to Multi-Number of Factors:

Social change is the consequence of a number of factors. A special factor may trigger a
change but it is always associated with other factors that make the triggering possible.
Social change cannot be explained in terms of one or two factors only and that various
factors actually combine and become the ’cause’ of the change. M. Ginsberg observes: “A
cause is an assemblage of factors which, in interaction with each other, undergo a change”.
There is no single master key by which we can unlock all the doors leading to social change.
As a matter of fact, social change is the consequence of a number of factors.

11. Social Changes are Chiefly those of Modifications or of Replacement:

Social changes may be considered as modifications or replacements. It may be modification
of physical goods or social relationships. For example, the form of our breakfast food has
changed. Though we eat the same basic materials such as meats, eggs corn etc. which we
ate earlier, their form has been changed. Ready-to-eat cornflakes, breads, omelets are
substituted for the form in which these same materials were consumed in earlier years.
Further, there may be modifications of social relationships. For example, the old
authoritarian family has become the small equalitarian family. Our attitudes towards
women’s status and rights, religion, co-education etc. stand modified today.

12. Social Change may be Small-scale or Large-scale:

A line of distinction is drawn between small-scale and large scale social change. Small-scale
change refers to changes within groups and organizations rather than societies, culture or
civilization. According W.E. Moore, by small-scale changes we shall mean changes in the
characteristics of social structures that though comprised within the general system
identifiable as a society, do not have any immediate and major consequences for the
generalised structure (society) as such.

13. Short-term and Long-term Change:

The conceptualization of the magnitude of change involves the next attribute of change, the
time span. That is to say, a change that may be classified as ‘small-scale from a short-term
perspective may turn out to have large-scale consequences when viewed over a long period
of time, as the decreasing death rate since the 1960 in India exemplifies.

14. Social Change may be Peaceful or Violent:

At times, the attribute ‘peaceful’ has been considered as practically synonymous with
‘gradual’ and ‘violent’ with ‘rapid’. The term ‘violence’ frequently refers to the threat or use
of physical force involved in attaining a given change. In certain sense, rapid change may
‘violently’ affect the emotions, values and expectations of those involved.

15. Social Change may be Planned or Unplanned:

Social change may occur in the natural course or it is done by man deliberately. Unplanned
change refers to change resulting from natural calamities, such as famines and floods,
earthquakes and volcanic eruption etc. So social change is called as the unchangeable law of
nature. The nature is never at rest. Planned social change occurs when social changes are
conditioned by human engineering. Plans, programmes and projects are made by man in
order to determine and control the direction of social change.

Besides that by nature human beings desire change. The curiosity of a man never rests;
nothing checks his desire to know. There is always a curiosity about unknown. The needs
of human beings are changing day by day. So to satisfy these needs they desire change.

16. Social Change may be Endogenous or Exogenous:

Endogenous social change refers to the change caused by the factors that are generated by
society or a given subsystem of society. Conflict, communication, regionalism etc. are some
of the examples of endogenous social change.

On the other hand, exogenous sources of social change generally view society as a basically
stable, well-integrated system that is disrupted or altered only by the impact of forces
external to the system (e.g., world situation, wars, famine) or by new factors introduced
into the system from other societies. For example, technological transfer and brain drain,
political and cultural imperialism may lead to the diffusion of cultural traits beyond the
limits of single societies.

17. Change Within and Change of the System:

The distinction between kinds of change has been developed by Talcott Parsons in his
analysis of change ‘within’ and change ‘of the system, i.e., the orderly process of ongoing
change within the boundaries of a system, as opposed to the process resulting in changes of
the structure of the system under consideration. Conflict theorists draw our attention to
the fact that the cumulative effect of change ‘within’ the system may result in a change ‘of’
the system.

Fundamental changes brought by technology in social structure:

1. Birth of Factory System:

The introduction of machines in the industry has replaced the system of individual
production by the factory or mill system. It has led to the creation of huge factories which
employ thousands of people and where most of the work is performed automatically.

2. Urbanisation:
The birth of gigantic factories led to urbanisation and big cities came into existence. Many
labourers, who were out of employment in rural areas migrated to the sites to work and
settled around it. As the cities grew, so did the community of ‘labourers and with it was felt
the need for all civic amenities which are essential for society. Their needs were fulfilled by
establishing market centers, schools, colleges, hospitals, and recreation clubs. The area
further developed when new business came to it with the formation of large business
houses.

3. Development of New Agricultural Techniques:

The introduction of machinery into the industry led to the development of new techniques
in agriculture. Agricultural production was increased due to the use of new chemical
manure. The quality was also improved by the use of superior seeds. All these factors
resulted in increase of production. In India, the effect of technology is most apparent in this
direction because India is preeminently an agricultural country.

4. Development of Means of Transportation and Communication:

With the development of technology, means of transportation and communication
progressed at a surprising rate. These means led to the mutual exchanges between the
various cultures. Newspapers, radios, televisions etc. helped to bring news from every
corner of the world right into the household. The development of the car, rail, ship and
aeroplane made transportation of commodities much easier. As a result, national and
international trade made unprecedented progress.

5. Evolution of New Classes:

Industrialisation and urbanisation gave birth to the emergence of new classes in modern
society. Class struggle arises due to division of society into classes having opposite-
interests.

6. New Conceptions and Movements:

The invention of mechanism has also culminated in the generation of new currents in the
prevalent thinking. ‘Trade Union’ movements, ‘Lockouts’, ‘Strikes”, “Hartals’, ‘Processions’,
‘Pen down’ became the stocks-in-trade of those who want to promote class interest. These
concepts and movements become regular features of economic activity.
The effects of technology on major social institution may be summed up in the following
manner:

Family:
Technology has radically changed the family organisation and relation in several ways.

Firstly, small equalitarian nuclear family system based on love, equality, liberty and
freedom is replacing the old, authoritarian joint family system. Due to invention of birth,
control method, the size of family reduced.

Secondly, Industrialisation destroying the domestic system of production has brought

women from home to the factories and office. The employment of women meant their
independence from the bondage of man. If brought a change in their attitudes and ideas. It
meant a new social life for women. It consequently affected every part of the family life.

Thirdly due to technology, marriage has lost its sanctity. It is now regarded as civil contract
rather than a religious sacrament. Romantic marriage, inter-caste marriage and late
marriages are the effects of technology. Instances of divorce, desertion, separation and
broken families are increasing.

Lastly, though technology has elevated the status of women, it has also contributed to the
stresses and strains in the relations between men and women at home. It has lessened the
importance of family in the process of socialisation of its members.

Religion:
Technology has effected wide range of changes in our religious life. Many religious
practices and ceremonies which once marked the individual and social life, have now been
abandoned by them. With the growth of scientific knowledge and modern education, the
faith of the people in several old religious beliefs and activities have shaken.

Economic life:
The most striking change due to technological advance, is the change in economic
organisation. Industry has been taken away from the household and new types of economic
organisation like factories, stores, banks, joint stock companies, stock-exchanges, and
corporation have been setup. It has given birth to capitalism with all its attendant evils.

Division of labour, specialization of function, differentiation and integration all the

products of technology. Though it has brought in higher standard of living, still then by
creating much more middle classes, it has caused economic depression, unemployment,
poverty, industrial disputes and infectious diseases.

Effects on State:
Technology has affected the State in several ways. The functions of the State has been
widened. A large number of functions of family, such as educative, recreation, health
functions have been transferred to the State.
The idea of social welfare State is an offshoot of technology. Transportation and
communication are leading to a shift of functions from local Government to the Central
Government. The modern Government which rule through the bureaucracy have further
impersonalised the human relations.

Social life:
Technological innovations have changed the whole gamut of social and cultural life. The
technological conditions of the modern factory system tend to weaken the rigidity of the
caste system and strengthen industrializations. It has changed the basis of social
stratification from birth to wealth. Urbanization, a consequence of technological advance,
produces greater emotional tension and mental strain, instability and economic insecurity.

There is masking of one’s true feelings. Socially, the urbanites are poor in the midst of
plenty. “They feel lonely in the crowd”. On all sides, one is confronted with “human
machines which possess motion but not sincerity, life but not emotion, heart but not
feelings”. Technology has grown the sense of individualism. It has substituted the ‘handi
work’ with ‘head work’.

It is clear from the above explanation that technology has profoundly altered our modes of
life and also thought. It is capable of bringing about vast changes in society. But is should
not be considered as a sole factor of social change. Man is the master as well as a servant of
the machine. He has the ability to alter the circumstances which have been the creation of
his own inventions or technology.

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Main factors which affect social change can be discussed a follows:

1. Natural Factors:
Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society.
Although human beings have made tremendous progress during the last 150 years or so,
yet they have not been able to wield full control over the nature.

A storm, earthquake, flood, drought, disease and similar natural events even today can
disrupt the social system. Natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, draughts, famines
and other natural disasters always force changes in the social conditions and life of the
affected people.

On the one hand these factors and forces act as a source of big loss for the victims; on the
other hand these initiate efforts aimed at rapid reconstruction and development. As such,
the natural factors can on the one hand, cause havoc in physical conditions of social life,
these may also affect the social conditions in a positive way.

Large scale floods in Pakistan in August 2010 inflicted very heavy losses on more than 10
million people of the country. At the same time, these gave rise to very comprehensive
human attempts at socio-economic reconstruction and development. Haiti is now getting
rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 2010.

2. Geographical Factors of Social Change:

The geographical conditions always affect the social system and act as factors of social
change. The cultural life of the people depends upon the physical environment. Progress
also depends upon the availability of natural resources, their exploitation and how are
these being recouped and preserved.

The climate always affects the socio-economic activities of the people. For instance, there is
little economic activity at both poles (North and South) due to intense and long spells of
cold the speed of social change remains negligible. On the other hand, there is always an
intense activity in temperate regions (neither too cold nor too warm), and consequently
the speed of social changes is quite fast.

It is necessary to remember that physical environment changes slowly and in a society

social change can come at a fast rate. As such geographic factors are not the sole
determining factors of social change.

3. Biological Factors:
Biological factors also affect social change. Biological factors are those factors which
determine the structure, selection and hereditary qualities of generations. The human
element is ever changing. Each new generation is different from previous generation. It is
different in form, ideas and in many other ways from the one gone before.

4. Demographic Factors:
The Demographic factors always influence the process and nature of Social Change. The
population increase or decrease always brings social problems. When the birth-rate in a
society exceeds death-rate, population begins to rise. A constantly rising population gives
birth to poverty, unemployment, disease and several other related problems.

On the other hand, a low birth-rate means leads to decrease in the size of the population.
When population is low, there are fewer skilled hands available, and the country cannot
make full use of the natural resources. The social conditions deteriorate the size of families
shrink and it affects the social relations.

Even the sex ratio of in a society greatly influences social order. When in a society the
number of women is more than men, the custom of polygamy sets in. On the contrary, if
there are more men than women, it often gives rise to polyandry. When women outnumber
men, dowry system becomes common, when men outnumber women the custom of bride
valuation starts.

Falling ratio of females in society always creates a dangerous imbalance in society.

Population always influences social institutions, relations, social structure, values and
ideals. Demographic factors have large and profound bearing on the society as well as on
the process of social change.

5. Socio-economic Factors:
The economic factors constitute an important factor of social change. Marx said that the
entire social structure of a country is determined by economic factors i.e the means of
production and distribution of material means of production and distribution. When there
are changes in the means of production i.e the material productive forces of society, it is
always changes the social organization.

The birth of the institutions of marriage and family took place under the influence of the
means of production of material means of livelihood. With the birth of family wealth and
possessions became important.

When the society graduated to agricultural stage, the social organization grew more
complex. People settled down at a particular place for raising crops. Life became stable and
located and the villages came into being. Agriculture gave rise to allied industries. With the
division of labour the society got divided into several classes. The institution of kingship
and feudalism was born during this period.

6. Cultural Factors:
The cultural factors also play a role in bringing about social change. Our social life depends
upon our beliefs, ideas, values, customs, conventions, institutions and the like. When there
is a change in these, it influences the social life. For example, let us (consider the system of
marriage. To begin with, the ceremonies were religious and people regarded marriage as
something sacred and irrevocable.

Today we hold a different view. Marriage is held be good for personal comfort. It has
affected the thinking in favour of irrevocability of marriage and consequently the number
of divorcees has registered a big increase.

The view regarding the issues (children born out of marriage) has undergone a change.
Today all western societies have been living with children born to unwed mothers and
children belonging to broken families. In India, the mad love of a male child and the short-
sighted view of girl-child as a burden have together given rise to the evil and inhuman and
dangerous, practice of female feticide. The pressures of modern industrial culture have
forced the people to practice small family norms.

7. Science and Technology as factors of Social Change:

In contemporary times science and technology happens to be the most important factor of
social change. New scientific inventions and technologies always greatly influence the
social life. Mechanisation brings changes in the economic structure and relations. This
leads to a change in old values, norms and ideals. Technology brings about changes in the
physical environment and the material culture of each society which in turn gives birth to
social change.
OTHER FACTORS:

(i) Means of Communications:

For the last so many years, Indian education suffered a lot for want of communication.
Schools were scattered at far of distances. As a result of which many deserving and
desirous students could not get the benefit of education. Further difficulties arose because
of the fact that some regions were thinly populated and had a population of less than 150
persons to the square mile.

(ii) Growth of Cities and Changing Population:

Another important factor responsible for social change in India is growth of cities and rate
of population. People from rural areas migrating to the urban areas being attracted by new
industries

(iii) Growth of Mass Media of Propaganda:

Another agency of social change in the emerging Indian society is the growth of mass media
of propaganda. Because of this development, there is spread of new ideas and beliefs. The
sizeable growth of newspapers, periodicals, books and press work as a powerful factor in
building and developing social consciousness among the educated people of our country

(iv) Social Legislation and Social Awakening:

The development of new social awakening is leading the Indian society to a welcome
change in the attitude of the people. In the past, the Indian laws and customs had religious
sanctions. For instance, the minimum age for marriage.

(v) Philosophy of Humanism:

Because of the change in social outlook; the old cultural and caste ridden prejudices are
vanishing day by day. Now people proclaim the value of human national character. Thus
education helps for the progress of humanism in our country.

(vi) Development of Prestige Value of Education:

As a result of change, education has developed a prestige value in the society. Educated
people are respected everywhere in the country. It encourages the parents to educate their
children.

(vii) Economic Worth of Education:

Till recently, education was considered as a non-productive activity. The doors of the
temples of learning were opened for the rich people. For the common people, education
was a 'closed shop'. With the dawn of independence, education is considered to be the No. 1
nation-building activity, as it is realized that country's greatness depends on the quality
and quantity of education.

SOCIAL AWARENESS

Social awareness means that you should know what is socially acceptable from you in
society and you should act in that manner. Mass media has a prominent role to play in
modern society. It can bring about radical changes and improve social situation as it
influences our social, civil, cultural, political, economic and aesthetic outlook.
Modernization has converted media into an indispensable feature of human activity.
However, factors like age, education, economic condition, personal needs and availability of
proper components decide the quantum and frequency of media use. This is evident from
the fact that most media centres are located in urban areas. The majority of consumers of
media products are also concentrated in and around cities and towns. Scientific literacy is
the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for
personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic
productivity. It involves the negotiation of socio-scientific issues and requires ability to
make informed decisions regarding these issues as they have moral and ethical
implications too. We confront issues with a scientific dimension on a daily basis through
the media. If the idea of scientific literacy is to have relevance for situations where students
encounter science, it has to include the ability to engage constructively in socio-scientific
issues in examining a variety of real world issues and grounding scientific knowledge in
such realities. In today's world, such issues might include the impact on society of: global
warming, genetic engineering, animal testing, deforestation practices, nuclear testing and
environmental legislations.

EFFECT OF MASS MEDIA

The influence of media on society has been growing fast renewals in the community.
Renewal of the intangible changes nothing and there are negative toward the positive
direction. Media influence is related to other aspects such as the nature of a communicator,
the content / information from the media itself, as well as responses from the community.
Consciously or unconsciously, people are often influenced by mass media, such as
persuading the media to use a particular product or indirectly persuaded to support a
particular political ideology or political party.

ROLE AND FUNCTION OF NEWS MEDIA AS SUPPORTING CHANGE

Consciously or unconsciously the mass media has become an important part of community
life. Through media we can learn many things that can be made a lesson. News about the
events that occurred abroad and domestic to know quickly and easily through the mass
media. This is because the mass media have the ability to deliver information effectively.
The roles of mass media are: Firstly, the media can expand the horizons of thought. Most
people who live in traditional societies consider the media have supernatural powers when
you first knew him because the media can make a person see and know the places that
have never visited and know people who have never met. The media has helped people
recognize the developing countries of other people’s lives so that they gain a new outlook
in life. The mass media can be a bridge between traditional societies transition toward a
modern society. Secondly, the mass media to focus attention. Traditional society moving
toward a modern little by little began to hang up his knowledge on the mass media so that
the things about what’s important, which is dangerous, what is interesting and forth from
the media. As a result, over time people began to leave the customs or culture and assume
that culture as something ancient and modern. Therefore, the mass media should be able to
decide exactly what information or rubric that will be delivered because the media can
influence in public mindset and raise people’s aspirations. Thirdly, able to raise the
aspirations of the mass media. Indirectly growing community aspirations through
broadcasts or information delivered media. Many new things are delivered by media, for
example of the style of dress or hairstyle that makes people compelled to make or use the
same things as their views through the media. The important thing to realize and note that
sometimes excessive aspirations will take the risk and bad things will not be considered as
a fault. The function of the mass media as a supporter of social changes: First, as a giver of
information. In this case the function of information delivery can be done alone by the
media. Without the media, it is unlikely the information can be delivered accurately and
quickly. Second, as decision-making. In this case the mass media play a role as a support
which requires discussion groups that will take a decision, besides that it expected a
change in attitudes, beliefs and social norms. This means that mass media play a role in
delivering information as a discussion, to convey the message of community leaders and
clarify the issues that it conveys. Third, the media serve as educators. In this case, the
media can increase the level of public knowledge.