- •Module 1 Fundamentals of Communication
- •Module 2 Forms and Context of Communication
- •Module 4 Adjunct/Impact of the Mass Media
- •Course Marking Scheme
- •MODULE 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION
- •3.1.1 Understanding Communication
- •3.1.1 Understanding Communication
- •Therefore, there is no single definition of communication agreed upon by scholars. Psychologists, sociologists, medical practitioners, philosophers and communication specialists, all define communication based on their orientations and perspectives.
- •3.2 Functions of Communication
- •3.2.1 Functional Meaning of Communication
- •3.3 Attributes of Communication
- •SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3
- •Highlight and briefly discuss the major challenges that are militating against the communication process
- •UNIT 4 MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
- •3.1 Aristotle's Model
- •Fig. 3 SCHRAMM'S MODEL OF MASS COMMUNICATION 2
- •Schramm’s model of communication posits that communication is interactive and interpretive. Discuss
- •3.4 The Hub Model
- •UNIT 5 THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION
- •3.0 MAIN CONTENT
- •3.1 Understanding Theory
- •3.1.2 Why Study Theories?
- •3.1.3 How Theories are arrived at
- •3.1.4 Relationship between Theory and Research
- •3.2.4. Social Responsibility Media Theory
- •3.3.1 Hypodermic Needle/ Magic Bullet Theory
- •3.3.2 Lasswell’s Propaganda Theory
- •3.3.3 Lippman’s Theory of Public Opinion Formation
- •3.4.1 The Post Stimuli-Response theory
- •3.5.2 Main Streaming/Synchronisation Theory
- •3.5.3 The Knowledge Gap Theory
- •3.5.4 Spiral of Silence Theory
- •3.5.5 Media Systems Dependence Theory
- •This theory assumes that the more an individual depends on having his/her needs gratified by media use, the more important will be the role that media play in the person’s life; and therefore the more influence those media will have on that person.
- •3.6.1 Uses and Gratification Theory
- •3.6.2 Reception Studies-Decoding and Sense Making
- •3.7.2 Aggressive Cues Theory
- •3.7.4 Reinforcement Theory
- •3.7.5 Linkage Theory
- •3.8.1 ‘Reflective-Projective’ Theory
- •7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
- •UNIT 6 FUNCTIONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION
- •MODULE 2 FORMS AND CONTEXT OF COMMUNICATION
- •3.1 Oral Communication
- •The engagement of mouth and tongue is very crucial to oral communication. Discuss
- •3.2 Written Communication
- •Compare and contrast the weaknesses and strength of oral and written communication.
- •UNIT 2 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
- •3.1 Characteristics and Functions of Non-Verbal Communication
- •3.2 Types of Non-Verbal Communication
- •2.Types of Non-Verbal Communication and;
- •How functional is non-verbal communication to man?
- •Contexts of Communication
- •Contexts here mean the different levels at which communication occurs. It can also be referred to as the kinds of communication that are available. Under context of communication, we have the following:
- •3.2.2 Principles of Interpersonal Communication
- •Interpersonal Communication is Irreversible
- •Interpersonal Communication is Complicated
- •Interpersonal Communication is Contextual
- •3.2.3 Types of Interpersonal Communication
- •3.2.5 Barriers against Effective Interpersonal Communication
- •3.2.6 Overcoming the Barriers of Effective Interpersonal Communication
- •Unit 1 Print Media: Books, Newspaper, Magazine etc
- •Sambe (2005) highlights the following as functions of newspaper:
- •3.3.5 The Penny Press
- •3.2.6 Yellow Journalism
- •3.4.2 Convergence in Magazine Publishing
- •3.4.3 The Influence of Advertisers on Magazines
- •3.1.1 Four Important Periods in the History of the Book
- •Submission by Author or Agent
- •Acceptance and Negotiation
- •Editorial Stage
- •Prepress
- •3.1.3 Landmarks in Radio History
- •3.2 Television: The Most Influential Medium
- •3.4.1 Online-only Newspapers
- •MODULE 4 ADJUNCT AND IMPACT OF THE MASS MEDIA
- •Associated Press
- •4.0 CONCLUSION
- •3.3 Powerful Effects Paradigm
- •3.3.1 Media’s Harmful Effects: Violence and Delinquency
- •3.4 Uses and Gratifications Concept
- •3.4.3 Arguments against Uses and Gratifications Research
- •Cultural effects
- •4.0 CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION |
∙Entertainment
∙Monitoring government activities
∙Education
∙Social Cohesion
2.Social stability
When social change and conflict are high; and established institutions, beliefs, and practices are challenged; people make new evaluations and choices. In such cases of instability, reliance on media may increase.
Media Dependency Theory: Some Questions
1.Do media create needs?
2.Do people turn to media to achieve gratification and satisfy needs?
3.Are media needs personal, social, cultural, political, or all of these?
4.“The media are our friends”?
4.0CONCLUSION
The media effects theories arose as products of researches done to ascertain what media do to people. Most of these theories have their roots in earlier theories with roots in Sociology and Psychology.
The communication technology theories contend that the medium and not the message affect the audience. They believe that various media encourage and create in their audience, patterns of behaviours and views about the world.
Katz, and Jay G. Blumler’s uses and gratification theory is prominent in the functional use of the media. One good development is that media theorists have since built on Katz's original formulation. In 1974, Katz, and Jay G. Blumler characterized uses and gratification theory as "the social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of media exposure (or engagement in other activities), resulting in need gratifications and other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones" (Severin & Tankard, 330)."
5.0SUMMARY
This unit has been able to explain various media effect theories. It looked at those theories like Cultivation Theory as developed by George Gerbner; Social Action Theory ; Agenda-Setting Theory; Media Dependency Theory. Others include the Limited effects; Powerful Effect; Uses and Gratification; and the Cultural effects tradition.
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INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION |
Uses and gratifications theory was discussed as subset of the activeaudience perspectives. One major criticism of the theory as popularized by McQuail (1994) is that the approach has not provided much successful prediction or causal explanation of media choice and use.
6.0TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
Give your understanding of the following media effects theories:
Cultivation Theory; Social Action Theory; Agenda-Setting Theory and; Media Dependency Theory.
7.0REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Blumler, J., & Katz, E. (1974). The Uses of Mass Communications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
CCMS-Infobase. (2003). Mass Media: Effects Research - Uses and Gratifications. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www. cultsock.ndirect. co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/media/
DeFleur, M. L. & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (1989). Theories of Mass Communication (5th ed). New York: Longman.
Littlejohn, S. W. (1999). Theories of Human Communication (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, R., & Turner, L. H. (2000). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield. Page 332.
Wood, J. T. (1997). Communication Theories in action: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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