Elements of Mass Communication

Elements of Mass Communication

 

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SUMMARY OF MASS COMMUNICATION PROCESS THAT ENTAILS THE ELEMENTS:

  According to the traditional concept, mass communication is a component system made up of Senders (these could be content writers, media channels, authors, reporters, producers or agencies) who diffuse or transmit messages or content  (the book content, news, news reports, features, audio-visuals, images, music or advertisements, games, serials, movies) through mass media channels (newspapers, books, journals, films, magazines, radio, television, Internet, Smartphones) to a large group of receivers (readers, viewers, citizens or consumers). The content is disseminated through the process of gatekeeping (done by Media houses, channel owners, producers, editors, or media managers) with a chance for feedback (letters to editors, phone calls to news reporters, web-site postings or as audience members of talk shows or television discussions). The effect of the Mass communication process can be seen through the formation of public opinion, acceptance of certain cultural values or traits shown on television, or particular habits as suggested by Ad Campaigns, or in today’s generation through the feedback received on the Social Networking forums of the World wide web and the internet. The Noise could be technical snags, failure of electricity or connectivity, semantic noise, channel noise, etc.1 (adapted from Uma Narula, 2006)

ELEMENTS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

·   Source- The Source or sender of the message in Mass Communication mostly represents the organization/ Channel/ Publisher/ Production house, etc where the content is prepared. The source or the sender belongs to a professional media institution or is in media communication. The source creates carried content depending on the nature of the Channel or Channels the media house wishes to use to transmit the message. (For instance a movie can be shown on a cinema screen as well as on TV channels, story narrated on Radio channels or displayed on OTT content like Netflix, Amazon prime, Hotstar, etc.) The source creates the content and encodes the message or content keeping all elements in mind.

However, with the arrival of New Media, Individual senders have jumped in creating content on Social networking forums, changing the way Mass communication has been looked at for ages. Thus, a singer or a doctor or a cook may use the mass communication media himself for propagating a song, a medication or a recipe. 

·     Message- A message in mass communication could be any content created by the source which needs to be reproduced or transmitted through the media. The message can be a pep talk, an interview, a news debate, a news report, a TV serial, a movie, a documentary, a song, an advertisement, a story in case of a book, film songs on a radio, etc. In case of newspapers, the message is a report, an article, a feature, etc.

·      Channel- The term channel in this case are the tools used for Mass Communication. Hence, Channels in Mass Communication indicate Mass media. Traditional mass media like radio, television; newspapers, books, brochures, spread the message with enormous speed far and wide. Today, New Media has revolutionised the speed in which a message can be sent across boundaries of not just villages or states, but countries. Information seems to be diffusing faster through technological advancement of mass media tools and are available easily for the usage of most people.

      Channels of mass communication include:

v  Print Media- Newspapers, books, Magazines, Journals, Brochures, Pamphlets,

          Newsletters, documents, etc.

v  Electronic Media- Radio, Television, Fax, Movies/ Cinema, Audio-visuals, etc

v  New Media- Cell phones, Smart Phones, world wide web, Internet, Social

                        Networking Forums, OTT ( Over the Top Content) etc 

 

Traditional media- Traditional media also includes folk media or folk communication methods that have prevailed for centuries. These include folk dance, drama, folk songs and so on which are performed on stages, platforms or street corners in different villages or cities.

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        Receiver – Mass communication is the transmission of the message to a large number of recipients. This mass of receivers, are often called as mass audience.  The Mass audience is large, heterogenous and anonymous in nature. The receivers are scattered across a given village, state or country. The receiver decodes the encoded content based on his or her psycho-social and cultural background, taste and capacity of interpretation.

·        Feedback- Feedback in Mass Communication can be One Way or Two way depending on the choice of Media.

v  One-way Communication occurs in most Traditional electronic media with an occasional delayed feedback. There is a lack of immediacy here.

v  Two-way Communication in New Media with instant feedback in many cases. Today a small video posted on social networking forums or by huge media houses on their web forums can garner immediate feedback and response on social networking forums such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It may not be as instant as inter-personal communication, however, unlike yester years, today feedback is not as delayed as in the case of Traditional Mass Media like printed newspapers, television or radio. An article on a web newspaper can receive praise or flak as soon as its recipients receive the message and choose to comments , share like or dislike the same.

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     Gate keeping- Gatekeeping is the filtering of messages before release of content by Media houses or individuals in some cases of New Media. So, whether in a newspaper, or a news channel, news arrives through various sources. This news is filtered or controlled at different levels by reporters, journalists, sub editors, news editors, editors and the channel owners. Only certain content is allowed to be published while other content is discarded or not given paramount importance. This process is called Gatekeeping.

·      Noise- In mass Communication noise is any disturbance that occurs within transmission aspects of the mass mediated technology used. For instance-

v  In print media, noise will be spelling errors, omitted words or lines or misprinting.

v  In Electronic Media, any mechanical failure can hamper the message from reaching the audience.

v  In new media, network or connectivity issues, internet failure, etc can create noise.

Semantic noise can also occur in today’s mass communication arena, given the fact the technology has grown leaps and bounds. Satellite technology and digital content can be relayed across the world. This can lead to semantic noise which will include socio- cultural barriers, contextual barriers, language barriers, difference in education level, socio-economic status, etc. A person from an atheistic background could interpret a channel showing the religious cultural practices of another country in a biased manner. Food habits of one nation or village could be interpreted in a biased way by another nation or village with a totally different food culture.

 

 

 

1. Uma Narula, 2006, Dynamics of Mass Communication: Theory and practice, Pg 16, Atlantic Publishers and distributors