Mass Communication, Features, Characteristics, Elements and Functions

Mass Communication

The concept of Mass Communication entails the transmission of messages to a large number of assorted, heterogenous people who are anonymous using technological tools called mass media. The recipients or receivers of the messages delivered through the process of Mass communication are also called the Audience.

The word ‘Mass’ in this context of Mass Communication studies would mean a large number of people who are heterogenous, assorted and anonymous in nature.

‘Large’ here would mean a relatively big audience or people who are many in number. However, it does not include everyone. People have their own choices in the consumption of Mass mediated messages.

‘Assorted’ here would mean a varied lot. Mass Media Channels have a huge audience but they are often assorted and spread out. They need not always be accumulated in the same place. The audience for a particular Media channel can differ not just from place to place but even in the precincts of a house. For instance, the children in the house may only prefer to watch cartoons on a particular channel, however, the parents may want to watch news, sports or any other tele-serial. The audience is scattered. Children in different homes from all across India may be watching a particular cartoon. Due to satellite Technology, this serial could even have an audience across countries. They may or may not be from a particular geographical context. They are assorted and from different places. However, for a Mass Media channel like a Community Radio, the audience is normally a particular community of people to whom the channel caters.

 ‘Heterogeneous’ here would mean that the audience includes different types of people. A Mass Media channel may have viewers from rich or poor backgrounds, educated or uneducated based on the content, it could be youth or adults, bureaucrats or ordinary middle- class family members. 

‘Anonymous’ would mean that the audience is nameless and unspecified.  While analysis can predict the number of hits a channel gets or the popularity a particular serial or book garners, once cannot identify the specific characteristic of every individual audience member. You may identify the place in which your audience exists but you will not be able to identify the person by his or her name. The Audience is Anonymous.

Keval Kumar: The process of delivering information, ideas and attitudes to a sizeable, diversified audience through use of media designed for that purpose is called Mass Communication.

C.V Nasimha Reddi: Mass Communication can be defined as ‘a process whereby mass produced messages are transmitted to large, anonymous and heterogenous masses of receivers’. By ‘mass produced’ we mean putting the content or message of mass communication in a form suitable to be distributed to large masses of people.

Littlejohn and Foss: The process whereby media organizations produce and transmit messages to large publics and the process by which those messages are sought, used, understood, and influenced by audience”.

McQuail: “The only one of the processes of communication operating at the society-wide level, readily identified by its institutional characteristics.”

Berger: Mass communication is the public transfer of messages through media or technology-driven channels to a large number of recipients from an entity, usually involving some type of cost or fee (advertising) for the user. “The sender often is a person in some large media organization, the messages are public, and the audience tends to be large and varied”

Tim O Sullivan, Hartley, Saunders and Fiske, (1983): Mass Communication is the practice and product of providing leisure entertainment and information to an unknown audience by means of corporately financed, industrially produced, stage regulated, high technology, privately consumed commodities in the modern print, screen, audio and broadcast media

Thompson (1995): Mass communication is the “institutionalized production and generalized diffusion of symbolic goods via the fixation and transmission of information or symbolic content”.

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE DEFINITIONS WERE WRITTEN PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MEDIA AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. SO, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CONCEPT OF MASS COMMUNICATION THAT HAS ARISEN POST ARRIVAL OF THE INTERNET, CELL PHONES, CD ROM GAMES AND OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING FORUMS AND OTT PLATFORMS.

Rowland Lorimer in his article title Mass Communication- redefinitional notes writes a very apt definition for Mass Communication. He does not confine Mass Communication to a single definition. Rather, he explains and includes the old and new forms of Mass Mediums in his concept of Mass Communication. He says:

Mass Communication is state- and interstate- organised transmission of intelligence, including -

(1) Centralised Mass information or entertainment dissemination (encompassing radio, television, newspapers, film magazines, books, recorded and performed Music and Advertising) (Lorimer)

(2) Decentralised information or entertainment dissemination: On the World Wide Web by individuals or organisations either through ready to access to, or wide distribution of information or entertainment products through sometimes state regulated, publicly accessible channels like the web or email. (Lorimer)

(3) Public Mass Communication- Wherein the exchange of intelligence at the societal level among individuals or small or large groups is by means of publicly accessible, sometimes state- regulated channels. (Lorimer)

Mass Communication thus includes:

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

Newsletters, documents, etc.

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

·    New Media- Cell phones, Smart Phones, world wide web, Internet, Social Networking Forums, OTT ( Over the Top Content) etc

Mass Communication is possible only in the presence of Technology. In many remote corners of India or in the world at large where there is no permeation of electricity, leave alone technology, Mass Communication cannot happen. Even in case of Mass Communication, many countries have bans on certain channels and only certain state permitted content can be shown or is shown. However, for those who have access to it Mass communication has made communication easier and simpler for ordinary individuals, in spite of a complex organisation behind the scenes.

Some Characteristics or Features of 

Mass Communication

Communication scholars have suggested various characteristics of Mass Communication. We look at some of them in this chapter.

Dutton et al (1998) suggests that Mass Communicaton has a number of characteristics that sets it apart from other types of communication:

• Impersonal: The sender of the message does not know the receivers
• Lacking in immediacy: the audience has no involvement in the production of a media message
• One way: from the producer/creator to the consumer/audience
• Physically and technologically distant: everyone receives the same intended message
• Organised: It requires a vehicle, such as a television receiver, printed page or internet connection, which allows a message to be sent or received (Livesey, 2014)

Along with the above mentioned characteristics of Dutton, we also take a look at the other characteristics that define Mass Communication.

 Mass Audience: Large and scattered, Anonymous and Heterogenous Mass Audience.

It is Public: The communication reaches to a huge mass which is unknown and is available for public consumption.

Impersonal: The sender of the message does not know the receivers Dutton et al (1998). However, what they do know is the area from which a particular programme gets more hits due to high definition technological advancement in today's world. This leads them to gain knowledge about their target audience, the place and the culture and the advertisements that can be slotted for the same.

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

v  One-way Communication in most Traditional electronic media with an occasional delayed feedback.

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 could become popular or create a huge ruckus based on its content.

    Mass Mediated: Use of Technological devices which may be mechanical, technical, electronic or Digital. (Printing Machines, Television, Radio, etc)
   

     Speed/ Rapid Dissemination to a huge Mass Audience. Mass media permits the content delivery in the fraction of a second due to the massive technology employed. E.g. A football world cup final, A Grand Slam or a Cricket match final is watched by billions across the world at the same time.

    Varied Content: Mass Audiences have a huge availability of varied content to choose from. For instance, there are a huge number of Television channels or Radio FM channels for an individual to choose from. The same goes for the large amount of content on forums like YouTube or OTT content like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, AltBalaji, JioCinema, etc.

    Gate Keeping of content: Gate-keeping 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 Gate-keeping.

     Persuasive in Nature: Mass Mediated messages can Influence society and are in turn influenced by Society. A large amount of content is produced in a manner that facilitates advertisement revenue. Advertisement is persuasive in nature. State Governments too have often used Mass Media to encourage cleanliness drives, vaccination drives and other health-related habits on Television and Radio.

     Target Audience: Concept of a Target Audience influences Mass Communication due to the growing demand of study on Audience Research and its impact. For instance: If a particular channel is showing a popular serial than this is placed in a prime- time slot which targets the required audience and garners huge Ad Revenue due to multiple TRP ratings.

Complex: The traditional form of Media and New media to a certain extent is Complex in nature. It involves a largely industrialized and complex technology involving satellites, digital networks, management structures, marketing chains, advertisement revenues, etc.

Elements of Mass Communication

SUMMARY OF MASS COMMUNICATION PROCESS THAT ENTAILS THE ELEMENTS:

v  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 gate-keeping (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.

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, Hotspot, 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

However, it is important to note that 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.

·      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.

·       Gate keeping- Gate-keeping 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.

Functions of Mass Communication

Mass Communication is not just for a solitary purpose of passing on information. Mass Communication has always been used for carried purposes. The functions of Mass Communications are many and these play an important role in the lives of the Mass media audiences.

Information: One of the primary function of Mass Communication is to pass on information. The print, electronic and New media are tools which are immensely used to inform people. This information can vary from news reports, to warning about a health or environmental hazard, or about events happening in and around the world, etc. For instance- local radio stations, local newspapers and local TV stations are extremely important to the resident people of that area as it carries a great deal of information about their own locality. Mass communication has made it possible.

Transmission: The information activity of Mass communication is carried forward through the process of transmission. Mass media is also a tool that enables the transmission of values, cultural traits, cultural norms and habits. It is a known phenomenon that Mass Media also promulgates concepts of food, fashion, cuisines, etc.

Entertainment: Mass media is one of the major contributors to entertainment. Mass media provides entertainment in the form of music, music videos, films, songs, comedy, satire, tele-serials, gaming, etc. New Media has become a huge platform for providing entertainment through its Online gaming, free game and other social networking forums like YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.

Edutainment: The word ‘infotainment’ is a portmanteau of two words, namely education and Entertainment. There are numerous games, videos and films that do not just entertain people but also provide education on various themes. For instance, a person with a smartphone can access varied games that are educative in nature. They may vary from learning A, B, C for children to science topics. The concept provides education with an element of fun.

Infotainment: The word ‘infotainment’ is a portmanteau of two words, namely information and Entertainment. The word arose from the fact that media outlets began promoting hard news and facts in an entertaining ‘soft news’ format for people’s consumption. This was seen through animated news stories, human interest stories, other entertaining interviews, etc becoming as element of ‘Hard’ News- Information media.

Surveillance: Mass media serves as a tool that acts as an observer or a scrutiniser while garnering information. The surveillance activity for which Mass media is used gathers information, records incidents, events and knowledge of any situation or place. This is then transmitted to all Mass media consumers through different tools.  

Sensationalisation: with the rising demand for Mass Audiences, Media began sensationalising news in order to garner more TRP ratings which garner advertisement revenue. (Television Rating Point (TRP) is a tool used to judge which programmes are viewed the most.) Often news is shown in a sensational way with striking headlines as ‘Breaking News’ to grab TRPs. At times, a small mishap in the lives of actors is sensationalised in a massive way on Television and New media.

Mobilization: There are times when a particular issue requires attention or organising for help. In such cases, Mass Media has been used phenomenally to mobilize people. For example, during the Kerala floods, Mass Media was used to conscientize people and seek help for building the state of Kerala. The same happens in case of tsunamis, earthquakes, wars and refugee crisis. In the words of McQuail, ‘Mass communication functions to mobilize people during times of crisis.’ (McQuail, 1994).

Persuasion and Propaganda: Mass Media has always been historically used to persuade people. Persuasion seeks to change attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors, with mutual needs being met.(O’Reilly and Tennant, 2010) Propaganda involves ‘systematic and deliberate attempts to sway mass public opinion in favour of the objectives of the institutions (usually state or corporate) sending the propaganda message’ (Snow, 2010).

Schwartz (1974) describes persuasion as striking a ‘responsive chord’ when the message does not tell the audience what to think or feel, but instead triggers a thought, feeling or memory associated with the pitch. (Marshall Soules, 2015)  For instance, advertisements are forms of persuasion and often invoke feelings to lead the person to identify with the advertisement and simultaneously with the product.

Ellul, (1973) says that propaganda attempts to ‘take hold of the entire person’, with an ‘organised myth’ acting as an anchoring belief. ‘Through the myth it creates, propaganda imposes a complete range of intuitive knowledge, susceptible of only one interpretation’. (Marshall Soules, 2015) For instance, Hitler used Mass media and Documentary making in a massive way to propagate his ideology.

Diversion: In today’s era, most people access multiple forms of entertainment on one or the other mass media. Often it is used as a means to divert one’s mind. For instance, if a person wants to take a break from studies or heavy work, the person may watch a movie, use a social networking forum, watch YouTube or do Online gaming. These are ways and means which an individual use at times to divert one’s mind. Thus, Mass Communication performs this function of Diversion.

Connectivity: Mass Media, especially new media has led to a massive growth in connectivity. Social networking forums have led to people bonding and relating as well as connecting with each other. Emails, Phone calls and Video Calls online as well as offline, web chatting, networking has become instant and has led to people connecting easily across boundaries of village, state and country. Although this communication also depends on the government policies of communication. However, connectivity has grown in leaps and bonds.

Bonding: Due to connectivity and technological enhancement and the arrival of the social networking forum, people tend to bond with friends, colleagues, family and strangers. Mass Media, especially new media has been used to get together, bond, relate and come together on different platforms for varied causes.

Instructions and Warning: Mass Communication is used to instruct people. Often, when there is a health Hazard or a major catastrophe awaiting a country, Government often uses Mass Communication to instruct people. The Government also sends out a warning in case of emergencies, cyclones and bad weather through Mass media like Radio, television and News reports on the Internet and by print. In India, the Government has also used Billboards, brochures and Hoardings in many villages to instruct or warn people.