Week 1
Media industries => The businesses and organisations involved with the production and
distribution of media products.
Theory => a systematic explanation for the observations that relate to a particular aspect of
life. (Babbie)
Why media & communication theories?
o Popular assumptions about the effects of media
o Media have become a dominant social institution in our society
o The mass media are a powerful socialising agent
Socialisation => process whereby we learn and internalise the values, beliefs, and norms of
our culture and in doing so, develop a sense of self.
(Social) structure => any recurring pattern of social behaviour. E.g. economic considerations,
audience tastes and existing formats.
Agency => intentional and undetermined human action. E.g. personal style, creative
decisions and personal preferences.
Structure !" Agency
o Tension between structure and agency
o Structure is partially shaped by agency
o Once can be more shaping than the other
Mass media => a known sender and an anonymous receiver. E.g. radio, book and tv.
Basic communication media model
Simplified model of media and the social world
Users => (audience) may be influenced by the media content they see, but they must
actively interpret and construct meaning from that content.
CM0004 Media & Communication Theory
, Technology => replaces medium to isolate the material elements.
Industry => replaces sender to flag the professional and usually commercial nature of media
organizations responsible for most media content.
Content => replaces messages to better reflect the wide range of media subjects as
experienced users.
Social world => all social elements included in the four main boxes. Includes a variety of
social forces and non-media actors that affect the communication process, such as cultural
norms and government regulation.
Week 2
Gutenberg press " daily newspapers " telegraph " telephone " movies " radio " computer.
The arrival of mass communication and mass media:
o Large scale
o One-way flow of content
o Known sender and an anonymous audience
Digitisation => the shift from analogue to digital media.
Traditional media ‘New’ media
(before the rise of the internet)
One to many One-to-many as well as many-to-many
Known senders and anonymous receivers Known senders and receivers, but also
anonymity
Producers and receivers are distinguishable Distinction between producers and
receivers is blurring
One-way communication Interactive (more media types become
more difficult to distinguish)
Technological determinism => an approach that identifies technology or technological
developments as the central causal element in process of social change.
Medium theory => the body of literature that focuses on the technological aspects of media
beyond their content. Theorists argue that the very nature of the medium can be key to its
social impact.
“The medium is the message” => new media technologies rework the balance of our senses.
(Marshall McLuhan)
o Print media: intensifies the visuals
o Electronic media: reconnect the senses fragmented by print and a global extension of
our senses.
CM0004 Media & Communication Theory
Media industries => The businesses and organisations involved with the production and
distribution of media products.
Theory => a systematic explanation for the observations that relate to a particular aspect of
life. (Babbie)
Why media & communication theories?
o Popular assumptions about the effects of media
o Media have become a dominant social institution in our society
o The mass media are a powerful socialising agent
Socialisation => process whereby we learn and internalise the values, beliefs, and norms of
our culture and in doing so, develop a sense of self.
(Social) structure => any recurring pattern of social behaviour. E.g. economic considerations,
audience tastes and existing formats.
Agency => intentional and undetermined human action. E.g. personal style, creative
decisions and personal preferences.
Structure !" Agency
o Tension between structure and agency
o Structure is partially shaped by agency
o Once can be more shaping than the other
Mass media => a known sender and an anonymous receiver. E.g. radio, book and tv.
Basic communication media model
Simplified model of media and the social world
Users => (audience) may be influenced by the media content they see, but they must
actively interpret and construct meaning from that content.
CM0004 Media & Communication Theory
, Technology => replaces medium to isolate the material elements.
Industry => replaces sender to flag the professional and usually commercial nature of media
organizations responsible for most media content.
Content => replaces messages to better reflect the wide range of media subjects as
experienced users.
Social world => all social elements included in the four main boxes. Includes a variety of
social forces and non-media actors that affect the communication process, such as cultural
norms and government regulation.
Week 2
Gutenberg press " daily newspapers " telegraph " telephone " movies " radio " computer.
The arrival of mass communication and mass media:
o Large scale
o One-way flow of content
o Known sender and an anonymous audience
Digitisation => the shift from analogue to digital media.
Traditional media ‘New’ media
(before the rise of the internet)
One to many One-to-many as well as many-to-many
Known senders and anonymous receivers Known senders and receivers, but also
anonymity
Producers and receivers are distinguishable Distinction between producers and
receivers is blurring
One-way communication Interactive (more media types become
more difficult to distinguish)
Technological determinism => an approach that identifies technology or technological
developments as the central causal element in process of social change.
Medium theory => the body of literature that focuses on the technological aspects of media
beyond their content. Theorists argue that the very nature of the medium can be key to its
social impact.
“The medium is the message” => new media technologies rework the balance of our senses.
(Marshall McLuhan)
o Print media: intensifies the visuals
o Electronic media: reconnect the senses fragmented by print and a global extension of
our senses.
CM0004 Media & Communication Theory
