Introduction Impact of Mass - Class 6 PDF Download

Introduction

In the first three units of this Block, you were exposed to different aspects of communication: essential elements, different types of communication, the reach of different mass media and people's access to them, and different theories and models of communication. In the last unit, we considered the need and importance of communication research and the various research methods. In all these units you have had brief exposure to the kinds of effective mass communication has on society.
In this unit, we shall have a thorough discussion on the issue of the impact of mass media in the Indian context by taking each medium separately. We shall first take up the print medium, primarily because that happens to be the earliest type of mass media used in India. We shall then give an account of radio, film and TV as media of mass communication in India, their spread, reach, people's access to these media and their impact on society. New technologies made their entry during the 1970s and 1980s. They are video, cable and satellite TV. We shall discuss the effect these new channels of mass communication have on the people.
With this unit, the first block comes to an end. The next block will focus attention on the elements of mass media. In Unit 1 of Block 2, we shall discuss the characteristics of print media.

Characteristics of Mass Media

By now you know that mass communication is a means whereby mass-produced messages are transmitted to large, anonymous, and heterogeneous masses of people. (Mass Communication refers to the theoretical processes, whereas the term mass communication is used interchangeably with mass media which are the vehicles conveying communication). Most of the models described in Units 2 and 3 for mass communications are similar to the model for essential communication, except that the receivers are in a large number and the feedback is delayed. The experts dealing with the hardware, constantly try to improve upon channels used to transmit messages mechanically. Broadcast engineers are examples of this category of personnel. On the other hand, media ''gate Keepers serve the important role of determining &hat is to be printed, broadcast, or telecast for people's consumption. Editors, reporters, television programmes and movie producers are examples of gatekeepers.
You would recall that among the various functions of mass media, the four primary ones are (1) to inform (2) to entertain (3) to educate, and (4) to promote culture, goods and ideas. These functions overlap at times. Each medium tends to emphasize one of these more than the others. The print media tend to emphasize information whereas the broadcast and film media stress entertainment. Advertising is the most blatant form of persuasion, but much of the persuasion in mass media is concealed, and some are passed off as news. Finally, the media preserve the culture by furnishing a record of events and by noting changes in the social structure.

Impact of Mass Media

Earlier, in Unit 1, certain questions were raised about the impact of mass media: for instance, the question of whether “mass media consumers were being manipulated or brainwashed”. Also, the positive and negative effects of mass media were explained to you. You would recall that in Unit 3 while explaining the theories and models of communication, you were told that earlier theories assumed that mass media had enormous effects on society, but later researchers denied any such direct “cause-and-effect” relationship. They underlined individual differences and personal influences on the transmission, acceptance, and retention of mass media messages.
Denis Mc Quail, as pointed out in Unit 3, proposed an interactive perspective. He held that mass media may equally mould, mirror, and follow the social change. Consequently, the origin, development and ultimate use and influence of mass media are in conformity with the changing complexion of society.
Though the industrial and communication revolutions have changed the face of our country, it still remains largely an agriculture-based socio-economic entity. Thus, the impact of mass media in India has to be seen in the background of our tradition and value: bound social structure. However, before we look into the impact of mass media in the Indian context, let us first examine the whole gamut of questions that are raised about the effects of mass media.

Nature of Mass Media Effects

While new media technology is sweeping across India, many questions about the precise impact of mass media remain unanswered. We Know that the mass media have an impact, but the answers to questions such as what impact they have, why they have an impact and how all that happens to remain elusive. Behavioural scientists examine the effects of mass media; we know that we can predict certain outcomes in certain situations. But the variables are numerous. Two social scientists, Bernard Beralson and Morris Janowitz, once summarised knowledge about the effects of mass media thus in Readers in Public Opinion and Communication (Free Press, P. 397). “The effects of communication are many and diverse. They may be a short-range or long run. They may be manifest or latent. They may be strong or weak. They may derive from any number of aspects of the communication content. They may be considered as psychological or political or economic or sociological. They may operate upon opinions, values, information levels, skills, taste, or over behaviour.”

Questions on Media Effects

What are the effects of the mass media on our society? To what extent are we moulded and shaped by the media? Are we informed? Or are we manipulated? Are we in control? Or are we merely dancing at the end of strings pulled by mass communicators?
Then, there are allied questions. Should the mass media be as free as they are in our society? What rights should they have? And what limits should be placed on them? Should they be responsible to the government, the society, the audience or themselves?
Should there be any ethical guidelines or standards for mass media operations? Where do the mass media overstep the ethical boundaries? How can pressure be brought on the media to make them perform in accordance with norms acceptable?

to the society? For instance, what about crime and violence depicted in the mass media? Have we become a violent society because we read about crime in our newspapers and see violence on television? Do news stories about terrorism inspire terrorists? Do stories about airplane hijacking inspire hijackers? What about stories relating to dowry deaths and suicides? Do they inspire women to take such extreme steps? Do the mass media create violence in our society by reporting it, or do they merely reflect the violence that is already there? Are mass media in any way responsible for the increase in sexual promiscuity? What have the mass media done to us politically?
Can one be elected to a political office without the endorsement of mass media? And are media giving us an accurate picture of our politics and politicians? When going to the polling booth, can we rely on the information we have received from mass media? ' % To what extent does our government control the mass media and vice versa? To what extent does the media control business and vice-versa? Do the mass media present a fair and accurate picture of women in our society? Are they adequately represented in the mass media? What are the results of the media’s distortions of the image of women in society or its version of women’s issues? And there are similar questions about other underprivileged and neglected segments of society. How have the mass media affected religion in our society?
How have the mass media affected our culture as a whole? Are we becoming a classless or class-conscious society as a result of what is served out by the mass media? And finally, the media themselves are changing because of the new technologies. What impact will this have on our culture and our society? What will satellites, cable television, laser beams, and computers do to us? And what can we do about them, if anything?

Mass Media Effects and Society

There are no clear-cut and final answers to most of these questions. The growth of mass communication has made it possible for us to get far more information today than any time before. Information is indispensable in a complex, advanced society. We are an information-hungry society; we need an ever-increasing amount of facts in order to maintain and enhance our standard of living. Information today is a commodity we are willing to pay for. The mass media today are not only entertaining the masses; they are selling information as well. We have often been told that information is power.
The question is, what do we have to do to ensure that the information we receive from the mass media will serve our needs, not the purposes of someone else? Today, the mass media are very important for us and we have to know where we stand on the issues relating to mass communication. They are too essential to be ignored. The issues raised by mass media will no doubt continue to grow in importance in the future.