Before beginning our inquiry into the impact of mass communication upon society, we must answer a few key questions: 1) What is communication? 2) How does communication work? 3) What is mass communication, and how does it differ from other communciation types? 4) What is the mass media? Are "mass media" and "mass communication" synonymous? Investigating these questions will provide a clear, concise foundation for our further inquires into mass media effects and impacts.
While there are many theories that explain how communication occurs, the SMCR model condenses them all. It concisely outlines four (not altogether distinct) participants in the communication process: sender, message, channel and receiver. To complicate this model, however, we must understand how communicated messages are: encoded/decoded; framed (culturally/ideologically); and distributed (persuasion/coersion/force).
Another important distinction to recognize is the difference between what is communicated and how it is communicated. This is the difference between communication (message) and medium (channel). "Media" is plural for "medium." A medium is "an intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on." Example substances include paint, film, sound waves, paper and ink, and the ones and zeros of Internet information. Thus, when we talk about "mass media," we actually mean all of the individual medium(s) that make up mass communications - movies, radio, television, newspapers, Internet blogs, but also eyes, ears, vocal chords, hair, clothes, etc. While each of these communicate messages from a sender to a receiver (transmission across space), they may also preserve communication experiences (ritual across time). Either way, the metaphor we use to understand how communication works will impact our criticisms and analyses.
FOR NEXT WEEK...
Writing: Journal 2 (see below)
Viewing (required): Democratic and/or Republican primary debates
- Election Center 2008 @ CNNPolitics
- The Debates @ MSNBC
- Republican Debate Florida @ MSNBC
- Democratic Debate South Carolina @ CNNPolitics
Reading (required):
- The Medium Is the Message - Marshall McLuhan (pp. 7 - 23)
- The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction - Walter Benjamin
30 comments:
The Source selected is: Homelessness in New York: A demograph and socioeconomic analysis. The main message coming from this source is to combat the problem of homelessness in New York State, through a comprehensive review of experiental studies. Particular attention is on the regional distribution, family, and racial/ethnic composition on the homeless population. The message sent by the sender is intended to give a view of the different faces of homelesness through it's message, and insight. Reading the article concerning the views about the homeless, seem to have compassion and concerns about their welfare. Therefore, as far as human/technological noise which distort the reception of this message, there is absolutely none.
Linda Shorts
The Sources that I have selected is: Who We Are.
Who we are is the National Coalition for the Homeless it was founded in 1982.Is is a network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness. They have a common bond and there mission is to end homelessness. They work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. This sources is letting people no that there is help out there it you want it.
There is no human and /or technological noise distorting the reception of this message.it is loud and clear
forget to put my name on the paper who we are
Denise Bradley
Today I decided my topic about the homelessness in new york, but I see that linda has the same idea. I will continue with my topic I believe we will have different ideas on this project.
Martha Fuentes
http://www.ptla.org/quinnehtukqut/ct3education.htm
Issues in native american education
This source was the most important to me because this was how i felt when they told me that my son had to go to special education. The article tells you not to be intimidated and to alway rememeber we as parents have the last say in our childrens education. However, how is a parent not to feel intimidated when every other day they are getting phone calls about their kids learning and behavior. it becomes very overwhelming and you would think that they want to help you child but thats not the intention. The intention is to get rid of the slow kid and the problem kid. My son is not a native american, however he is a minority and this is a one of the largest groups of children who are place into special education. AS i looked at the different debates i really didn't hear anything on education. I guess sending our kids to fight for meaning less issues that don't even concern them ,is more important than their literacy and the competence.
Nekeisha forbes
I forgot to to say if the message was being sent clearly as far a human or tecnology noises; there are lots of it. Not coming from the writer of the article but the whole entire school system. They falsly place kids in places they don't need to be. However when their are people like Bonnie S. Bostrom, who are advicates for speial need kids and thier family. She give the clear reception that you need to hear.
Nekeisha Forbes
My source is from the January 31, 2008 New York Times entitled Signs of Transformation in neighborly Greenpoint regarding gentrification. The message is clear and concise. With no noise interrupting this very serious message. We as New Yorkers must pay attention to and deal with this ubiquitous situation.
David Esquilin
My bibliography source is, John Jenkins, MD, director, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA.
The main message of the source is the FDA will explore the medical mystery of why Vytorin cuts cholesterol but doesn't seem to reduce plaque in the arteries.
Vytorin is a combination of two different types of cholesterol-lowering drugs: Zetia, which blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut, and Zocor, one of the statin drugs that slows cholesterol production. Other statins include Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, and Pravachol
Jenkins added that the FDA does not expect to change its longstanding policy of approving drugs that safely lower LDL cholesterol. All of the statin drugs were initially approved on this basis. All but Crestor, a newer statin that is completing such studies and eventually were shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The message is what the sender intended and there is no human and/or technological noise distorting the reception of this message.it is loud and clear.
Sharon Teekasingh
CSPAN speech Barack Obama gave in Missouri this weekend.
The message was for his campaign for presidency. I heard about the tax benefits he wants to give to the seniors, homeowners, and workers. I heard him tell of bringing solders home, and the benefits that should go for students attaining higher education.
The interference or noise was the sleepyness the speech provided for me and by the time I awoke, it was over. I was not able to comprehend the message because each time I prepared to watch the speeches that Obama were to give; I rested well.
This does not mean that I will not vote for him, I just can't get into two or three hours of discussion, unless I am a part of it. It is like watching a plant grow from a seed. It won't happen until you take your eyes off it.
Tomorrow is February 5, 2008, Primary day, and the Giants parade. Please vote!! and then enjoy.
Maryann
My selected source is from the US Food and Drug Administration. An article entitled "Myths about Cloning" This article supposed to debunked consumers concerns about ingesting cloned animal food. The source is the FDA, which I'm sure has some political ties to the main cloning companies. The message that the FDA is trying to convey is that cloned food is not a threat to our health. The channel is mass media. This issue has recently been in newspapers, and has been the topic of several talk shows. The distortion is how the FDA uses deception by the power assigned to them.
Catherine Lewis
One of the sources I used for my annotated bibliography affects me personally. It is regarding my daughter who is twenty one years old and is currently a college student. Last year she decided she wanted to hold a part time job and attend school part time as well. As parents we were happy that she wanted to assume responsibility and gave her our blessings. Little did we know, of the catrastrophic events that would come to pass. Once she found a job, first, she lost financial aid benefits and then secondly, the most surprising one was the health care coverage. Thinking that when she returned to school in the fall of 2007, that all her benefits would be reinstated, I was even more surprised to learn she had exceeded the time frame in which to have benefits reinstated.
As mentioned previously (Journal 1), I have a comprehensive medical and dental package through my employer but I’m still in a bind as to how I would manage healthcare for her. Her part-time job terminated after the holidays, and she have since then returned to school. Now, as the year progresses I’m already trying to figure out how I will manage her yearly physical, dental, labs etc. all without any coverage. This is a financial burden that I am not able to accommodate but must make a sacrifice for my daughter. The message is clear that the current healthcare system is almost like a punishment and needs proper reform that would allow people regardless of socio-economic background to have coverage.
There is a lot of human noise because I’m upset that I have coverage and not able to cover my daughter, I am upset at the guidelines that dictates that if a college student is not able to attend school full time (12 or more credits), then they will lose their health coverage. I am disturbed at a government that allows 47 million of its citizens to be without health care.
Yvette S.
My source is Hillary Clinton's Sept. 17, 2007 speech on health care. The main message is healthcare reform. There are 47 million people without health care and most of them are working in jobs that does not provide health coverage or are self employed and just cannot afford coverage. The uninsured population increased over 20% since 1994. Most of the people living in the great USA are one medical emergency from losing everything. Part of the message is how the current health system and the way doctors get reimbursed does not allow or provide for preventative care but will spend huge amounts on complicated procedures for failure to prevent the condition in the first place. This reform will take a major change of thinking for all in America, all people will have a choice, but they must be active participants to the change. The idea of health care reform is a large undertaking, but Hillary thinks that it is not impossible. I think she is sending a very clear message. Even though Hillary's message is very clear the noise buzzing around it leaves many questions for the average person, so it becomes a scary idea. I don't think the noise distorts the message but the unknown (of what it really looks like)is too imaginable for many people.
Dana Fernandez
The bibliograph source I choose is on Gun Control:
The message in the source was about voting for gun control by the gun rights groups and the lawmakers. Gun rights groups who are mainly lead by the NRA (National Rifle Association) argue that the proposals infringe on the constitutional rights of law abiding citzens. The arguement is to ban the sale of certain types of weapons,to have gun manufacturers provide safety locks and to have stricter background checks but the NRA argues that these proposals will not prevent or reduce violent crimes committed with guns.
The message is loud and clear from the sender but there is human noise distracting it from getting to the lawmakers. There will always be a fight for more gun control but the bottom line is MONEY TALKS.
Sharon E.
The source I selected is How children are being handcuffed in schools, buses and being mistreated in the public eye. It is a real concern to me because I have family and friends in the NYC Public Schools and i have often wonder what if this was my child how would I react, if this were my situation. This is a real serious matter because no child deserves to be treated as such. Plain and simple how would you like someone to handcuff you to a chair or some object. There are other means of punishment and for a child to go through such a trauma does not seem fair to me. However, there may be children out there who are disobedient, mischievious, but for a small child especially to go through such an experience is just not fair. Obama and Hillary both had strong opinions about the education of our children and I hope that they will keep their word. When I finish research and my campaign analysis I would be able to elaborate more on this matter. I also feel that the Chancellor can do his part and so can Ms. Weingarten. The both of them together have not had too much to say on this issue. What is going on?
Cathy E. Page
The source: New York Times Metro section article titled: 2 Newcomers in Democrats' Battle for New York.
It's about two people who are running, and organizing campaigns for the first time. The message seems verey clear to me and I suppose the only noise I can think of, is there could be a section of the newspaper ripped off or ink smeared in the printing process which is pretty common. I also think if I was trying to read this newspaper out-doors and it was windy it would be a problem on the human end the noise could be my miss-interpretation of the article.
Miguel Hernandez.
Abortion in America is a huge issue that is causing much turmoil between the communities in America. Some people feel this way and some people feel another. I am personally for pro-choice, which means I am against abortion unless it is to save a mothers life due to medical problems. Through research I found that there are many things available that are being done to try and cut the rate of abortion in America and yet I feel that there is still so much more that can be done. The source that I choose was Joyce Arthur (The Psychological After effect of Abortion), her intended what to so the mental state that woman even a whole family can be affected a horrible procedure. My perception of Abortion is that it is wrong to a certain extent.
Jennifer Lynn Romain
My source: US Department of Health and Human Services, website.
My public issue is affordable or free medicare for the elderly. The website listed the premium rates charged based on which medicare package the elderly individual chooses. There are two parts, A and B and both required high premium payments although part B is more cost effective.
The sender intended to show and compare medicare plans and payment options and since this is decribed in details, i believe that the intended message was sent.
There wasn't any technical noise that distorted my reception of this message,but because i strongly disagree with the fact that the elderly individual must pay for coverage, my emotions may have clouded the intented message and therfore posed a "human noise"
Dionne Vincent
One of my sources is:
http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/seniors/
The issues is Seniors and Social Security.
Social Security has been our nation's most successful domestic program, protecting millions of Americans from proverty due to old age, death and disablity. Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has guaranteed a life-long, inflation-protected defined benefits that families can rely on. The task before us now is to ensure the long-term health of the Social Security program. I think it is essential that the Administration and Congress take the necessary steps to secure the solvency of this important program for current and future retirees. As we review the options of strengthening Social Security.
There was no human or technological noise. The message was clear and to the piont.
Betty Corbett
Public Issue Topic “Recession”
The source that I have selected is an article from MSN Money, titled
“Don’t Count on a Normal Recession.”
The main message of this source deals with Wall Street’s expectations of the financial innovations and global growth to keep any U.S. slowdown in 2008 short and shallow (approximately 6-8 months); But in actuality the Wall Street (stock market) is likely to be disappointed.
When asked if I think this message is the one the sender intended?
Yes, I think this is the message the sender intended to send; to inform readers don’t count on this recession being your normal recession (6 – 8 months). On the contrary - Wall Street believes the economy recovery will come in the second half of 2008 and things will go back to normal; the sender is saying “I Don’t Think So.”
The message the sender is sending states the odds of that kind of disappointment in 2008 are unfortunately high. This is because so many consumers are now used to drawing against their rising home equities to fund their spending, the bursting of the housing bubble and the crisis in the sub prime- mortgage market have resulted in far more damage that usual to consumer cash flows. The drop in consumer demand is well beyond what you’d expect in an economy that’s still producing jobs at a decent rate.
After reading this article I have determined that there is no the human and/or technical noise distorting my reception of this message. This is probably a message that Wall Street did not want to expose to public. This is distorting their view (or human noise) on their concept of this being a “Normal Recession.”
T. Williams
Carmen Cintron
There are many people concerned with helping the at risk kids in school today, one such person is Deborah Bial. She was concerned with the number of students dropping out of college and surveyed a group of them. She discovered that the one thing they seem to have in common in listening to them was a support system by their own peers. One of her students said to the group I never would have dropped out if I had my posse with me. This was an A Ha moment for Ms. Bial, Hence the Posse foundation was founded in (1989). To this day the foundation has gotten recognition and is successful. The main message is students need support from their own in order to excel. The reason the foundation is a success is because Ms. Bial put the support system in place inside the colleges. She collaborated with the universities and High schools. She got her message through. My only question is in researching her foundation I believe it predominately geared for the gifted. So we still have a problem in the school system- what about the students that don’t make the cut?
My source is,The aritcle about teachers being rated on students test scores, I do believe that the main message trying to be sent out is to stop the embaressment of The United States of Americas Education System and they are placing all the weight on the Teachers (which is WRONG), the supposed message that they are sending out is that teachers have a great impact on the children they teach (YES,this is true but so do the PARENTS).For the Teachers and staff members who work for the department of education there is no distortion Human or technical, but for some parents the there is they will think thier childs education is all up to the teachrs, some already do.
Octavia Hallett
Take a peek at Art in the Age [dot] com for a modern interpretation of aura.
Hope you like it!
~robin
Station personnel inspect stations twice a week for rodents and litter accumulation. Track areas and tunnels are also regularly inspected by supervision. All cleaning and rodent baiting schedules are adjusted as necessary to ensure a clean environment for our customers.
The message is do not litter because when we litter, we feed the rodents in the subway system. This message is definitely distorted, as humans some people are unsanitary and maybe MTA should place posters around to inform our customers the importance of not littering. If MTA has to use a portion of the monies they receive from the Federal goverment for this cause then if the customers become part of the solution, the monies can go to the manitenace of a hundred year old system.
Denise W.
The Source I selected was:
Child-Care Problems: An Obstacle to Work
Growth in the number of day care centers and other forms of non-parental care for children has accompanied this increase in working mothers. For families finding affordable quality child care can be a problem. Good care with persons other than family members or relatives is very difficult to find or very expensive, especially for families with low incomes. Finding relatives and friends to care for your children is not easy especially if they themselves are in the work force. For poor mothers, lack of child care can be a particularly serious obstacle in obtaining and holding a job. Message was clear, no noise distortion.
G. Martin
The source selected is the effectiveness of rent regulations in New York City. The message of the source is to find out if rent regulations are being moderated. Rent have increased from year to year. The article explains that the commonly used measure of housing affordability is the rent-to-income ratio. It states that though this guideline is helpful the rent to income ratio do not account for household size. This do not take account for individual circumstances. It don't take into account that people can't afford to pay rent and have money left over for anything else. I understand what the writer is trying to say theirs no technical noise distorting the reception of the message.
Nicole Alston
It is so important that as Democrats, we carry the banner of universal health care," she said. See where the candidates stand on health care.Clinton noted her experience pushing her husband's plan, saying she's best suited to hammer out the details of a new plan and create "a coalition that can withstand the insurance and the prescription drug companies.
I think that hillary has bitten off more than she can chew. because healthcare has proven to be the hottest next to the war. that my opinion.
Ethel Thiam
The source I chose was American Life League (ALL). Their main message is Emergency Contraceptives (EC) is not safe. Don't use it! This is the message the sender intended to get across, but there is human noise. To me, this group is considered extremist. They are over exaggerating and twisting facts to persuading the audience in believing EC is dangerous. Tylenol and Aspirin has more side effects and is more dangerous than EC.
Michelle B.
Abortion
The source that I selected was on abortion. This is such a touchy subject with many different view points. The main focus is on rights of women to abort their unborn fetus. I personally have my own views on this issue in which i believe that it is a woman's right to decide if she wants to terminate her pregnancy, but i don't agree that it should be used as a form of birth control. Most young people are not educated on the process of abortion, and they should be.
Aquilla Anderson
The source I have chosen is about health care for working families. The main messageis having affordable health care for all americans. Ithe message was straight forward and to the point. We need a better way to insure that all amicans have some kind of health coverage, especially the children.
Jeannie
One out of the seven biligraphy sources selected is the New York magazine (2007) . The article talks about the huge increases thats in New York City. The sources is letting readers know that New York City has had a tremendous increase in rent. There is no human/technological noise distorting the reception of the message. The message is loud and clear.
Nicole Alston
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