Mass communication is field of study which analyzes the sharing of information from a single source to the larger population. This field of study analyzes both how individuals and specific entities, such as the newspaper or the radio, communicate messages to the public and in-turn, how the public reacts.¹
Mass communication is a topic related to media studies because the medium of transmission for delivering messages is usually associated with some sort of media option.¹ The main fields encompassed under this subject of mass communication are broadcasting, journalism, advertising and public relations. Additionally, other types of media, such as social media, can also be considered a new and separate field. As the ways in which society is able to communicate change, so does the complexity of mass communication.¹
In general, the main objective of mass communication is to analyze how the behaviour and emotions of individuals is influenced through the transmission of these messages.¹ Does it change a group of people’s opinions? Can the person receiving the content be persuaded? These are the types of questions which need to be thoughtfully considered since mass communication professionals aspire to generate a reaction or influence personal opinion.¹
Whether or not society realizes it, everyone is exposed to mass communication every day. Whether you read the newspaper, read stories online or subscribe to a magazine,¹ these are all forms of mass communication. Without these sources of information, society would be unaware of many issues such as civil wars or natural disasters occurring in other parts of the world.¹ Mass communication is a key component to the functioning of society and thus, understanding how to be effective at this type of message transmission is critical.
Image source:
1. Wikimedia
Reference:
1. University of Minnesota. What is mass communication? Retrieved May 23, 2014, from http://sjmc.umn.edu/ugrad/whatismasscomm.html
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