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Appendix B
Mass and Mediated Communication
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Distinguish different types of communication
• Explain how the business of media and the principle of free speech shape the kinds of media
o Mass communication is when mediated communication occurs on a broad scale.
− Before the digital age, mass communication only included types of media that had the
following characteristics:
• Large audiences
• Professional communicators
• Understanding Mass Media Messages explores several important factors that help shape the
kinds of mass media messages that are made and delivered.
o The business of media relies on:
− Sources of revenue, which come from two main sources: consumer purchases and
advertising
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
• Audience fragmentation, or the spread of audience members across a wide
spectrum of entertainment choices, makes it difficult to reach a large audience for
any one specific media source.
− Broad appeal to attract the most possible viewers
• Content that is low culture attracts a broad audience by appealing to people’s baser
instincts, such as violence or sex, and does not require much thought.
• Many television shows entail narrative complexity—storytelling that is complex and
not always linear.
• Narrowcasting is the process of targeting specific audiences (niche marketing).
− Minimizing risk wherever possible
whom we disagree.
− Framing refers to the way issues in the news get presented in order to relate to audiences’
existing schemas.
• Effects of Mass Media discusses theories behind the way mass media can influence the
attitudes and behaviors of viewers.
being affected by media, there are several areas where media do have more
substantial influences on audiences.
− Social cognitive theory argues that we learn behavior by watching how media models
behave.
− Cultivation theory describes how a steady, long-term diet of TV viewing can distort our
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
− The internet allows everyone to create, send, and relay their messages through Mass Self-
Communication.
− Digital media allow individuals to contribute to culture as citizen journalists and to create
other kinds of user-generated content.
− An expression effect is the influence on the self that comes from seeing that our
messages have an influence on others.
o As we create, share, and consume digital media content as mass self-communicators,
o Becoming media literate involves developing an understanding of your own media
habits and critically evaluating and analyzing media sources and messages.
− To become media literate, paractice the following skills:
• Monitor your Media Use and Exposure.
• Consider the Source of Media Messages.
1. How does your media usage affect your everyday life? What about your everyday learning?
2. Do you know people who download music illegally? Does the likelihood of getting caught
matter in their decision to download? Do you think illegal downloading is widespread? Do
you think that affects people’s decisions about whether to download?
3. Do you perceive certain media outlets to be biased? If so, which ones? How are they biased?
What leads you to this belief?
• Students should be asked to think critically about what specifically leads them to believe
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
like a particular media outlet, are they more or less likely to believe that the media outlet is
biased?
4. Do you feel you are media dependent in some ways? In which ways might you be? Do you
feel this is a good thing or not?
5. Do you think that your communication behavior is influenced by media messages? What
about the clothes you wear? Your use of slang? Might you be modeling behaviors based on
media messages without even realizing it?
1. Media Journal
For one day, keep track of all the media to which you are exposed. (See the And You? on p.
000 of the text.) Are you surprised by the amount of media you consume every day? Were
you expecting to have more or less exposure to these different kinds of media? What effects
do you think this media exposure has on you? Explain your ideas in a one- to two-page paper.
2. Do Your Thumbs Hurt, Too?
“media multitask.” Do their answers make sense to you? Make a video discussing your
3. Family Tree of a Magazine
Select a magazine, newspaper, or your favorite TV show and trace its origins. For example,
show? Who owns those companies? Take the information you find and create a “family tree”
of sorts for the publication or production you chose. What overlaps do you see? Present your
4. Who’s Really Watching?
5. Is Free Speech for Everyone?
Is free speech an absolute right? Are there times when free speech is not appropriate? What
are the consequences for allowing absolute access to free speech? What are the consequences
of limiting it? (See the And You? on p. 000 of the text.) Write two to three pages explaining
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Media Learners
Goal: To have students critically reflect on how their use of media affects their learning
1. In class, show students the video A Vision of Students Today (available online at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o).
3. Ask students what they would add to or subtract from this video to reflect the unique ways
4. If you wish, create your own Google Docs page (as shown in the video) and have students
create their own document or video illustrating their own “Vision of Students Today.”
Debriefing: Once the project is done (with or without the document or video), have students
critically reflect on the role of media in their lives today when it comes to learning. How
2. What—or Who—Is Popular?
1. List for students (either orally or through computer projection) the top ten shows as rated
by the Nielsen company for the previous week.
3. Depending on their answers, ask what they think the implications of their findings are.
Debriefing: Note to students that when narrow appeals are favored, larger groups of society
3. Our Own Little Niche
Goal: To have students understand how a lack of diversity in media might reinforce not just
1. Ask students to list (from memory) the different media outlets they have accessed in the
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2. Ask them to compare with each other (and the rest of the class) how alike those media
outlets are. (They will likely be very similar.)
3. Ask students to search out as many examples of media as they can over the next twenty-four
4. Ask students to discuss, the following day, what kinds of differences they found and why
(or if) they felt looking at various kinds of media was important.
4. Super Fan
Goal: To have students understand how fan sites persuade fans to interact even more strongly
2. Access to the following “fan” websites:
• www.mugglenet.com
• pirates.ugo.com/?cur=pirates-map
• disney.go.com/princess/#/home
1. What are some ways that media can be distinguished from face-to-face contexts of
communication, such as interpersonal or small-group interaction?
2. What is media convergence?
3. How does media multitasking work in students’ lives?
4. What are some sources of revenue for media?
5. How does narrowcasting work?
6. Why do some media engage in self-censorship?
7. What is the cause of information overload?
8. How can you become a media literate consumer?
MEDIA
The Fifth Estate (DreamWorks/Disney, 2013)
Based on the real-life exploits of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, this complex thriller
investigates how and why Assange challenged international law by releasing to the
internet thousands and thousands of pages of confidential documents from governments,
including the American government. The movie raises challenging questions about the
public’s right to know what governments do and the need for privacy in security matters.
MPAA’s ratings affect U.S. culture. Discuss as a group some of the revelations about the
individuals who make up the ratings and appeals board. Did anything surprise the
students?
