Chapter 17 Communication and Media
Floyd: Communication Matters, 3e IM–17 | 1
Chapter 17—Communication and Media
At a Glance
Media and You
Making Media Choices
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
2. Categorize media forms into print, sound, image, electronic, and social.
4. Evaluate the effect of media messages on society though agenda-setting and
cultivation.
6. Examine the efforts and effects of regulations on media content.
8. Learn ways to become more media literate and aware of messages.
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Lecture Outline
I. Media and You
A. A collection of various channels of communication is called media, which
is the plural form of medium.
B. Researchers use the term media convergence to describe the increasing
interconnection of media content and communication technology.
C. Print media
1. Print media result from the application of ink to paper, as in
newspapers, magazines, and books.
2. Johannes Gutenberg was a German publisher who invented the
4. The efficiency of mass printing also gave rise to magazines.
5. Books come in several varieties.
a. Reference books are compilations of information, such as
dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases.
D. Sound media
1. Sound media are mediated messages that you listen to, rather than read
or watch.
3. Beginning with the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison in
1877, the recording industry grew into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
4. Recorded sound products include music; audio books, which are
5. The United States has over 15,000 licensed radio stations.
a. Radio stations provide entertainment or news, or they present a
6. Advances in technology have transformed the way we experience
radio.
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whole or part.
a. Satellite radio relays signals through satellites orbiting the Earth,
allowing those signals to reach a significantly wider geographical
area than regular radio waves can.
b. Radio is also available online.
i. Internet radio sends its signals over the World Wide Web via
streaming media, which means users can hear the
programming instantly rather than having to download it and
listen to it later.
ii. Some Internet radio stations are affiliated with regular, on-
ground stations.
iii. Millions of people also tune in online to hear podcasts—digital
audio files that provide information or entertainment, which
users can download and listen to at their convenience.
E. Image media
2. Movies are narratives—sequences of events—communicated through
moving images.
a. Movies that depict stories, much like stage plays, are called
narrative films or feature films.
3. Broadcast television initially sent its signal through the air in analog
form.
a. Users needed an antenna to receive the signal, and some
D. Electronic and social media
1. Search engines
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
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© 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or
distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in
whole or part.
a. Search engines are websites that identify and rank other websites
according to key terms.
b. A complex formula designed for the search engine determines the
sites most likely to be relevant to your search.
c. Search engines can determine patterns of the public’s interests at a
given point in time by examining the key terms people are entering
into search engines.
2. Computer-mediated messaging
a. Computer-mediated messaging is another form of Internet-based
media and comprises individual messages sent from one person or
entity to another person or group.
b. One of the earliest mass uses of the Internet was e-mail, a term that
c. The Internet supports social media, which are user-generated
websites offering content that individual users construct for
delivery to mass audiences.
i. Blogs, a term that is short for web logs, are websites providing
news, commentary, or personal diary entries from the user—
d. Many websites also support instant messaging, a form of text
e. Texting is instant messaging with cell phones or apps rather than
on computers.
II. Making Media Choices
1. Selective exposure is a process whereby we seek media messages that
2. When people are strongly committed to a point of view, they prefer
3. Studies have demonstrated that we attend to the messages that validate
1. The theory of uses and gratifications leads researchers to explore
other needs that media messages fulfill for people.
3. People use media products to fulfill four general needs:
a. The first is a need for information, a desire to know what is
occurring in the world.
b. The second need is for personal identity, which leads people to
find media messages that reflect and affirm their self-images.
III. Media and Society
A. Media effects are influences media have on people’s everyday lives.
B. Why do media messages affect us?
1. Agenda-setting
a. According to agenda-setting theory, media tell people what to
2. Cultivation theory
a. Research indicates that the average U.S. viewer watches nearly 6
hours’ worth of television programming every day, either on a TV
set or online.
b. According to cultivation theory, television encourages—or
cultivates—a distorted view of the world among heavy viewers.
c. Cultivation theory suggests a distinction between the “real world”
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1. Media messages affect economics.
a. Media messages affect the economy by influencing consumer
behavior.
b. Advertising is communication intended to promote the purchase
of a product or service.
2. Media messages affect politics.
a. Prior to the 1930s, U.S. voters got their political news primarily
from newspapers.
i. Information in newspapers was usually second-hand and often
reported with extreme political bias.
ii. Every U.S. president since Roosevelt has delivered a regular
radio broadcast.
c. A significant turning point in political coverage occurred in 1960
when Democratic senator John F. Kennedy met Republican U.S.
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© 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or
distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in
whole or part.
vice president Richard M. Nixon for the first televised political
debate between presidential candidates.
i. Those who listened to the presidential debate on the radio—
lacking the visual information—reported that Nixon had won
the debate by a small margin.
ii. Those who watched it on television considered Kennedy to be
the clear winner.
iii. Beginning with that debate, the political process became
accessible to average citizens in an unprecedented way.
d. The mass media also provide a platform for political advertising,
which consists of media messages designed to influence people’s
political decisions.
i. Many political ads promote candidates for political office by
touting their ideas, qualifications, and morals.
3. Media messages affect health and wellness.
a. Many media messages have an influence, whether positive or
negative, on people’s health and well-being.
b. One way media messages can affect people is by persuading them
to adopt healthy behaviors.
i. Health campaigns are coordinated media messages that
c. George Gerbner, who was a leading researcher on media
d. Media-depicted violence can have at least two detrimental effects
on public health:
i. According to desensitization theory, people’s acceptance of
real-life violence grows as they see more violence reflected in
the media, and the desensitization effect is stronger for
e. According to catalytic theory, watching violence in the media can
encourage real-life violence, but only if other influences are also
present.
f. Studies indicate that people are particularly influenced by media-
depicted violence under the following conditions:
i. The violence is rewarded rather than punished.
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
ii. The violence is portrayed in an exciting manner.
D. How do we hold media accountable?
1. Media oversight
a. In the United States, the Federal Communication Commission
(FCC) is the government agency charged with regulating all
nongovernmental use of television and radio.
2. Media activism
a. Media activism refers to coordinated efforts to express displeasure
with media messages and to force changes to the content.
b. One concern of media activists is the stereotypical portrayal of
3. Movie and television programming guidelines
a. The movie and television industries have imposed guidelines on
themselves.
b. Adopted in 1930, the Motion Picture Production Code (also
known as the Hays Code), distinguished acceptable and
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© 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or
distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in
whole or part.
1. Recognize the message form.
a. Know the difference between an interpersonal message—sent from
2. Separate the message from the messenger.
3. Consider the source.
4. Beware of media limitations.
a. Remember that media channels vary in their strengths and
limitations.
b. Appreciate each medium for what it does best.
C. Guard against bias.
1. Many media sources reflect a particular bias.
2. A bias influences both the information a source communicates (or fails
3. Use the following strategies for detecting media bias:
a. Scrutinize the headline.
5. Become a media activist.
a. Media are simply channels of communication.
b. If you are unhappy with the content of media messages, you have
the ability to convey your dissatisfaction to the people who
produce them.
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
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© 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or
distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in
whole or part.
c. Part of becoming media literate is recognizing you aren’t just a
passive recipient of media messages.
d. You can be an active agent and can make your voice heard in
several ways:
i. You can send e-mails to those who produce television news
programs expressing the view that you believe their coverage
of an issue is unreasonably biased or if you’d like to see more
stories on a particular topic.
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Floyd: Communication Matters, 3e IM–17 | 11
Key Terms
media convergence
Johannes Gutenberg
Thomas Edison
blockbuster
Gerald Levin
coupons
product placement
fireside chats
political advertising
health campaigns
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
Additional Lecture Ideas
1. Watch the 1960 political debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
Study their variations in verbal and nonverbal behavior. Based on research and
your opinion, who won the debate when it was heard only on the radio? Who won
if the debate was watched on television? What does research tell you that supports
2. Watch the reporting of a news story on Fox News and the similar reporting of the
story through CNN. Did you observe any differences in the coverage and analysis
3. Research the role of Twitter on media awareness and how Twitter is used to get
4. Ask students to watch the movie Social Network, the 2010 story of how the
social-networking website Facebook was founded, outside of class. Ask students
to evaluate the conflict and resolutions involved with the founding of Facebook.
5. In recent years, WikiLeaks have caused a national crisis as a result of the release
of confidential information gathered from governmental cables and e-mail. To
businesses. Monitor the tweets and note how social media are changing or altering
7. How are images of a corporation such as Caterpillar Tractor Co., BP, Apple, or
AT&T manipulated through Twitter and other social media? Analyze the tweets
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
Classroom Discussion and Activity Topics
1. Blog for a day on the political events occurring on your campus. Do you consider the
political position of your campus active or apathetic? Discuss the roles of student media
2. For the college newspaper, write an editorial that takes a stand on a campus-wide
3. Divide the class into groups to discuss the effective role of advertisements. Select five
ads from the list of the top advertisements according to Ad Age. Evaluate the success or
Chapter 17 Communication and Media
For Review
1. What types of media messages surround us, and how do we choose among them?
2. In what ways can media message affect society?
3. How can you improve your media literacy?
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Floyd: Communication Matters, 3e IM–17 | 15
Pop Quiz
Multiple Choice
1. The movie The Social Network would accurately be described as a(n)
a. documentary.
b. narrative film.
c. animated film.
d. cable television film.
2. Rita wants to engage in microblogging. Which of the following types of social media
do so?
a. Skype
b. Facebook
c. YouTube
d. Twitter
3. As a sexual minority, Chris loves the TV show Glee because it portrays gay and
lesbian students in a positive light. Which of McQuail’s general needs is Glee
fulfilling for him?
a. information
b. personal identity
c. social integration
d. entertainment
4. According to this theory, people become more accepting of real-life violence if they
see a lot of media-depicted violence.
a. desensitization theory
b. cultivation theory
c. fairness doctrine
d. agenda-setting theory
5. Danielle knows she should scrutinize any newspaper headlines she reads to guard
against
a. persuasion.
b. bias.
c. media-depicted violence.
d. media limitations.
Fill in the Blanks
6. Movies that are highly successful financially are known as _____.
7. _____ is an advertising strategy that involves featuring particular brands in the
storyline of a movie, television show, book, or comic strip.
8. A _____ is a media campaign to frighten people about a particular health threat.
9. The process of seeking media messages that match our values is called _____.
10. In the United States, the _____ is the agency that requires political advertisements to
identify who funded them.