What is Mass Media?
Mass media refers to those media that are designed to be consumed by large audiences through the agencies of technology which includes different forms of information from newspapers, magazines, radio, films, internet, and television. Mass Media is communication media from different technological processes that facilitate communication between the sender of the message and the receiver of the message. Mass media has evolved over time, the earliest form of communication being smoke signals to the bell ringers notifying and announcing news, and now to radios and television sets which relay information all around the globe.
Theoretical Approaches to Mass Media:
The concept of the mass media may be looked at from a variety of different angels with respect to the different sociological theories that exist. The mass media is a powerful tool and a vital element among the social institutions; as it holds substantiate power and control in manipulating and conforming ideologies among the viewers of information.
A segment of a social network
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Mass Media Inc.This can be said to be a Marxist view of mass media. In the Marxist-based model of the media, there exist two main kinds of class, those of the 'Bourgeoisie,' and those of the 'Proletariat.' The Bourgeoisie are the capitalists who own the means of social production and are the employers of wage labour. The Proletariat are the wage-labourers, who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labour power in order to make a living. The role of the media is a complex one that reflects the complexity of class relationships and interests. In this respect, the media tend to be considered in terms of the way in which they help to maintain the broad status quo in society, whilst at the same time reflecting a diversity of opinion (Chandler, 2000, para. 6). Marxism...