Lecture
Mass communication is the process of disseminating information (knowledge, spiritual values, moral and legal norms, etc.) using technical means (press, radio, television, etc.) to a numerically large, dispersed audience (see: Philosophical Dictionary / Under Edited by IT Frolova. M., 1991).
The mass media (QMS) are special channels and transmitters, thanks to which informational messages are spread over large areas.
Mass communication is primarily characterized by:
Characteristics of mass and interpersonal communication
| Mass communication | Interpersonal communication |
| Mediation of communication by technical means | Direct contact in communication |
| Communication of large social groups | Communication is mostly individual individuals. |
| Pronounced social orientation of communication | Both social and individual-personal orientation of communication |
| Organized, institutional communication | Both organized and, to a greater extent, the spontaneous nature of communication |
| The lack of direct communication between the communicator and the audience in the process of communication | The presence of direct feedback between communicating in the process of communicative act |
| Increased demands for compliance with accepted norms of communication | More “free” attitude towards compliance with accepted norms of communication |
| Unidirectionality of information and fixing communicative roles | Alternately changing the direction of information and communication roles |
| The collective nature of the communicator and its public individuality | The “individual” character of the communicator and its “private” individuality |
| Mass, spontaneous, anonymous, scattered audience | Recipient - a specific individual person |
| Mass, publicity, social relevance and frequency of messages | Uniqueness, privacy, universality, social and individual relevance, optional frequency |
| The predominance of the two-step nature of the perception of the message | The predominance of direct perception of the message |
The uniqueness of the communication process in the QMS is associated with the following properties:
History of the study of problems of mass communication.
The beginning of the research of mass communication is associated with the name of the German sociologist M. Weber. In 1910, he methodologically substantiated the need to study the press in a sociological aspect, convincingly showing the orientation of the periodical press to various social structures and its influence on the formation of man as a member of society. He also formulated the social requirements that apply to a journalist, substantiated the method of analysis of the press.
Huge importance for the study of mass communication was played by the work of W. Lippmann, Public Opinion, published in 1922. According to Lippmann, human thinking is reduced to reactions in response to external stimuli.
According to Lippmann, exploring the complex processes of creating stereotypes, one can study the phenomenon of mass communication.
McLuhan developed a typology of historically developing cultural systems (oral, written, audiovisual), based on various means of communication. The study of communication tools, he considered the main task for understanding their interaction with man. His conclusion is interesting: throughout human history, the ratio of the sense organs changes in favor of hearing and tactility.
On the basis of the general theory of communication and information theory, mass communication is considered in line with the problems of philosophy, sociology, psychology, ethnography, linguistics, and other humanities.
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Communication theory
Terms: Communication theory