Introduction to Mass Communication

Introduction

Definitions - Communication
Communication is a term used to refer to any dynamic, information-sharing process. (Clevenger, 1959) A process involving the selection, production, and transmission of signs in such a way as to help a receiver perceive a meaning similar to that in the mind of the communicator. (Fotheringham, 1966) It is a process, a series of progressive and interdependent steps leading to the attainment of an end, in speech the end being the communication of some specific meaning from one person to another. (Bradley, 1974)

Definitions - Communication
As per the Wikepedia:
Communication is the process of attempting to convey information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium. Communication is defined as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. Communication is the articulation of sending a message, through different media whether it be verbal or nonverbal, so long as a being transmits a thought provoking idea, gesture, action, etc.

Communication
Communication is origination, passage through media and reception of message to have meaningful explaination for receiver from originator/source.

Aim
To introduce Mass Communication with emphasis on Forms of Communication and The Communication Process.

Sequence
Definitions of Mass Communication Forms of Communication The Communication Process Transmitting Messages Receiving Messages Noise Feedback Different Models of Communication Main Points / Conclusions Questions and Answers -

Definitions of Mass Communication

Definitions - Mass Communication

To describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. - Wikepedia

Definitions - Mass Communication

Communication by means of broadcasting and newspapers, which reaches all or most people in society Encarta Encyclopedia

Definitions - Mass Communication

Refers to the process by which a complex organization with the aid of one or more machines produces and transmits public messages that are directed at large, heterogeneous, and scattered audiences. (Joseph R. Dominick, 2008)

Definitions - Mass Communication Includes journalism, programmes in radio and television broadcasting, public relations, communications arts, library science, programmes for technicians in museums and similar repositories, documentation techniques (www.unece.org/stats/gender/web /glossary/F/field1.htm)

Definitions - Mass Communication

Transmission of messages which may be processed by gate keepers prior to being sent to large audiences via a channel of broad diffusion (highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072400773/stu dent_view0/chapter1/glossary .html)

Definitions - Mass Communication

Communication from one person or group of persons through a transmitting device (a medium) to a large audience or market. (www.sociologyessentials2nded.nelson.com/glossary 4.html)

Forms of Communication

Forms of Communication
One way and Two ways Communication Verbal and Non Verbal Communication Formal and Informal Communication Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Communication Group Communication Public Communication Mass Communication

One way and Two ways Communication

One way communication is characterized by absence of feed back from the receiver to the sender Two ways communication involves active feed back from the receiver to the sender to ensure that the receiver has understood the same message which the sender intended to convey.

Verbal and Non Verbal Communication

Verbal communication requires the use of words, vocabulary, numbers and symbols and is organized in sentences using language Non-verbal Communication is the act of imparting or interchanging thoughts, posture, opinions or information without the use of words

Formal and Informal Communication

Formal communication defined as, A presentation or written piece that strictly adheres to rules, conventions, and ceremony, and is free of colloquial expressions. Communication through channel of command greatly obstructs free and uninterrupted flow of communication.

Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Communication

In Interpersonal communication there are few participants involved, interactants are in close physical proximity to each other, there are many sensory channels used, and feedback is immediate Contextual definition does not take into account the relationship between interactants. Some researchers say that our definition of interpersonal communication must account for these differences. From developmental view, interpersonal comm is defined as comm that occurs between people who have known each other for some time

Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Communication

Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages. Individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver, providing feedback to him or herself in an ongoing internal process.

Group Communication
Most researchers define a group as having at least three or more members. A group's members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. Groups will develop norms about discussion and group members will develop roles which will affect the group's interaction. A group must have a common purpose or goal and they must work together to achieve that goal.

Public Communication
Public communication involves speech by one person to a large group at a time. This is one way communication as the speaker gives speech and the audience listens only.

Mass Communication
Term used to describe the academic study of various means by which individuals and entities relay information to large segments of the population all at once through mass media. Important point about 'mass' is not that a given number of individuals receives the products, but rather that the products are available in principle to a plurality of recipients.

The Communication Process

The Communication Process

A source A process of encoding A message A channel A process of decoding. A receiver The potential for feedback The chance of noise

Elements of The Communication Process

NOISE CHANNEL SOURCE ENCODING NOISE

MESSAGE

DECODING

RECEIVER

FEEDBACK FEEDBACK

CHANNEL RECEIVER DECODING

MESSAGE

ENCODING

SOURCE

NOISE

NOISE

Transmitting the Message

The Source The source initiates the process by having a thought or an idea. Sources differ in their communication skills Source may or may not have knowledge about the receiver of the message Sources can be single individuals, groups, or even organizations Encoding Encoding refers to the activities that a source goes through to translate thoughts and ideas into a form that may be perceived by the senses Encoding in a communication setting can take place one or more times

Transmitting the Message

The Message The message is the actual physical product that the source encodes When we talk, our speech is the message. When we write a letter home, what we put on the paper is the message Message can be from simple to complicate Messages can be cheap to produce (the spoken word) or very expensive (book) Channel Channels are the ways the message travels to the receiver Some messages use more than one channel to travel to the receiver

Receiving the Message

The decoding process is the opposite of the encoding process A single communication event can involve many stages of decoding The receiver is the target of the messageits ultimate goal The receiver can be a single person, a group, an institution, or even a large, anonymous collection of people. In some situations the source and receiver can be in each other's immediate presence, while in other situations they can be separated by both space and time

Elements of The Communication Process

NOISE CHANNEL SOURCE ENCODING NOISE

MESSAGE

DECODING

RECEIVER

FEEDBACK FEEDBACK

CHANNEL RECEIVER DECODING

MESSAGE

ENCODING

SOURCE

NOISE

NOISE

Feedback
Feedback refers to responses of the receiver that shape & alter subsequent messages of the source It represents a reversal of the flow of communication Feedback is useful to the source because it allows the source to answer the question Feedback is important to the receiver because it allows the receiver to attempt to change some element in the communication process Traditionally there are two different kinds of feedback - positive and negative Positive feedback from the receiver usually encourages the communication behavior in progress; negative feedback usually attempts to change the communication or even to terminate it. Feedback can be immediate or delayed

 Noise is anything that interferes with the delivery of the message. Types of noise: semantic, mechanical, and environmental. Semantic noise occurs when different people have different meanings for different words and phrases. Mechanical noise occurs when there is a problem with a machine that is being used to assist communication. Environmental noise type refers to sources of noise that are external to the communication process but that nonetheless interfere with it. As noise increases, message fidelity goes down. Feedback is important in reducing the effects of noise.

Noise

Models of Communication

Models of Communication
yAristotelian view of Communication

Speaker

Argument

Speech

Listener(s)

Models of Communication
yShannon & Weavers Communication Model
Received Signal Signal Info Source Transmitter Channel Destination Receiver Destination

Message Noise Source

Models of Communication
yModel -1: W. Schramm

Field of Experience

Source

Encoder

Signal

Decoder

Destination

Models of Communication
yModel -2: W. Schramm

Models of Communication
yWestley MacLean Model

Models of Communication
yKincaids Convergence Model

Conclusions

Conclusions
Communication is the process of attempting to convey information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium. medium. Communication from one person or group of persons through a transmitting device (a medium) to a large audience or market is termed as Mass Communication One way communication is characterized by absence of feedback from the receiver to the sender. sender. Two ways communication involves active feed back from the receiver to the sender to ensure that the receiver has understood the same message. message.

Conclusions
Verbal communication requires the use of words, vocabulary, numbers and symbols and is organized in sentences using language. language. NonNon-verbal Communication is the act of imparting or interchanging thoughts, posture, opinions or information without the use of words, using gestures, sign language, facial expressions and body language instead. instead. Formal communication can be defined as, A presentation or written piece that strictly adheres to rules, conventions, and ceremony, and is free of colloquial expressions. expressions.

Conclusions
In Interpersonal Communication the interactants are in close physical proximity to each other, there are many sensory channels used, and feedback is immediate. immediate. Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages. messages. Group communication is a communication with at least three or more members. A members. group must have a common purpose or goal and they must work together to achieve that goal

Conclusions
Public communication involves speech by one person to a large group at a time. This is time. one way communication as the speaker gives speech and the audience listens only. only. The elements in the communication process are a source, encoding process, message, channel, decoding process, receiver, feedback, and noise. noise. The three types of noise are semantic, environmental, and mechanical. mechanical.

Conclusions
Mass communication refers to the process by which a complex organization, with the aid of one or more machines, produces public messages that are aimed at large, heterogeneous, and scattered audiences. audiences. Shannon and Weaver model consists of an information source, which selects a desired message out of a set of possible messages, and the selected message is verbal. It has a verbal. transmitter that converts the message into a signal, which is sent over the communication channel from the transmitter to the receiver. During signal receiver. transmission through the channel, receiver may come across noises. noises.

Conclusions
In Wilbur Schramm s model the message from the source is encoded and is transmitted in form of a signal to the receiver where it gets decoded. The concept decoded. of field experience helps in determining whether a message would be received at its destination in the manner intended by the source. source. Schramm s other model is based on the convergence or network approach. Due to approach. various kinds of noise there are chances that the message gets distorted till it reaches the receiver, to overcome the problem he introduced the concept of feedback. feedback.

Conclusions
Bruce Westley and MacLean, Jr. proposed a Jr. model, which tells that in an environment various events occur on which advocates may choose to comment. The advocate s comment. comments are taken up by different types of media which passes on the information to the audience. The audience responds to audience. these comments and gives its feedback to the media and to the advocates. advocates.

Conclusions
Lawrence Convergence convergence Kincaid Model model, in proposed 1979. 1979. In "communication" the the is

defined as a process in which participants create and share information with one another in order to reach a mutual understanding which lead to a relational perspective of human communication. communication.