Social and Mass Media - Essay Example

Social and Mass Media Affiliation Social and mass media Introduction The 21st century has experienced many technological developments, and this has led to the development of social media platforms. These platforms portray a major development in technology, and it has revolutionized how people interact and relate to each other todayThe number of people who are active users of social media platforms is increasing every successive day. Carroll and Kirkpatrick (2011) conducted a research that showed that at least 75% of people especially the teenagers use their mobile phones to access the internet. He also found out that 73% are signed up to at least one of the major social media sites. Evidently as technology development keeps on booming, with more social media platforms springing up, and the platforms becoming more heightened and solid, it is expected that the number of people using these platforms will increment altogether. It is essential to understand that as social networking develops the domain of communication changes (Madge, Meek, Wellens, & Hooley, 2009). The innovative improvements added to social media changes the way we communicate with individuals on every day schedule. It has made communication faster and more effective. Social media destinations like Facebook send day-by-day indication of companion birthdays. As opposed to getting the telephone and customarily wishing somebody birthday greetings, one can essentially sort ones birthday wishes on their page. This has wiped out the need to make a phone call or send a birthday card. This seeks to highlight the importance of mass and social media. This will be done through review of three major media theories that are: the cultivation theory, the attitude change theory and the direct change theory. Discussion In this section, I will look at the theories that have been developed by different scholars concerning the mass media. The focus will be mainly on three theories namely: The cultivation theory The attitude change theory The direct effects theory. The cultivation theory of media was developed by the late George Gerbner back in the 1960s (Taylor & Harris , 2008). It was an advancement from the limited effects theory done by Paul Lazarsfeld. This theory is also known as the stalagmite theory. The proponents of this theory argue that the mass media effects do occur similarly to gradual buildup of formations on the floors of a cave. The formations take their fantastic forms after the years of the stable dripping of limewater from the ceilings of the caverns above. The cultivation theory was developed in the context of the rapidly increasing growth of television viewers. George conducted a research to find out whether television watching had an impact on the viewers. The study also sought to identify how the watching influenced human behavior. The principles of the cultivation theories as held by George Gerbner stated that television watching plays a great role in influencing the viewer’s perceptions on the social reality. The long term effect of massive television watching is cultivating the social perceptions of the viewers as well as for the culture in general. The cultivation theory proponents held that the effects television watching is long term, small and occur gradually. The effects are always indirect but at the end of it all they cumulate and become significant. George observed that the making films that the viewers saw on televisions involved violence. George was concerned that the films cultivated in the viewers the notion that the world is just but a violent place. Unlike the radio which mainly focused on narrow range of audiences, the television viewing covered broader section of people. The viewer’s perceptions were harmonized by the television. In conclusion of this theory, the researchers concluded that there exists a feasible correlation between the personal feel of dissatisfaction in response to images and messages conveyed through the media. Body images, attitudes, beliefs and different feelings about personal body appearance build up over time via recurrent messages of ideal attractiveness in the media. The attitude change theory presupposes that attitudes which are functions of cognitive, affective and conative components are a major part of the brains associative networks. These networks consist of affective and cognitive nodes that are interconnected through associative pathways (Bennet, 1982). These nodes have very effective, cognitive and behavioral aspects than can always be altered by means of activating single node. Therefore, when this single node is activated by the mass media, an attitude change is observed. The bottom line of this theory is that the proponents have it that by activating an effective correct node, the mass media can cause attitude change. The attitude change theory therefor state that if the media targets these emotions, the viewer actually will change the attitude in public. This will thereafter result to a completely new dimension of the consumer perception. Therefore the media can shape the attitude of the viewer’s towards a certain product in the market provided that they target the emotions of the consumers. Attitude according theorists is the tendency to view things in a particular way. This broadly includes evaluations on people, different issues, objects or even events. The public according to this theory is viewed as being vulnerable to messages that are persuading. The public following the persuasive messages reaching them, they can change their attitude to the issue or the person being campaigned for. The attitude change theory is largely used in political campaigns. The presidential, the gubernatorial and other elective posts candidate rely heavily on advertisements to change people’s attitude so that they can be voted in. the attitude change theory can be applied in many industrial fields to shape peoples attitude towards the desired object. (Rajani, 2011). The third mass media theory is the direct effects theory. The theorist that came with this theory say that a message from the media directly is completely accepted by the receiver. The assumption is that the audience does not oppose any message that the mass media relays. The direct effect theory suggests that the media always have direct impact that is immediate and powerful. The messages therefore have strong effect on the audiences (Bennet, 1982). The mass media specifically is perceived as having powerful influence on people’s culture. This theory therefore indicates that the cultures of different societies are greatly affected by the media. Most of them end up being eroded. It is also important to note that the high number of social media platform users is very high, and thus it forms a base for a company’s target market (Mangold, & Faulds, 2009. As evidenced in the article, through social media, marketers can be able to create customer loyalty and increase their returns because of the increasing need for a certain product. Retailers have also been able to satisfy their customers’ needs by supplying them with products that influence their lives positively by satisfying them. Apparently, the social media platforms have significant effects in the way teenagers cooperate today. As evidenced in the by Gabriel, (2014), the platforms are both advantageous and disadvantageous. The effects highlighted are not thorough, and as technological advancement continues, more is expected. The beneficial outcomes connected with the utilization of social media are reverberated and welcome. Nonetheless, the negative effects connected with them are an awesome zone of concern. There is an incredible requirement for controlled adolescent use of social media keeping in mind the end goal to alleviate the negatives connected with their utilization. Conclusion As seen in the literature review and the discussion, social media use is significant in human life today. The 21st century is moving fast in terms of technological advancement, and thus the role of the social media cannot be overlooked. However, it is significant that as people continue to use these platforms, they should be careful because they have a negative impact especially on teenagers. Parents should be in a position to regulate the use of social media platforms to ensure that they do not suffer from poor interaction because of remaining in the house logged in to these platforms. Additionally, social media use should be regulated because of the need to communicate. Unlike in the old days when communication was casual, today people communicate via the social media platforms such as Skype and Myspace. This has led to the lack of the taste of communication because people cannot meet physically to discuss an issue. References Bennet, T. (1982). Theories of Media, Theories of Society. London: New Left Books. Rajani, M. (2011, March). Mass Communication Theories. Retrieved from Careeride : http://www.careeride.com Taylor, P., & Harris , J. (2008). Critical Theories of Mass Media: Then and Now. New York: Open University Press. Carroll, J. A., & Kirkpatrick, R. L. (2011). Impact of social media on adolescent behavioral health. Oakland, CA: California Adolescent Health Collaborative. Gabriel, F. (2014). Sexting, selfish, and self-harm: young people, social media and the performance of self-development. 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