The Role of Mass Media in Society - Essay Example

Understanding the Role of Mass Media in Society: Comparing the Libertarian, Social Responsibility, and Political Economic Theories and Number Professor’s Name Due Date Introduction In this paper, we aim to understand the role of mass media in society by having an in-depth look at its different forms. Through this study, we intend to scrutinize the symbolic process of mass communication to underscore the essence of creating ‘shared meaning’ that helps construct social realities. Then, we analyze the players in mass communication and pinpoint which dominates this creation of shared meaning. This is to be done by looking at the different forms of mass media. After this, we go deeper by shedding light on the role of mass media in society, as posited by three theories: libertarian, social responsibility, and political economy. In the end, we like to highlight our thesis that social responsibility provides a substantial and more logical view on the essence of mass media. I. Mass Media in Modern Society: An Overview Mass media is any medium used by an individual or group of persons to transmit a message to a large group of audience. Essentially, mass media provides the venue for social communication, which helps in the administration of human affairs (Lorimer, Gasher & Skinner, 2008). Numerous scholars from the fields of journalism, humanities, and sociology have pointed out that in order to thoroughly understand mass media, it is important to study it in the context of mass communication. Mass communication, like any form of communication, is defined both as message content and as communication process, which results from the interaction between the sender and the receiver of message. The result of this interaction is the shared meaning about a certain phenomenon, and grouping together these ‘shared meanings’ can help in the construction of social reality. Contextually, therefore, mass communication influences the way people perceive themselves, other people, and the society they belong in. While it is easy to claim that mass communication plays a vital role in the shaping of social reality, determining who dominates this process is a more difficult task. Is meaning dependent on the senders of message, who control not only the content of message but also the venue for its delivery? Or does it rely on the understanding and behavioral response of its intended audience? The key to answering these questions lies on revisiting the different forms of mass media today. The forms of mass media can be categorized as traditional or digital. Traditional mass media is comprised of print, radio, and television, while digital mass media heavily concentrates on the internet. The ‘one-to-many’ nature of communication in traditional mass media has led scholars to believe that it is indeed the senders of message who determine the meaning of communication message. This view is entirely different from the ‘many-to-many’ nature of communication in digital mass media, in which the variety and accessibility of information and the interactive environment both contributed in the creation of a more dynamic, empowered, and critical group of media consumers. A. Traditional Mass Media In the news industry, for example, news content does not only depend on the story being talked about, but also on the way the story is presented to the audience. In this light, the entire process of journalism, no matter how objective it aims to be, will always be tainted by a certain kind of bias. To understand this better, let us go through some of the important processes of news reporting. Firstly, the selection of news stories and the determination of the line-up of news stories demonstrate the power of the news directors in determining which stories are important and which ones are futile. This process, in effect, influences the way the news audience view the current state of their society—a news episode filled with murder stories can lead them to thinking that their society may be an exaggeratedly dangerous place to live in. Also, the presentation of the news story delivers both direct and subliminal messages. With this, it can be said that the meaning of the news story becomes an interaction of these factors: the sources of information, the flow of the news narrative, the visual appearance of the news coverage, and the news reporter himself. Looking at these two examples, it can be asserted that the entire packaging of a news story drives the content that is sent to the news audience. The same scenario can be observed in the entertainment industry. Films, for example, are filled with various symbolisms that may or may not reflect social reality. Gender, racial, and even professional stereotypes are said to have been founded on the depictions of characters and scenarios in most films. The characters’ use of language, their mannerisms, and even their overall look create a symbolic message that gets picked up by the audience. For example, femininity is often equated with vulnerability, as most female characters are subjective and emotional. This is in contrary with how masculinity is packaged in most films, in which emotional apathy and practicality are two important values. In the end, what most films do is create cultural symbols that influence the way audiences view their social realities, which as a result, affect their daily behavior in their private lives. With these two examples, it is important to note that the power of the sender of message—whether the film director or the news anchor—in delivering a certain meaning hinges on his capacity to blend the content of message with its manner of presentation. In this sense, critics claim that the presence of media conglomerates in both the news and entertainment industry often lead them to creating mass media messages that are catered to protect their own interests, which are defined by political, economic, and commercial factors. B. Digital Mass Media The advent of digital technology has shifted the control on meaning creation from the traditional mass media conglomerates to virtually any internet user. With the surge of manifold digital content, users do not just passively receive mass media content, they now form part of the meaning creation process. The rise of social networking sites, blogging, and micro-blogging sites all contributed in empowering the new set of internet users—those who not just create their own content, but also collaborate with other users toward facilitating a freer flow of information. It must be pointed out, nonetheless, that because of the medium’s accessibility and wide reach, responsibility in digital mass media rests on everyone’s hands. Without proper education on the right use of the internet, people may use this medium in disseminating negative messages, which can become detrimental to the lives of such users, as in the case of cyber-bullying. Having discussed the various forms of modern mass media and their definitive features, it is now crucial to turn our attention to another important issue—the role of mass media in society. While knowing the more dominant player in the creation of meaning is vital in appreciating the symbolic process of mass communication, determining the essence of mass media can help in defining and bolstering the much needed ethics in mass media communication. Thus, it is only through a holistic recognition of the purpose of mass media that people can prescribe not only the apt behavior of its senders and receivers, but also the right message content. II. Mass Media Theories A. The Libertarian Theory The Libertarian Theory focuses on the right of mass media to broadcast any opinion, either right or wrong, in an uncensored manner (Coleman, 2009). This means that mass media has the right to access all types of information sources and maintain their confidentiality, as well as right to publish or broadcast any news story (Blerkom, 2008). Through the freedom from any form of restriction, mass media can promote a wide variety of opinions, which will ultimately lead to a free marketplace of ideas. At this point, it is worth noting that the primary tenets of Libertarian Theory bank mainly on the assumption that the intended audience is comprised of rational people who are able to discern between truth and falsehood from any given piece of information. The inherent capacity of the intellect implies that people will always make the right choice in a given situation. Therefore, Libertarian Theory assumes that people can freely and successfully determine their own destiny. B. The Social Responsibility Theory The Social Responsibility Theory contradicts some of the major assertions of Libertarian Theory. It advocates the necessity of putting up government regulations on mass media so that it is able to act toward fulfilling its primary purpose, that is, the proper administration of social affairs. With this, for mass media to imbibe the values of social responsibility, it requires the balancing of the rights of mass media owners with fundamental social interests (Coleman, 2009). From the sender’s point-of-view, this theory proposes the responsible practice of mass communication, for all messages conveyed to the public must be honest, truthful, and relevant. Therefore, there lies an accepted duty of mass media to critically evaluate the value of its messages before sending them out to the public. Through this thinking, it can be claimed that the mass media’s right to expression is seen within the context of promoting social justice and harmony. Unlike the Libertarian Theory that openly argues the absence of any form of press control, the Social Responsibility Theory focuses the role of media toward the benefit of the public by arming them with truthful information about the government, private entities, and societal life in general (Blerkom, 2008). Media ethics becomes automatic in this sense. From the receivers’ perspective, this theory assumes that although people are rational thinkers who can discern the right from the wrong in a given piece of information, they may not always make the right decisions due to various social, political, and economic factors. Instead of just feeding the public with all sorts of information, the mass media must stir the interest of the public toward acquiring right information. C. Political Economy Theory This theory is premised on the idea that mass media intends to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate the government and private entities. This role is seen as a consequence of a world that is concentrated on wealth and conflicts of class interest. Indeed, mass media biases arise from the structure of media ownership today, which are intended toward furthering the political or commercial interests of the elite. Thus, mass media reflects its owners, from its hierarchal organization to its core values and ideals. Through this mindset, the public is seen as mere targets for political or commercial gains. As for the political side, influencing the public’s perspectives in favor of a political figure is intended to obtain support during elections. As for the commercial side, the public become targets of heavy advertising messages which, in effect, create a culture of consumerism. III. Analysis and Conclusion At this point, it is interesting to point out that the three theories that seem to prescribe the role of mass media in society possess certain attributes that can be linked to the forms of mass media discussed previously. Firstly, the political economy theory of mass media governs the dynamics that occur within traditional forms of mass media—print, radio, and television. As pointed out in the news and entertainment industries, the power to construct social realities through the manipulation of both content and presentation in their primary messaging is often intended to serve the political and commercial interests of these mass media owners. Secondly, the libertarian theory is slowly being exhibited in digital media today, where restriction of media content is still impossible. While the freedom from any type of restriction from either the government or other private organizations may serve some good in encouraging the digital media users to actively participate in the upholding of freer transmission media messages, it can also lead to numerous forms of abuse, such as the explosion of immoral websites and cases of cyber-bullying. Lastly, the social responsibility theory seems to be part of some ideal conceptualization of mass media’s essence, often hardly practiced in both traditional and digital mass media. But it is important to note that this theory exhibits the most substantial and relevant positions on the role of mass media in society. Therefore, mass media should operate not to serve the interests of the elite, nor to freely expose ideas without apt restriction, but to uphold the truth about society. In this sense, while truth becomes an inherent quality of mass communication messages, mass media operators must adopt ethics in order to properly perform the sending of these messages. In conclusion, it can be said that mass media exists in order to enhance the lives of people in society. It is through the honest and truthful delivery of political, economic, and commercial messages that harmony and justice is preserved in society. This entails not just the reasonable subjection of the forms of mass media under the rules of ethical communication, but also on the education and encouragement of the public in maintaining a society bound by respect and truth. Bibliography Blerkom, Van (2008). Political Theories and the Media. Retrieved 6 April 2012 from http://academic.cengage.com/resource_uploads/downloads/0495570540_155690.pdf. Coleman, Brenna. (2009). Media Ethics Today: The Difference Between Social Responsibility and Libertarian Theory. Retrieved 6 April 2012 from http://brennacoleman.suite101.com/media-ethics-today-a151237. Lorimer, R., Gasher, M., and Skinner, D. (2008). Mass communication in Canada (6th edition). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. Read More