Mass Media / - Speech or Presentation Example

Wilbur Schramm says, "A mass medium is essentially a working group organised round some device for circulating the same message, at about the same time, to large numbers of people'. (Wilbur Schramm: Mass Communication, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1960). Various forms of mass media have been making their way into our lives, thanks to technological advancements. Mass Media like the Print Broadcast and New Media Technology have been catering to the communication and information needs of the masses.

However, sometimes it so happens that not all information and surveillance conducted by the varied forms of Mass Media are authentic or in good light and therefore, they need to be censored or require some sort of surveillance mechanism for the news to pass through and restrict certain unwanted elements from them. In addition to this, not all news can be given equal importance or prominence. Therefore, news needs to undergo prioritisation and classification, in order to transmit the most important news in the desired form, to the masses.

Such mechanisms have been classified under numerous categories and this paper attempts to discuss some of them. Various theories have been formulated in the context of Mass Communication and the . Rather, the public reacts to those events portrayed or reflected in the media. All the events do not gain equal attention, but those are pictured in the media receive greater levels of reaction and attention. Therefore, the Theory of Agenda Setting deals with the proper organisation of news and information, since they have a great impact on the masses.

In the words of McCombs and Shaw, " This impact of the mass media - the ability to effect cognitive change among individuals, to structure their thinking - has been labelled the agenda-setting function of mass communication. Here may lie the most important effect of mass communication, its ability to mentally order and organize our world for us. In short, the mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about.

" (McCombs and Shaw, 5). Evidently, the Mass Media has the ability to channelise our thoughts and affect our reactions to a great extent. Agenda Setting can be categorised under three sub-categories or stages in the whole process of influencing the masses. The three stages are as follows:Media Agenda: This aspect of agenda setting deals with the process of media activities. These activities are based on the ways and means to classify and prioritise information and news, in order to impact public opinion and notions.

For instance, the media personnel sieve through news and pick up the most important ones as headlines and the rest as