Mass communication can be defined as the process of creating, sending, receiving, and analyzing messages to large audiences via verbal and written me. It also the process of disseminating information to a large audience through the media.
the medium through which it is sent. These mediums are wide-ranging, and include print, digital media and the Internet, social media, radio, and television. According to Emery and others, “Mass communication is a process of sending a message, thought and attitude through some media at a time to a large number of heterogeneous audiences
Mass communication differs from other forms of communication, such as interpersonal communication and organizational communication, because it focuses on particular resources transmitting information to numerous receivers.
Normally, transmission of messages to many recipients at a time is called mass communication. But in a complete sense, mass communication can be understood as the process of extensive circulation of information within regions and across the globe.
Through mass communication, information can be transmitted quickly to many people who generally stay far away from the sources of information.
For communication to occur we require a sender, a massage, a channel and receiver(s). Further there is feedback which is the response or reaction of the receiver; which comes back to the sender through the same or some other channel.
Receivers are not just passive absorbers of messages; they receive the message and respond to them. This response of a receiver to sender’s message is called Feedback. Sometimes a feedback could be a non-verbal smiles, sighs etc. Sometimes it is oral, as when you react to a colleague’s ideas with questions or comments. Feedback can also be written like – replying to an e-mail, etc.
FEEDBACK IN MASS COMMUNICATION
feedback is the response of an audience to a message or activity.
Feedback is your audience’s response; it enables you to evaluate the effectiveness of your message. If your audience doesn’t understand what you mean, you can tell by the response and then refine the message accordingly.
Feedback in mass media is slow and weak message flow typically is one-way, form source to receiver. Traditionally, feedback has been minimal and generally delayed. A newspaper reader could write a letter to the editor but it remains limited and delayed.
In mass communication, feedback is delayed because there is no way for the speaker or performer or author to know what every member of the audience is thinking or feeling. For example, I just wrote a new book. (Books are an example of Mass Communication.) I hope you will read it, but when you do, how will I know whether you like it or not? Even if you send me an e-mail, there is a delay between when you got the book, when you read it, and when you sent the e-mail. Or, let’s say I just watched my favorite program on TV. I want to tell the lead actress that I think her performance was amazing. However, there will be delay from the time I send the message to when she receives it (assuming she receives it at all). SO, one characteristic of mass communication is that when the message is sent out via radio or TV or a magazine or the internet or some other mass medium, there is a gap between when the public reacts to it and when they are able to respond. That is why feedback is said to be “delayed
Also even in this age of instant communication, feedback in mass communication is rarely direct and instantaneous.it get delayed as we dont know how the reciever will react or when it will react. the speaker may get through mail and tv or magazine. Also generally this feedback reaches the source from far distances, is of a wide variety (as different people react to a message differently) and most importantly reaches the source after considerable time lapse.
For example, the feedback to a newspaper is published in the form of letters to editor after several days of the story being published.
In conclusion, Mass Communication, Sending and receiving of message is a simultaneous process in which the receiver continuously sends back its approval or disapproval after having interpreted the message. the feedback is delayed and often negligible. In fact you apply more of your brain as what you must be doing next rather than shaping your activity whether it’s being liked or not by the machine. The enormous scope of mass communication demands some control over the selection and editing of the messages that are constantly transmitted to the mass audience. feedback occurs delayed or indirect and The mass communication audience is a large one, sometimes numbering in the million of people.
Relate each statement of characteristics of a media organization to the theory suitable for it.
1.The media organization must have a set of objectives or purpose that guides its existence and operation.theory X is an approach that assume workers in an organization must be controlled, coherse, compelled, and threatened by management. human being by their nature prefer to be directed
2.It must a specific task or activities that it carries in order to achieve its objectives. according to henry fayor the father of administrative theory view the theory, that the more you work the more you receive but he don’t look at worker as individual but collective force, that when you utilize them collectively, you gain more maximum output and also balancing authority and responsibility.
3.It must have a line of authority and hierarchy of responsibility which will show how duties are shared in the organization. This can be relate to bureaucratic theory, max Webber theorized that the use of bureaucracy will enable an organization to produce more and more in an optimal level, he also develop the belief that they must be a fixed hierarchical structure for an organization and clear rules, regulations, and line of authorities that regulates it
4.Must have a clear division of labour among the staff of the organization. this statement can be relate to scientific theory according to fre drick taylor the father of scientific in one of the his theory, division of labour: divide the work to individual people then measure the time used by an individual then know how many people can finish a particular work.
5.Must have a good relationship with the environment in which it operates. The statement can be relate to behavioural/human relation management theory, this theory believe that human relation and behavior can also create productivity.
6.Must have a unity purpose which binds all the units so as to work together for the purpose of achieving goals. The theory of the statement is system theory which state that, for an organization to work all the sub-system of an organization must work together to achieve the goal of the organization
Reference
Hartley, J.: “Mass communication”, in O’Sullivan; Fiske (eds): Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies (Routledge, 1997).
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