Mass Communications

1. Mass Communications- refers to any technologically based means of communicating between large numbers of people distributed widely over space or time

2. Theories of Mass Communication
- Communication flow is largely one-way, from sender or source to recieve or audience
- Communication is from one or a few to many
- Communication is anonymous
- Audiences are largely passive recipients of the message distributed by the media, with little opportunity for feedback and practically no opportunity for immediate feedback or interaction with each other

3.  The basic functions of mass communications fall into four basic categories
- Surveillance- refers primarily to journalism, which provides information about the process, issues, events, and other developments in society
- Correlation- refers to the ways in which media interpret events and issues and ascribe meaning that help individuals understand their roles within the large society and culture.
- Cultural Transmission- refers to the transference of the dominant culture, as well as its subcultures, from one generation to the next or to imigrant
- Entertainment- is performed in part by all three of the above mentioned activities but also involves the generation of content designed specifically and exclusively to entertain