Terminology

danixhale13 — 2017-03-05 21:40:30 UTC

Definition of the term mass

The Oxford Dictionary (2004, p. 341) definition of mass is “a large amount”. As Browne, at al (2014) explain in terms of media mass is the audience.

Definition of the term media

The Oxford dictionary (2004, p.344) definition of media is “television, radio, and newspapers as the means of mass communication”. Holborn and Langley (2004) support this by explaining that media communicates the same message to large numbers of people.

What is the mass media

As Holborn and Langley (2004) explain the mass media is where a message is conveyed from one point to a large number of other points. According to Browne, et al (2014) mass media may refer to one of three things such as, the technology involved in mass communication such as smart phones and games consoles, the institutions which that are concerned with mass communication, for example cinemas and advertising companies, and the products of these institutions such as books and films. As Giddens and Sutton (2013) explain media such as television, newspapers, radio and phones have undergone huge transformations as a result of advances in technology and the rapid spread of the internet, for example newspapers can now be read online, and smart phones enable constant internet access.

Who owns the mass media

As Blundell and Griffiths (2003) explain the ownership of the media in the UK was evenly spread across a large number of different small companies, however in recent years due to takeovers and mergers this has changed to a small number of large companies owning the majority of the mass media, for example only six companies control ninety four percent of newspaper sales in the UK. Browne, et al (2014) supports this by explaining that within the UK the ownership of the mass media is concentrated into seven large companies which are:

♠ News International who own several newspapers, Sky TV and broadband, Harper Collins publishers and multiple websites.

♠ Daily Mail and General trust who own the daily and Sunday mail, multiple regional newspapers and websites.

♠ Trinity Mirror who own newspapers such as, the daily mirror and the Sunday mail, multiple local newspapers, radio stations and websites.

♠ Northern and Shell who own the daily express and star, channel five, websites and OK! Magazine.

♠ Telegraph Media Group who own the daily and Sunday telegraph and spectator.

♠ Pearson who own the financial times, and several book publishers such as penguin.

♠ Guardian Media Group who own the guardian and the observer, auto trader, shares in magazines such as Sainsbury’s magazine and various website.

What is one to one communication

According to Holborn and Langley (2004) one to one communication is known as interpersonal media which is where messages are conveyed between single points for example text messaging between individuals. Giddens and Sutton (2013) support this by explaining that one to one communication is the transfer of information from one individual to another through speech or through the mass media of modern times such as email.

What is one to many communication

As Livesey (2014) explain one to many communication is the communication of one individual to many other individuals, for an example an author of a book communicates with the audience of the book or many people. Nehring and Plummer (2014) support this by explaining that an individual can share information to many other individuals through social media platforms like Facebook, twitter and Instagram. As Giddens and Sutton (2013, p.767) cite “In the twenty-first century, communication technologies enable information to be shared instantaneously and simultaneously with many millions of people almost anywhere in the world”.

Is there a different type of communication

As Livesey (2014) explain there is many to many communication which are group conversations, such as group conversations on social media platforms like Facebook and skype. Chandler and Munday (2011) support this by explaining that the internet is seen as a many to many communication medium.

Reference list

Blundell, J. and Griffiths, J. (2003) Sociology AS: The Complete Companion OCR. [e-book] Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Available at: Google Books[Accessed 05 March 2017]

Browne, K., Blundell, J., Law, P. and Whalley, M. (2014) Sociology for A2 AQA. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Chandler, D. and Munday, R. (2011) A Dictionary of Media and Communication. [e-book] Available at: Google Books[Accessed 05 March 2017]

Coventry, L. and Nixon, M. (2004) The Oxford English Minidictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Giddens, A. and Sutton, P. (2013) Sociology. 7th ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Holborn, M. and Langley, P. (2004) Haralambos and Holborn Sociology Themes and Perspectives: AS- and A-level Student Handbook. London: Harper Collins Publishers Limited.

Livesey, C. (2014) Cambridge International AS and A Level Sociology Coursework. [e-book] Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: Google Books:< https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-asZBAAAQBAJ&dq=one+to+many+communication+sociology&source=gbs_navlinks_s>[Accessed 05 March 2017]

Nehring, D. and Plummer, K. (2014) Sociology: An Introductory Textbook and Reader. [e-book] London: Routledge. Available at: Google Books[Accessed 05 March 2017]

Mass Media by Danielle Barker

Terminology