
They do it with us as well as to us through mass communication, and they do it as a central many critics and scholars say the central cultural force in our society. A fundamental theme of this book is that media do none of this alone. Media help define us they shape our realities. Media often reduce us to mere commodities for sale to the highest bidder. They move our emotions, challenge our intellects, insult our intelligence. Media inform us, entertain us, delight us, annoy us. The media so fully saturate our everyday lives that we are often unconscious of their presence, not to mention their influence. The fish s existence is so dominated by water that only when water is absent is the fish aware of its condition. More on / What Is Mass Communication? Does a fish know it s wet? influential cultural and media critic Marshall McLuhan would often ask. This discussion inevitably leads to an examination of media literacy, its importance and practice. Always crucial, these issues are of particular importance now, when we find ourselves in a period of remarkable development in new communication technologies. We also discuss the opportunities mass communication and culture offer us and the responsibilities that come with those opportunities. We investigate how communication works, how it changes when technology is introduced into the process, and how differing views of communication and mass communication can lead to different interpretations of their power. In this chapter we define communication, interpersonal communication, mass communication, media, and culture and explore the relationships among them and how they define us and our world. 3Ĥ It s not yet 9:00, and already you re awash in media messages. be encouraged to practice media literacy. possess the basis for developing good media literacy skills. understand the relationship between literacy and power. understand the relationship between communication and culture. have a basis for evaluating the impact of technology and economics on those relationships. understand the relationships among communication, mass communication, culture, and those who live the culture. After studying this chapter you should know the defi nitions of communication, mass communication, mass media, and culture. Mass communication, mass media, and the culture that shapes us (and that we shape) are inseparable. You walk to class together, talking about last night s Simpsons episode. Hopping off the bus at the campus stop, you run into Chris from your computer lab. You bury yourself in the paper, scanning the lead stories and the local news and then checking out Doonesbury and Dilbert.
#Court report proofreading software movie#
Rejecting that as a movie choice for the weekend, you sit down next to a teenager listening to music on his headphones and playing a video game. As the bus rolls up, you can t help but notice the giant ad on its side: Die Hard IX Kill Before You re Killed. No time for breakfast you grab a Nature Valley granola bar and the newspaper and head for the bus stop. You need to talk to your roommate about picking up! After showering, you quickly pull on your Levi s, lace up your Nike cross-trainers, and throw on an American Eagle pullover. As you head toward the bathroom, your bare feet slip on some magazines littering the floor Wired, Rolling Stone, Newsweek. representative is under investigation for sexual harassment, and you deserve a break today at McDonald s. You stop for a moment and listen: The Supreme Court has refused to hear an affirmative action appeal, your U.S. But before you do, he adds, listen to a few words from your friends at Fry s Electronics, home of fast, friendly, courteous service We will beat any competitive price! In the living room, you find your roommate has left the television on. The laughing deejay shouts at you that it s 7:41 and you d better get going. It s Beyoncé, the last few bars of Single Ladies. 2 What does it mean to be on the cover of Rolling Stone?ģ Mass Communication, Culture, and Media Literacy 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES T he clock radio jars you awake.
