MEDIA-SOCIETY THEORY

Features of Mass Media Institutions

*           Mass Media Institutions are segmented and classified on the bases of the technologies they utilize

(e.g. print media, broadcast media, transit media, outdoor media, electronic media, film media, etc.)

*           Mass Media Institutions are professional organizations which are normally bureaucratic in form

*           Mass Media Institutions are mainly engaged in the production and distribution of symbolic content

*           The participation of the Sender and Receiver in the Communication Process is voluntary

*           Mass Media Institutions differ from country to country/region to region

*           Mass Media Institutions are an integral component of the society, as such they need to operate in the public sphere, and are accordingly regulated by the society

*           Mass Media are normally free and powerless in nature

Mass Media and Socialization

Socialization is the process of developing a sense of self connected to a larger social world through learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of one's culture. Through socialization we learn to perform certain roles as citizens, friends, lovers, workers, and so forth. Through internalization our culture becomes taken-for-granted. We learn to behave in socially appropriate and acceptable ways. Some social institutions have explicit roles in socializing the young (such as the family and schools) and others have less intentional but still powerful roles in the process (such as adolescent peers).