Communication Officer
The Evolution of Mass Communication Theory
The purpose of this study is to examine the evolution of theory and approaches in the field of mass communication in the United States during the 20th century. The field of mass communication is one that is relatively new to the field of academia. From its roots in psychology and sociology, the study of mass communication has flourished into an acknowledged field of study. Authors Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis have organized the 20th century of mass communication study into four eras: mass society, limited effects, critical/cultural studies, and meaning-making.
Throughout the 20th century, most research studies regarding mass communication have either employed a macroscopic or microscopic method of research. A macroscopic lens considers media effects on society, and attempts to measure the effects on a grand scale. On the other hand, a microscopic lens examines media effects among individuals or smaller audiences. There have been several instances in which the emphasized lens under which mass communication was studied was a reaction against the previously embraced lens in the previous era. For instance, one of the primary reasons for the rise of the limited effects era was that it served as an answer to the mass society era, in which media was analyzed at a macroscopic level. During the limited-effects era, there were academics and researchers who believed that analyzing media at a microscopic level accurately measured media effects. It should be noted that both macroscopic and microscopic methods of examining media have jointly existed throughout much of the 20th century, but the emphasis of one over the other during particular periods of time is the central focus of this paper. As organized by authors Baran and Davis, the four eras of mass communication study have been shaped in part by reactionary responses towards previous eras, shifting emphasis between macroscopic and microscopic manners of studying mass
The purpose of this study is to examine the evolution of theory and approaches in the field of mass communication in the United States during the 20th century. The field of mass communication is one that is relatively new to the field of academia. From its roots in psychology and sociology, the study of mass communication has flourished into an acknowledged field of study. Authors Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis have organized the 20th century of mass communication study into four eras: mass society, limited effects, critical/cultural studies, and meaning-making.
Throughout the 20th century, most research studies regarding mass communication have either employed a macroscopic or microscopic method of research. A macroscopic lens considers media effects on society, and attempts to measure the effects on a grand scale. On the other hand, a microscopic lens examines media effects among individuals or smaller audiences. There have been several instances in which the emphasized lens under which mass communication was studied was a reaction against the previously embraced lens in the previous era. For instance, one of the primary reasons for the rise of the limited effects era was that it served as an answer to the mass society era, in which media was analyzed at a macroscopic level. During the limited-effects era, there were academics and researchers who believed that analyzing media at a microscopic level accurately measured media effects. It should be noted that both macroscopic and microscopic methods of examining media have jointly existed throughout much of the 20th century, but the emphasis of one over the other during particular periods of time is the central focus of this paper. As organized by authors Baran and Davis, the four eras of mass communication study have been shaped in part by reactionary responses towards previous eras, shifting emphasis between macroscopic and microscopic manners of studying mass
Cited: Bailey, K. D. (1994). Methods of Social Research (4th ed.). New York, NY: The Free Press. Baran, S., & Davis, D. (2012). Mass Communication Theory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Berger, C. (2005). Interpersonal communication: Theoretical perspectives, future perspectives. Journal of Communication, 55, 415-447 Bird, A. (2011). Karl Popper. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.).: The Stanford Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=thomas-kuhn Bowers, J. W., & Courtright, J. A. (1984). Communication Research Methods. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman. Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumer & E. Katz (Eds.), The Uses of Mass Communication: Current perspectives on gratifications research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Lewis,N. (2012, October 17). Course lecture at the University of Florida. Gainesville, Florida. Ritzer, G., & Jurgenson, N. (2010). Production, consumption, presumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital "prosumer.". Journal of Consumer Culture, 10(1), 13-36.