What are some mass media effects and their impact on society?

With the exorbitant amount of edited images we see in the media, our lines of reality have been blurred. We have grown desensitized by being constantly bombarded with such powerful and often manipulated images. It is not just the drastic images that are causing an impact, but the frequency to which our society sees them. It is still being debated whether or not violence in the media affects societal violence, but recent research is showing that it has a heavy impact on children. It is recommended that children under two do not even watch television because they cannot yet distinguish fantasy from reality. Albert Bandura also concluded that children may imitate acts of violence if they see it ‘benefitting’ in some way shape or form. Adults can certainly distinguish fantasy from reality but even our view of realistic body image has been skewed. Mass media portrays all these images because they know we want to see it and they know it sells, but the impact has become irreparable in many ways. We as a society must realize this about the media and ourselves so we do not get caught in between fantasy and reality.

What are some mass media effects and their impact on society?

It has been said that the mass media can effect many aspects of society. Although the mass media does play a role in what the people see I do not believe that it can be considered the only factor in the way people act. The bullet theory claims that the media can directly and immediately affect a persons behavior. There is not enough research to prove this theory and that is why people now believe that the mass media instead can affect attitudes but not behavior. I am more inclined to think that mass messages created through the media can affect ones attitude because when someone is constantly exposed to a message it can affect the way they feel towards what the message is depicting. Mass media does not have profound effects on society, personally I see it as a vehicle that depicts the lifestyles and culture of the time period. Cultural values that are dominant in societies are developed through mass media but do not originate in this format. “Causal explanations for gradual opinion shifts are elusive, although mass messages are a factor” (Vivian 357). Mass messages and the media in general are factors in the way society acts, but it is not the sole cause. To say that mass media effects society is correct in that it may have a slight influence on society, but the media is not the sole provider or producer of the way that society acts.

Which audience analysis measurement principles and techniques are most effective and why?

Since radio and television’s popularity skyrocketed, media figures have started to measure their success. They have found a series of ways obtain these rankings such as polling, sweeps, sampling, interviews…etc. While they are all deemed effective in their own way, there are plenty of fallacies with each method, and the only way to truly obtain an effective measure would be to collaborate a series of these methods to come to an ultimate conclusion. Sweeping is when TV rankings are conducted by measuring how many Televisions are tuned into a certain station or show. They are done over the course of certain weeks. This is useful because you get a concrete number, but the problem is that sweeping does not account for the flush factor (people leaving for commercials). It also does not account for the fact that people switch stations to avoid channels or people record shows to edit out the commercials. As a result of these concerns, other methods of measurement must be used to get feedback. Another method is polling or interviews, where the general public is asked to answer questions and share their opinion on a certain subject. The problem with these two methods is that the people that tend to answer these questionnaires tend to have a strong view so the results will be skewed. People who are apathetic to an issue are less likely to answer questions or respond to a poll regarding it. So no measurement of success is truly perfect, but a collaboration of a series of methods can ultimately lead to good feedback on how the general public views aspects of the media.

Which audience analysis measurements principles and techniques are most effective, and why?

There are many methods to measuring audience opinion. The media uses probability sampling, quota sampling, survey evaluation, straw polls, interviews, diaries, meters, people meters, portable meters and Internet devices. Some of these tests are techniques and some are principles. I tend to think that the techniques are more useful than the principles, but that is just my opinion. However, one of the principles, probability sampling, is useful because it picks out a random group of a certain amount of people from that population which represent the the entirety of the group. This is useful because it allows the media to get the gist of a group without having to poll every single member. Another useful tool is interviews, if society is willing to participate in them. A company or station would call up a random household and ask if they would be willing to participate in a survey. Most often, this works better if there is a trade-off, such as a gimmick for the person who participating in the survey. But, when I take a survey, I am honest and reasonable, because I understand that they are just trying to improve their company. One of the other useful techniques is meters. These are useful because they track what channels a television set has on for most of the time. Overall, polling is probably the best method for the media to use to judge what the public enjoys most. All of these tools are somewhat accurate and can provide an ballpark figure of what mass audiences prefer.

In what way do media and advertising work together?

Advertising and the media mutually benefit each other. On television, for example, a station gets its income, not only from viewers, but also from commercials that sponsor the station. Every show on television is interrupted for an advertisement, at least once in its time slot. Some shows even focus on advertisements, like TBS’s Best Commercials of 2010. Every year, the station rates the best commercials on television by humor and persuasiveness. However, there are other forms of advertisements, such as print ads, which are usually in newspapers or magazines. When you read a magazine, there is typically an ad on every other page, if not the back of the page. Those advertisements are the source of income for those mediums, which provide people with less expensive reading material. One of the reasons that advertising and the media go hand in hand is because of their relation. An advertisement is a form of the media. When you are exposed to ads in a magazine or on the television, you are being exposed to the media. Advertising is a form of the media and contributes to its dominance. Advertising and the media are both under the same umbrella of industries and it is no surprise that they benefit from each other.

How is public relations used as a persuasive tool in communications?

Public Relations, in itself, is a persuasive technique that focuses on relationships, especially between businesses. Although public relations is defined as, “a management tools to establish beneficial relationships”, “it is also a persuasive communication tool that people can se to motivate other people and institutions to help them achieve their goals” (Vivian 269-270). To accomplish its goals, there are four steps that public relations people must do. They must identify existing relationships, evaluate the relationships, design policies to improve the relationships, and implement the policies. The whole idea behind public relations is that it keeps the company honest and persuades the public that they are a worthwhile institution. By doing this, they are having press conferences, issuing press releases, and emphasizing the company’s strengths and attributes. All of this is meant to influence the consumer and the public. One aspect of public relations, is lobbying which is very persuasive because they try and promote policies and legislation. Any PR employee in that department must have the ability to persuade. As for public relation firms that don’t persuade, they won’t have much luck because the whole idea behind public relation is influencing the public. If the public is not on your side, then your company will not do well. Persuasiveness is a key tool to any job in public relations and it is a key element in the business.

How has mass media technology changed the way audiences are entertained?

The devices of mass media technology, such as television, movies, photography, radio, Ipods, and many others have made it easier for audiences to be entertained. When radio first began, it took the sense of hearing and put it into play. People listened to their favorite television shows, listened to music and news broadcasts, all on the radio. When television came about, it utilized the sense of sight and people were able to all of their favorite shows come to life. The images were already created for them and they didn’t have to imagine what they saw, like they did with radio. Much like television, movies were an escape from everyday life for people. They entertained people because of the different genres that were available; people could choose what type of movie they wanted to watch. Finally, there are Ipods, which utilize every type of media technology ever created in the past 100 years or so. Someone is able to take pictures, listen to music, watch a movie or television show, all in the comfort of their own home and on their Ipod. All of these devices were great inventions that helped people escape from everyday life and take advantage of the social life.