Effects of mass media on society

1. Effects of
Mass media

2. Mass media refers to a
diverse array of media
technologies that reach a
large audience via mass
communication.
What is Mass Media ?

3. Basic functions of Mass Media
Informative
Educational
Entertaining
Advertising

4. Mass media and Democracy
Now let’s see how mass media like newspapers, radio
and television play the role of acting as a bridge
between the government and the people.
Let us consider an example.
The government decides that the prices of petrol and
diesel will either be increased or decreased. That
decision needs to be conveyed to the people. This is
done by the media. The media not only inform people
about it but also explain the effect of that decision taken
by the government on the people.

6. Let’s take another example.
The agriculture department of your state or the
Indian Agricultural Research Institute develops a
new improved, high yielding strain of wheat or rice.
Farmers should be given information about the new
variety, how it has to be used or what benefits they
would get if they use it. Here again, it is the media
that does this. But how does the media do this?
Different forms of mass media such as print media,
radio, television, traditional media and the internet
are used to disseminate information. You will learn
about this in detail in the subsequent modules.

7. FUNCTIONS OF MEDIA
Mass Media Can Help in Change
Mass Media have made the World Smaller and Clo
Mass Media Promotes Distribution of Goods

8. MEDIA ETHICS
• Accuracy
• Confidentiality
• Protection of sources
• Right to privacy
• Novulgarity orobscenity

10. Positive effects of mass media
• Media provide news and information required by
the people.
• Media can educate the public.
• Media helps a democracy function effectively.
They inform the public about government policies and programmes
and how these programmes can be useful to them. This helps the
people voice their feelings and helps the government to make
necessary changes in their policies or programmes.
• Media can entertain people.
• Media can act as an agent of change in development.
• Media has brought people of the world closer to each other.
• Media promote trade and industry through advertisements .
• Media can help the political and democratic processes of a country.
• Media can bring in positive social changes.

11. Negative effects of mass media
• The traditional culture of a country is adversely affected
by mass media.
• Entertainment has become the main component of mass
media. This affects the primary objectives of media to
inform and educate the people.
• Media promote violence. Studies have proved that
violence shown on television and cinema have negative
effects on children.
• Mass media promote the desire in people to buy and own
products that are advertised through the media but which
may not be essential for them.

14. Conclusion
• In conclusion, we have absolutely no control
over the media. It plays a constant role in our
daily life. We are manipulated and influenced
in our appearance, beliefs, desires and
opinion.
•The media has formed our physical
environment in which advertisement posters
decorate our buildings, walls and
transportation system. This of course has
changed within the development of mass
media and will continue to change in the future