This document provides an overview of key concepts related to mass communication and media literacy. It defines communication as the transmission of messages from a source to a receiver through an encoding and decoding process. Mass communication is defined as creating shared meaning between mass media and their audience. Culture is defined as learned behaviors of social groups, and is socially constructed and maintained through communication. The document also provides statistics on the extensive amount of time Americans spend consuming media daily, especially children and teens.

1. Chapter 1:
Mass Communication, Culture,
and Media Literacy

2. FUNDAMENTAL COURSE THEME:
Media inform us, entertain us, delight us,
annoy us – the move our emotions, challenge
our intellects, insult our intelligence – media
often reduce us to mere commodities for sale
to the highest bidder – media help define us
and shape or realities…BUT media does
nothing alone. It does it with us as well as to
us through mass communication, and it does it
as a central – many would say THE central –
cultural force in our society.

3. What Is Communication?
COMMUNICATION =
The process of creating
shared meaning

4. What Is Communication?
Communication: the transmission
of a message from a source to a
receiver.
•All messages are encoded (transferred
into an understandable sign and symbol
system)
•Once received, all messages are
intended to be decoded (the signs and
symbols are interpreted)

5. What Is Mass Communication?
•Media plural of medium (the
means of sending mass
communication/many identical
messages to a mass audience)
•Mass Media communication
ALWAYS involves technology of
some kind

6. Mass Communication Definition
MASS COMMUNICATION =
The process of creating
shared meaning between
the mass media and their
audience

7. Communication Definition
“Communication is a
symbolic process whereby
reality is produced,
maintained, repaired and
transformed.”
– James W. Carey,
Media Theorist (1975)

8. Communication Definition
Communication and “reality” are
linked – communication informs
pragmatic “reality” by
impacting/forming the way we
perceive, understand and
construct our view of reality and
the world. As a result,
Communication can be viewed as
the foundation of our “reality”.

9. Communication Definition
“Communication is a symbolic
process whereby reality is
produced, maintained,
repaired and transformed.”
TED TALK EXAMPLE

10. Communication Definition

11. STUDY FOCUS QUESTION #1
Describe a situation in which you find
that reality is “produced, maintained,
repaired and/or transformed” by
mass media communication
*
In other words, when did the MASS
MEDIA play a major role in how you
saw the “reality” of something and/or
when your view of “reality” changed?

12. What Is Culture?
Culture: the learned behavior of members of a
given social group.
Culture as Socially Constructed Shared Meaning
= CULTURE IS LEARNED AND MAINTAINED VIA
COMMUNICATION
Functions and Effects of Culture:
Limits our options and provides guidelines
Culture’s limiting effects can be negative
Creates a Dominant/Mainstream Culture and,
in turn, Counter-Cultures

13. Scope and Nature of Mass Media
•American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to,
watching, reading or generally interacting with media
•Children up to age 8 spend an average of 2 hours and 19
minutes every day on media
•For 8- to 12-year-olds, the average time spent using media every
day was 4 hours and 36 minutes, according to a 2015 Common
Sense Media report
•Tweens spend an average of 6 hours with media
•On any given day, teens in the United States spend about NINE
HOURS using media for their enjoyment
•That's more time than teens typically spend sleeping, and more
time than they spend with their parents and teachers. And the
nine hours does not include time spent using media at school or
for their homework

14. STUDY FOCUS QUESTION #2
Who were your childhood
heroes and heroines and/or
favorite characters derived
from MASS MEDIA? Why did
you choose them? What
cultural lessons did you learn
from them?