Five Characteristics Of Mass Communication

The unique characteristics of mass communication has been elucidated by John Thompson, a sociologist from Cambridge University, where he described mass communication as having five main characteristics. This first characteristic of mass communication is how it involves both technology and industries in its production and distribution. In this case technology plays a role in recording and sharing the information, while media industries are also required as a sender of information and also in planning and organizing how that information would be presented and distributed. An example would be how a camera, a transmitter, and other equipment are needed in the production and broadcasting of a television show, which would also require planning and

Probably one of the simplest form of mass communication, this form is easily seen in everyday life and includes published books, magazines, newspaper, flyers, newsletters, journals, and a myriad of other forms. This category of mass media used to be one of the most utilized form of mass media as it is able to reach a huge number of people, even those living in rural areas without Internet or even electricity. Newspapers used to be the most preferred medium for reaching a large audience and many people would rely on it for their daily news. However, printed media has lost its popularity with the advent of digital media which is capable of transmitting information much faster and efficiently. This causes a decline in the consumption of newspapers and magazine, though books is still preferred by many to be their source of knowledge and

As a tool for mass communication, mass media is the technology used as a platform in the transmission of information in various forms, such as newspapers, magazines, billboards, television, and the Internet. Mass communication via mass media would usually be utilized to relay different types of news and messages, an example would be news, entertainment, matters regarding politics, upcoming events, etc. This form of communication is highly influential to the lives of modern people, being able to persuade and affect what people think, say, do, and buy. This high persuasiveness of mass communication is why it is applied in the communication of health information to the public. It is also why is it important for all medical professionals to be able to comprehend and make use of this highly pervasive form of information