Mass Media System Essay

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CHAPTER II. THE MASS-MEDIA SYSTEM 2.1. The typologies of the mass-media system: Media institutions can be classified in several ways, depending on the scope of work there is profit-oriented institutions and nonprofit institutions (the public service). Media institutions that are profit orientated don’t depend on external sources of financing; this provides them a great deal of independence in terms of political positioning and choosing content that will be aired. A press institution that is profitable and is self-financed does not depend on state authorities or different political groups to be able to operate, but instead it depends on the reactions of the public who may impose or promote ideologies of journalists. Public influence is exercised …show more content…

The functions of media communication: Over time there have been done many researches regarding the functions of media and therefore there is a huge variety we can choose from. Among all, there are some functions that are continuous and are found in several papers. We can identify five common types of function of mass communication, these are the following: surveillance, interpretation, transmission of values, lineage and entertainment. These functions of mass communication are very similar to those fulfilled by other types of communications. (Lasswell 2007, …show more content…

It relates to the constant flow of public information or news surveillance about specific events occurring within the country and in the world. This function can be divided further into two groups: The first one is warning surveillance that occurs in cases when the media informs the general public about the threats from weather changes, heavy rains, tornados, wars, etc. The second one is called instrumental surveillance that occurs when the information that is useful in everyday life is transmitted to the general public, such as: new products, stock market prices and so on. It also strengthens the society by bringing deviant behavior of an individual into public view. Reporting news about individuals who for example, may have broken the law the society becomes more informed and more prepared for possible outcomes that may affect them. Of course, there are certain cases when surveillance in mass communication can prove dysfunctional for the society. If news and information sometimes go uncensored, in some cases may prove to be harmful for the society. An example of such a case would be when in some areas, news of possible conflicts may result in riots. When people are warned about the possibility of heavy rains, floods, cyclones and tornados their level of anxiety increases induces panic that can have catastrophic outcomes. This information function

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