Communication Settings: Interpersonal, Mass, Machine-assisted Communication

Having looked at the key elements in the communication process (interlocutors, a subject/referent situation, a message, communicative channel[s], [the potential] for feedback, the chance of noise, place and time), we next examine three communication settings: direct interpersonal communication, mass and media (machine-assisted or technology-assisted) communication, and explore how these elements vary from setting to setting. The first and perhaps the most common situation is direct interpersonal communication [Question: How do you understand direct interpersonal communication?], in which one person (or group) is interacting directly with another person (or group) without an aid of a mechanical device. Talking to your roommate, participating in a class discussion, and conversing with your professor after class are all examples or interpersonal communication [Question: What are the media involved in direct interpersonal communication?]. What is mass communication? [Question: How do you understand mass communication?] “Mass communication means different things to different people” as it is stated in the article “The End of Mass Communication”. [Slide]

1. The core concept lies in the word, mass. That is, the mass-ness of mass communication sets it apart from other forms of communication in human history in that it allows a communicator to reach a much larger and more geographically dispersed audience than ever before. T.S. Elliot’s famous quip (саркастическое замечание) about how television allows us all to “laugh at the same joke at the same time” captures nicely this aspect of mass communication.

2. The term mass communication is an oxymoron. Traditional definitions of communication are based on the idea of exchange, and because the technologies for mass communication (until recently) only allowed information to flow in one direction, true communication on a mass scale was impossible, according to this view.

3. Mass communication as a set of media institutions. Mass communication is a set of the organizations that send mediated messages through various channels. The mass media industries include newspapers, magazines, books, film, radio, television, and their supporting industries, advertising and public relations. The defining feature of these media institutions is their capacity for mass production and dissemination of messages. As Schramm (1954) and others have argued, the technologies powering the mass media unshackled communication from the bounds of time and space, thereby enabling for the first time in history instant communication with a large and largely anonymous audience. Media institutions such as film studios and television networks crystallized to capitalize on and profit from the new opportunity for communication on a massive scale. These organizations were wildly successful, which enabled them to grow large, although the technologies themselves kept entry costs high, allowing only a few companies to dominate each media industry. Thus, by the middle of the 20^th century, the mass media could be characterized by their “bigness and fewness” (Schramm).

4. Mass communication as a societal problem. The bigness and fewness of the mass media meant that only a handful of gate keepers made decisions about what media content would be distributed widely to the population. A gatekeeper is a human who controls access to something, for example via a city gate. In the late 20th century the term came into metaphorical use, referring to individuals who decide whether a given message will be distributed by a mass medium. This situation elicited fear from social critics and gave rise to another view of mass communication: mass communication as a societal problem. This view was fueled by the realization that along with mass production came the possibility for mass persuasion (remember the ideological content of The Soviet Union media). Centralized control of media content by professional and typically wealthy gatekeepers quickly characterized most mass communication. Given the financial barriers to entry and the physical scarcity of the airwaves, the average person had almost no opportunity for personal expression to reach a mass audience. The industry’s view of the audience shifted from an anonymous mass to a market that was both quantifiable and extremely profitable. Profit maximization in the production of mass communication meant aiming content at the lowest common denominator. The effect was a homogenization of media content that amused media audiences rather than enlightened them (Adorno & Horkheimer, 1972). The mass media, particularly radio and television, were obtrusive (навязчивый) in an unprecedented way. This perception was largely the result of the pervasive nature of the broadcast media. The fact that television came directly into the home and that viewers were to some extent a captive audience led people to feel that they were being stripped of the power to control their own living rooms. This was seen as especially problematic when violent and sexual content appeared in the media, and the official response to these concerns was to protect public morality and safety from the potential evil of the mass media (particularly broadcasting) through legislation.

The preceding views lay out the defining features of mass communication as it has been conceived since the early 20^th century: mass production, lack of individual control, and finite in available channels. [Slide]

The differences between the individual elements of interpersonal and mass communication change the very nature of the communication process. Let compare the elements of the interpersonal and mass communication situation. [Slide]