Mass Communication : Mass communication and Mass media

Mass Communication 

Mass communication is defined as exchanging information to the wide range of people.The study of mass communication is all about how messages are accepted and how it affects the behavior of the person. Mass communication is a formalized process in which the messages are sent to a large number of individuals . Mass communications are the transmission of information to the large numbers of people through the mass media. Mass media includes newspapers, magazines, television, radio, film, websites. It also involves news, entertainment, branding, knowledge, advice or other forms of information that are available in advertisements and online channels. It is a technology that allows for the dissemination of information to the public. The Mass Communication track helps the students to develop research methods and analysis of the skills that can be applied to a number of different fields. It includes law, academic, and the professional sector. Mass communication continues to evolve with the development of new media. It is named as the virtual world.

Mass communications can also be defined as the broadcast of an unanswerable voice to a large audience. Mass communications do not involve the exchange of ideas, it is the delivery and receipt of a mass messages. Mass communication describes the means by which persons and groups use mass media to transmit the information. The study of mass communications is often coupled with other fields of study, such as journalism, marketing, advertising or public relations.

The educational programs of mass communication teach many skills useful to its field and many other professions. These skills include:

1. Writing skills

It is the ability to organize and express ideas clearly and appropriately. The ability to write clearly and effectively is the key to communication. This skills should not be limited to journalists or any other professional authors. The poor written communication can be frustrating for the reader and also cause damage to the author.

2. Observation skills

It is the act of applying attention to certain details and sorting them out of the total information we receive. It is the ability to evaluate ideas and content. It also refers to the abilities to inform, explain, influence, persuade, mediate and negotiate. A good observation skill is necessary to get all the little and sneaky non-verbal cues to display.

3. Organizational skills

It is the ability to plan and work as a part of organization. It also refers to the meeting of deadlines, striving for accuracy, being accountable and making decisions independently. The organizational skills are one of the most important and transferable of job skills which can pass to the worker. Companies prefer the workers who can stay organized and focus on the projects at hand.

4. Critical thinking skills

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly. It is the rational understanding of the logical connection between ideas. It is also the ability to use independent, objective and precise reasoning. The critical thinking requires using the ability to reason. It is the method of being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of the information.

5. Development skills

Development of skills is the ability to generate and adapt ideas, develop programs, evaluate situations, present information and data. Development Skills is the process of identifying your skill gaps and developing and honing these skills. It is very important because your skills determine your ability to execute your plans with success.

6. Problem-solving skills

It is the ability to look at complex problems, understanding both the whole picture and its individual parts. It also refers to recognizing patterns, using analytical skills, evaluating and monitoring the results. To have the ability to solve all problems efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty is the important skill of mass communication. But unfortunately, there is no one way in which all problems can be solved.

7. Research and analysis skills

It is the ability to analyze, assimilate and interpret information and data. Research skills are needed to describe various techniques for gathering information. One of these techniques is analysis. The analytical skills refer to the approaches and methods you use to identify and evaluate a situation.

8. Cultural awareness

It is the foundation of communication. It also involves the ability to stand back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions. It is the ability to understand diverse cultural, social, legal and ethical considerations in mass communication process.

Elements of Mass Communication

Mass communication is characterized by the transmission of complex messages to large and diverse audiences, using the sophisticated technology of communication.

The elements of mass communication are as follows:

a) Public:

A public is a subset of the set of stakeholders in an organization. It comprises the people concerned with a specific issue. It also refers to the Communities of people at large organized or not organized groups that have a direct or indirect association with an organization. Public receives and exchanges the messages, ideas and opinions. Means of public communications refers to the development of technology and mediums of communications. The change of society's attitudes and opinions depends on public opinions, policies, and ideas. People respond and react within public groups. Public also refers to those who has to be communicated with.

b) Media:

Media is defined as the means or channels of general communication, information, and entertainment in the society. It is also the means of communication through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are spread. Media includes every broadcasting of the medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet.

c) Message:

Message is also a means of communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data and the promotional messages are spread. It is the subject matter of communication which a sender creates in his mind. The message consists of facts, data, statistics and information.

d) Sender:

Sender is also one of the elements of communication. He thinks what message should be sent which is taken as the content of the communication and a basis of the message. The person who conveys the message to another person is known as a sender. He must have some matters of expressions. He is the initiator of the communication process.

e) Marketing, Advertising & Public relations:

Marketing is the process of creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging products and services which have value for customers, clients, partners, and society.
Advertising, which consists of communications attempt to induce purchasing behavior.
Public relation is the communication which is intended to influence the public opinion on a product or organization.

Mass media

Mass media is known as the simple term of a countless arrangement of institutions and individuals. It is a technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. Mass media is the technique used to transmit messages. It is the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. It differs in the purpose of scope, method and cultural context. The most common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and Internet. The general public relies on the mass media to provide information regarding political issues, social issues, entertainment and news in pop culture.

Before internet, television or radio, there was only newspaper. Newspaper was the original platform for mass media. The public and the writer used to depend on the writers and journalists for the local newspapers which is used to provide them with the latest news in current events. Mass media include all forms of information from a handmade sign to an international news network which is communicated to large groups of people. Television in living room, newspaper on the doorstep, radio in the car, the computer at work and the message in the mailbox are just a few of the media channels. The daily delivering advertisements, news, opinion, music are also the other forms of mass communication. The messages of mass media are sophisticated and complex. The interpersonal communication in the message may be simple words and short sentences.

The mass media are defined as the large-scale organizations. It uses one or more of the technologies to communicate with large numbers of people. It also represents greater social and cultural diversity. Mass media makes possible the concept of celebrity. The movies, magazines, and news media helps to reach across thousands of miles without this people could not become famous. (Akin)