Mass communication can be defined as “…allowing communicators to reach a larger and geographically dispersed audience” (Chaffee & Metzger, 2001). However, developments in technology have challenged this definition and the existence of mass communication. This essay will investigate the hypothesis that mass communication era has ended, however the mass communication concept is constantly evolving as technology is developing. Mass communication will be explored using the three key concepts of media institution, societal problems and academic fields, in terms of theories regarding audience, agenda-setting, and the digital divide respectively.
The first key concept of mass communication is that it acts a societal problem (Chaffee & Metzger, 2001). …show more content…
Tichenor, Donohue & Olien (1970) theorised that the digital divide is the diffusion of mass media into social systems, which resulted in audiences with a higher socioeconomic status acquiring information at faster rates than audiences with a lower socioeconomic status. The multidimensional phenomenon has continued to increase as formal access to the Internet became commonplace in first world countries (DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001). DiMaggio and Hargittai also defined barriers within new media that contribute to the inequality in accessibility: technical means, autonomy, use patterns, social support networks, and skill. These barriers outline how factors such as a lack of digital experience and availability are affecting how media content is reaching its audiences, thus hindering the effectiveness of mass communication in the lower socioeconomic bracket. Audiences in the higher socioeconomic bracket are given the ability to share information at rapid rates, with the knowledge and ability to do so. The digital divide can be further segmented in six demographic dimensions ethnicity, occupation, education, income, geography, and gender (Wilson, 2006). Within the extensive research on the digital divide, researchers found that distinguishing between economic, physical, geographic, political, social, and health barriers is common. In the United States, for example, internet usage grew from 30% to 80% yet there were still substantial inequalities across the different demographics (Weimann, Weiss-Blatt, Mengitsu, Tvegermann, & Oven, 2014). Only 70% of the demographic were African Americans and only 40% were aged over 65 years old. This places a large emphasis on how the emergence of new media is causing social division (Sassi, 2005). Theorist James (2011) discovered that the digital divide is falling in countries where the income is higher whilst it is
The first key concept of mass communication is that it acts a societal problem (Chaffee & Metzger, 2001). …show more content…
Tichenor, Donohue & Olien (1970) theorised that the digital divide is the diffusion of mass media into social systems, which resulted in audiences with a higher socioeconomic status acquiring information at faster rates than audiences with a lower socioeconomic status. The multidimensional phenomenon has continued to increase as formal access to the Internet became commonplace in first world countries (DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001). DiMaggio and Hargittai also defined barriers within new media that contribute to the inequality in accessibility: technical means, autonomy, use patterns, social support networks, and skill. These barriers outline how factors such as a lack of digital experience and availability are affecting how media content is reaching its audiences, thus hindering the effectiveness of mass communication in the lower socioeconomic bracket. Audiences in the higher socioeconomic bracket are given the ability to share information at rapid rates, with the knowledge and ability to do so. The digital divide can be further segmented in six demographic dimensions ethnicity, occupation, education, income, geography, and gender (Wilson, 2006). Within the extensive research on the digital divide, researchers found that distinguishing between economic, physical, geographic, political, social, and health barriers is common. In the United States, for example, internet usage grew from 30% to 80% yet there were still substantial inequalities across the different demographics (Weimann, Weiss-Blatt, Mengitsu, Tvegermann, & Oven, 2014). Only 70% of the demographic were African Americans and only 40% were aged over 65 years old. This places a large emphasis on how the emergence of new media is causing social division (Sassi, 2005). Theorist James (2011) discovered that the digital divide is falling in countries where the income is higher whilst it is