Mass Communication And Mass Society

Exploring the social role and importance of modern media of communication and culture

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2012, Books on Mass Communication, Mass Society, Music, Art, Film and TV, Abstracts, Journals, Bibliography, Syllabus

Academic programs for the study of mass media are usually referred to as mass communication programs.

The term "mass communication" is a term used in a variety of ways which, despite the potential for confusion, are usually clear from the context. These include: 

reference to the activities of the mass media as a group, 

the use of criteria of a concept, "massiveness," to distinguish among media and their activities, and 

the construction of questions about communication as applied to the activities of the mass media. 

"Mass communication" is often used loosely to refer to the distribution of entertainment, arts, information, and messages by television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, recorded music, and associated media. 

What role have media like newspapers, television, and the internet played in making the modern world the way it is?

What happens when so much of our communication happens on a "mass" basis, between people who don't see or even know each other?

How can we study the signs, symbols, and cultural meanings that make up media messages?

How are the media organized, and how does organizational form shape content?

What difference does it make, for example, if media are funded with, say, advertising or tax money? - Prof. Thomas Streeter.

What are the differences between interpersonal media, mass media, and network media? How can media be distinguished according to channel modalities, economic modalities, institutions, technological manifestations, content, and information technologies? What are institutions, cultural forms, and mediation? What are the differences between a transmission and a cultural model of communication? How can media power be understood as effects? as determination and control? What are the differences between the conflict and consensus models of society?

In mass society, typically the structure of interaction is bureaucratically organized. The need for instrumental control of behavior to purposes divorced from the life process in capitalist society has lead to the bureaucracy as the major instrument of social control. - T.R.Young

The study of leisure in a mass society requires the study of the mass media - perhaps the primary agent of 'massification.' We live in a society saturated by mass media. Virtually all forms of leisure have been affected by this increasingly powerful agent of socialization. Of all forms of mass media, television has emerged to become the most powerful media.

Mass Communication & Mass Society - Journals

Web Journal of Mass Communication Research - scripps.ohiou.edu/wjmcr/

The Southwestern Mass Communication Journal (SWMCJ) - comm.astate.edu/SWMCJ/home.html

Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
Editor: David Culbert, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Volume 24, 2004, Quarterly, ISSN Print 0143-9685 ISSN Online 1465-3451
Published under the auspices of IAMHIST (International Association for Media and History), the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television examines the history of audio-visual media and its impact on the political, social and cultural developments of the twentieth century.

Mass Society - sebsteph.com/Professional/sebsportfolio/journals/mass_society.htm

Critical Studies in Media Communication: It provides an academic forum for interpretive approaches to mass communication theory and research. Published in March, June, September and December. Focuses exclusively on the range of critical perspectives which help define the expanding area of mediated communication research. It provides an academic forum for interpretive approaches to mass communication theory and research. Several specialized journals represent particular critical traditions, but CSMC seeks to enrich the broad debate among them and shape the parameters of this genre. Very useful to all scholars and also sociology students involved in the research and teaching of media and cultural studies. - taylorandfrancis.metapress.com

Continuum is an academic journal of media and cultural studies. For over a decade it has contributed to the formation of these disciplines by identifying new areas for investigation and developing new agendas for enquiry in the fields.
The journal is of central importance to all scholars and also sociology students involved in the research and teaching of media and cultural studies. It provides vital information and ideas for thinking about the formations of media in culture and the culture of media.- taylorandfrancis.metapress.com

TWENTIETH-CENTURY MASS SOCIETY IN BRITAIN AND THE NETHERLANDS
Edited by Bob Moore and Henk van Nierop
Description: From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Western Europe witnessed the emergence of a "mass" society. Grand social processes such as urbanization, industrialization and democratization blurred the previous sharp distinctions that had divided society.Comparing the British and Dutch experience of mass society in the twentieth century, this book considers five major areas: politics, welfare, media, leisure and youth culture. In each section, two well-known specialists--one from each country--look at the conditions in the rise of a mass society, drawing on history, cultural studies and sociology, to bring new insight into the development of modern European society. - palgrave-usa.com.

Books - Mass Communication - Mass Society

Media and the Making of Modern Germany: Mass Communications, Society, and Politics from the Empire to the Third Reich Corey Ross

Mass Media In A Mass Society: Myth and Reality
Richard Hoggart
In his latest book, Richard Hoggart looks at the ways in which mass communications in the twenty-first century both encourage and hinder greater understanding of the modern world.

Mass Media, Social Control, and Social Change: A Macrosocial Perspective David Pearce Demers, K Viswanath, K. Viswanath, David Demers (Editors)
Many theories of mass communications deal with the issue of social control, but few are conceived specifically as theories of social control.

Grasping Things: Folk Material Culture And Mass Society In America Simon J. Bronner
From the acts of entering a suburban house to making headstones to consuming turtle soup, Bronner wants the attentive reader to grasp the dynamics of the usually unexamined aspects of our material world.

After the Death of Childhood: Growing Up in the Age of Electronic Media David Buckingham

Mass Society, Pluralism, and Bureaucracy: Explication, Assessment, and Commentary Richard F. Hamilton
Three major social theories--mass society, pluralism, and bureaucracy--are often employed to interpret and explain modern societies. Although frequently invoked, the theories themselves are poorly understood.

Media and Society in Twentieth Century: An Historical Introduction
Lyn Gorman, David McLean

Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society : From Watts to Rodney King (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) Ronald N. Jacobs, Jeffrey C. Alexander (Series Editor), Steven Seidman

Media and Power (Communication and Society)
James Curran
What kind of influence do the media have in society? Are they agencies of freedom and control in social welfare democracies? Critical media studies is in a state of ferment. Studies exposing class bias in the media have given way to a stress on the ambivalence and inconsistency of media representations of the world. Using both case studies and overviews, James Curran poses and answers a wealth of important questions about the role of the media, dividing his discussion into three main areas - Media Influence, Media Organizations and Media and Society.

Media Effects and Society (Lea's Communication Series) Elizabeth M. Perse

Small Town in Mass Society: Class, Power, and Religion in a Rural Community
Michael W. Hughey (Foreword), Arthur J. Vidich (Afterword), Joseph Bensman

Media Influence, Media Organizations and Mass Communication.

Mass Communication And Mass Society Abstracts

Communication Problems in a Mass Society: Mass Audience, Mass Communication and Development. 
Authors: Moemeka, Andrew A. 
Abstract: After defining and clarifying key concepts such as development, communication, mass communication, mass society, mass audience, and types of audience participation, the paper explores the relationship between the mass media and the mass audience. - eric.ed.gov

The Mass Media and Urban Development: An Historical Overview. 
Authors: Jowett, Garth S. 
Abstract: The mass media in the United States have played a major role in the emergence of a mass society. Society's culture and social structure shape its system of mass communication. - eric.ed.gov

The Three Paradigms of Mass Media Research In Mainstream Communication Journals 
by W. James Potter, Roger Cooper, Michel Dupagne 
Examining six characteristics of mass media research articles published in eight major communication journals. - blackwell-synergy.com

The Rise of Mini-Comm 
Gary Gumpert
The Journal of Communication, Volume 20 Issue 3 Page 280 - September 1970
Abstract: "Mass communication" describes a relationship between a large, heterogeneous, and anonymous audience and the means used to communicate to that audience. The mass media serve this purpose. - blackwell-synergy.com

Fifteen Pages that Shook the Field: Personal Influence, Edward Shils, and the Remembered History of Mass Communication Research 
Jefferson Pooley, Muhlenberg College 
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 608, No. 1, 130-156 (2006)
Traces the emergence of the Personal Influence synopsis, with special attention to (1) Lazarsfeld's audience-dependent framing of key media research findings and (2) the surprisingly prominent role of Edward Shils in supplying key elements of the narrative. - ann.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/608/1/130

The One-Step Flow of Communication 
W. Lance Bennett, University of Washington 
Jarol B. Manheim, George Washington University 
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 608, No. 1, 213-232 (2006)
Explores the transformation of public communication in the United States from a two-step flow of messages passing from mass media through a social mediation process, to a one-step flow. - ann.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/608/1/213

The New Revisionism in Mass Communication Research: A Reappraisal 
James Curran 
European Journal of Communication, Vol. 5, No. 2, 135-164 (1990) SAGE Publications.
The major developments of mass communication research, particularly in Britain, during the last fifteen years are reviewed critically. A new revisionist movement has emerged that challenges the dominant radical paradigms of the late 1970s and early 1980s. - ejc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/2/135

Adaptation of Traditional Society To Modern Mass Society 
Burra Venkatappiah 
Diogenes, Vol. 9, No. 33, 1-27 (1961) DOI: 10.1177/039219216100903301 © 1961 International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies

Primary and Secondary Thinking in Social Theory 
The Case of Mass Society 
Robert Cooper, Keele University, mna13@keele.ac.uk 
The primary-secondary interaction is further illustrated through the technologies of the modern mass media and the `consumption' of space and time implied by globalization. - jcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/2/145

Oligarchy and Adaptation to Mass Society in an All-Volunteer Organization: Implications for Understanding Leadership, Participation, and Change 
Kenneth B. Perkins Longwood College 
Darryl G. Poole, Longwood College 
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 1, 73-88 (1996).
Forces of mass society that were moving the organization away from its traditional community focus were mediated by an oligarchy of professionalized leaders. - nvs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/1/73

The demon of technology, mass society, and atomic physics in West Germany, 1945-1957 
Author: Beyler R.

Multilevel Analysis in Mass Communication Research 
ZHONGDANG PAN, JACK M. McLEOD 
Communication Research, Vol. 18, No. 2, 140-173 (1991) DOI:
Mass communication is thus conceived of as a process from production to consumption that occurs at both micro-individual and macro-social levels. The contributions of this multilevel view of mass communications to theoretical development in the field is illustrated by analyzing three prominent theories in our field: the knowledge gap, cultivation, and the spiral of silence. - crx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/2/140

Mass Communication as Participation: Web-Radio in Germany: Legal Hazards and its Contribution to an Alternative Way of Mass Communication 
Hans-Ullrich Muhlenfeld, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany 
European Journal of Communication, Vol. 17, No. 1, 103-113 (2002) © 2002 SAGE

Science Mass Communication - Its Conceptual History 
ROBERT A. LOGAN, University of Missouri-Columbia 
Science Communication, Vol. 23, No. 2, 135-163 (2001) SAGE Publications.
This article provides a conceptual history of science mass communication, which is seen as divided into the scientific literacy and interactive science traditions.

Communicating Science - A Review of the Literature 
MICHAEL F. WEIGOLD, University of Florida 
Science Communication, Vol. 23, No. 2, 164-193 (2001) SAGE Publications.

Comparing Nations in Mass Communication Research, 1970-97 
A Critical Assessment of How We Know What We Know 
Tsan-Kuo Chang, Pat Pat Berg, Anthony Ying-Him Fung, Kent D. Kedl, Catherine A. Luther, Janet Szuba 
International Communication Gazette, Vol. 63, No. 5, 415-434 (2001) SAGE Publications.
The purpose of this article is to assess critically, within the framework of the sociology of knowledge, how we come to know what we know in comparative international communication research.

The Politics of Mass Communication in Israel 
GIDEON DORON 
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 555, No. 1, 163-179 (1998).
Three changes have occurred in the relationship between the Israeli state and its citizens. During the first phase of nation building, the nonliberal state had a monopoly over the means and content of mass communication.

Collective Action in the Age of the Internet: Mass Communication and Online Mobilization 
Tom Postmes, University of Exeter and University of Amsterdam 
Suzanne Brunsting, University of Amsterdam 
Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 20, No. 3, 290-301 (2002) SAGE Publications
This article examines how the Internet transforms collective action. More influential than direct calls for action is the indirect mobilizing influenceof the Internet's powers of mass communication, which is boosted by an antiauthoritarian ideology onthe web.

The Dilemma of Mass Communication: An Existential Point of View 
Hanno Hardt 
Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 2, No. 2, 3-12 (1977) SAGE Publications.

Technology, Mass Communication, and Law 
Hanno Hardt 
Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 2, No. 1, 15-21 (1976) SAGE Publications.

Media Reputation as a Strategic Resource: An Integration of Mass Communication and Resource-Based Theories 
David L. Deephouse, Louisiana State University 
Journal of Management, Vol. 26, No. 6, 1091-1112 (2000) Southern Management Association
This paper integrates mass communication theory into past research to develop a concept called media reputation, defined as the overall evaluation of a firm presented in the media. - jom.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/1091

Mass Communication and Modern Culture: Contribution to a Critical Theory of Ideology 
John B. Thompson 
Sociology, Vol. 22, No. 3, 359-383 (1988) BSA Publications Ltd.
The analysis of culture and mass communication should be regarded as central concerns of sociology and social theory. It develops a framework for the analysis of culture and shows how this framework can be applied to the study of mass communication. Focusing on the medium of television, the paper highlights some of the distinctive characteristics of mass communication and examines some of the factors involved in the production, construction and reception of media messages. - soc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/22/3/359

The Impact of the Second World War on the Development of a Mass Society: Considers the influence of the impact of the Second World War on the development of the mass society. Asserts that for countries like England, France and Germany, the events that occurred following the end of World War II determined the shift in recent years towards a mass culture. - paperstore.net/sahr/166-000.html

The Structure of Self in Mass Society: Against Zurcher
Abstract: In mass society, typically the structure of interaction is bureaucratically organized. Interaction in bureaucracy and other formal organizations is so brief, impersonal, and narrowly focussed that the development of a self-system is difficult.

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