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Baran Book Cover
Introduction to Mass Communication, 2/e
Stanley J. Baran

Mass Communication, Culture, and Mass Media

Glossary

administrative research    studies of the immediate, observable influence of mass communication
bounded cultures    groups with specific but not dominant cultures
communication    the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver
concentration of ownership    ownership of different and numerous media companies concentrated in fewer and fewer hands
conglomeration    the increase in ownership of media outlets by larger, nonmedia companies
convergence    erosion of traditional distinctions among media
critical research  studies of media's contribution to the larger issues of what kind of nation we are building, what kind of people we are becoming
cultural definition of communication    communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed; from James Carey
culture    the world made meaningful; socially constructed and maintained through communication, it limits as well as liberates us, differentiates as well as unites us, defines our realities and thereby shapes the ways we think, feel, and act
decoding    interpreting sign/symbol systems
dominant culture    the culture that seems to hold sway with the large majority of people; that which is normative
encoding    transforming ideas into an understandable sign/symbol system
feedback    the response to a given communication
hypercommercialism    the growth of the amount of advertising and the mixing of commercial and noncommercial media
inferential feedback    in the mass communication process, feedback is typically indirect rather than direct; that is, it is inferential
interpersonal communication    communication between two or a few people
macro-level effects  media's wide-scale social and cultural impact
mass communication    the process of creating shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences
mass medium (pl. mass media)    when a medium carries messages to a large number of people
medium (pl. media)    vehicle by which messages are conveyed
micro-level effects    effects of media on individuals
narrowcasting    aiming broadcast programming at smaller, more demographically homogeneous audiences
niche marketing    aiming media content or consumer products at smaller, more demographically homogeneous audiences
noise    anything that interferes with successful communication
oligopoly    a media system whose operation is dominated by a few large companies
ritual perspective    the view of media as central to the representation of shared beliefs and culture
synergy    the use by media conglomerates of as many channels of delivery as possible
targeting    aiming media content or consumer products at smaller, more specific audiences
taste publics    groups of people or audiences bound by little more than their interest in a given form of media content
technological determinism    the idea that machines and their development drive economic and cultural change
transmissional perspective    the view of media as senders of information for the purpose of control