Resource Material MASS MEDIA STUDIES CODE-835 CLASS -XI SESSION: 2018-19 MASS MEDIA STUDIES PAPER CODE-835 SESSION: 2018-19 Unit-I-Introduction to Mass Media Chapter-Introduction to Media The women’s reservation bill intends to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. One expected the Mouse of Elders or RajyaSabha to take a sympathetic view of the proposal for two reasons. First, it did not affect the dynamics of elections to RajyaSabha. Second , the members being elders, having seen life and society and the unfair manner in which both treat women, were expected to wisely. The pandemonium that preceded the debate and passage of the bill surely left a bad taste in the mouth of many. Unbelievably, a seasoned parliamentarian thanked the marshals for the valuable service they rendered in making the debate and passage of the bill in RS a reality. If the bill generated so much heat in the upper house, it is likely that the unruliness could go up many notches in Lok Sabha, which has many younger MPs who have proudly imbibed the social values and beliefs of those elders who stoutly opposed the bill. Far away from Delhi, a similar scene is being enacted in Jammu and Kashmir assembly. A private proposal – J&K Permanent Resident (disqualification) Bill 210- seeks to disqualify a J&K girl of her permanent resident status if she gets married to a non-resident. Similarly, girls from outside the state marrying a J&K permanent resident run the risk of being stripped of permanent resident status if their husbands divorce them. And it does not matter even if the marriage has lasted decades. To sum up the bill, girls from J&K better not marry anyone from outside and those from outside marrying men from the state will do well to keep the marriage. Otherwise, both would be disinherited from landed property. Whether the bills, the one in Parliament and the other in J&K, get through or not, it actually reveals the ingrained values of politicians. In a democratic set-up, ideas are succeeded by debates even as they take years to take root. Every idea, which in itself is an experiment, takes decades before being translated into action. We all know experimentation is key to the vibrancy of a democracy. And every idea which has taken root social thinking should be put up for experimentation on the altar of democracy-the floor of the house—to expose the true colours of parliamentarians and legislators. There is an interesting passage from a Supreme Court judgment that reflected the understanding of traditional views about marriage and role of men and women in society and relationships and the present dynamics. It may not add to the women’s reservation bill or stand against the J&K bill but it would surely educate those who stand to vote for or against the proposed legistations. In state of Delhi vsLaxman Kumar {1985 SCC (4) 476}, the SC had said, “of late there is a keen competition between men and women all over the world. There has been trying raise their heads by claiming equality. We are of the view that women as possessor of those unique qualities.” It added, “it is the woman who is capable of playing the more effective role in the preservation of society and, therefore, that had to be respected. She can protect the society against evil. To that extent, women have special qualities to serve society in due discharge of the social responsibility. The apex court went on to say that society needed both men and women in equal measure and status as one without the other could never form a place called civilized society. “therefore, in a world where men and women are indispensable to each other and the status of the other, to what extent is competition between the two justifiable is a matter to be debated in a cool and healthy setting.” It said, did you mean parliament is not a “cool and healthy” setting for such a debate? Express your understanding about: 1. The salient details of the bill. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________________ 2. The arguments for the bill. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________________ 3. The arguments against the bill. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________________ What is a medium? What is Mass Communication? A medium is defined variously as that entity through which information, signals, and messages are transmitted. In short, it is an agency or technology which makes any communication possible between the sender and the receiver of any signal. What is a mass medium? Every medium is not a mass medium. Theatre is not a mass medium. Plays are performed, enjoyed by the audience and then it is only in one’s memory. Secondly the experience is limited to those, who are physically present at a given place and at a given time. So are song and dance performances; we could call these the ‘performing arts.’ Then there are what we could call the ‘fine arts’ such as painting, sculpture and architecture. Depending upon the content and the functions they serve, the media can be classified as art media and communication media. Painting and music are art media essentially expressing artistic content. In contrast, a medium like telephone is purely a communication medium. It is functional and carries messages between distant places. Today, we live in a very predominantly technological age, hence the word communication is almost synonymous with mass communication and the word media is likewise synonymous with mass media for us. It is technology and the reach afforded by it that makes a medium a mass medium. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries. Radio and TV have been the dominant mass media so far; one of them broadcasting audio, while the other broadcasting audio-visual signals. They operate on a gigantic scale. The newspapers and periodicals are also mass media, but their reach is limited as compared to radio and television. Their working is such that, the programme {signal} generated by a few hundred of media-persons reaches billions of people across the continents. This is essentially a one-way communication, meaning that the response of the spectators/audiences will not have any bearing on the quality of the programme. This communication is instant and global simultaneously. These are the basic features of mass communication. Mass Communication Mass communication is essentially unidirectional, from a handful of people to many. It involves technology based organization. Whereas, interpersonal communication is informal, with an instant feedback, one to one or within a small group present in the same place. It is not dependent of technology based organization. Both modes of communication may be oral or written. The Function Of Mass Media is Mass Communication. Earlier mass communication was limited to only those few agencies, who had the vast means to launch a newspaper, radio channel or a TV channel, but the arrival of The World Wide Web has changed the old motions. Web has features like blogs, message boards, podcasts, and video sharing. Individuals now have access that is comparable in scale to what was previously restricted to a select group of mass media producers. The communication audience has been viewed by some commentators as forming a mass society with special characteristics, notably atomization or lack of social connections, which render it especially susceptible to the influence of modern mass-media techniques such as advertising and propaganda. The term “public media” is less used and can be defined as “media whose mission is to serve or engage a public.” Marshall McLuhan, one of the biggest critics in media’s history, brought up the idea that “the medium is the message.” Mass Audience Millions watch a big event like an IPL Cricket match at the same time. That forms a mass audience, and attracts advertisers to sponsor the event and the telecast. Even though all these people can be reached simultaneously, they do not exist in the same social space. They are in different cities, localities and are spread over a vast geographic area, different time zones and are NOT in communication with each other. This is unlike the audience for the same match at the stadium, where the match is being played. There they form a compact mass and can do react in unison. The Various other Functions of Mass Media Mass media can be used for various purposes: Advocacy, both for business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations, and political communication. Entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, and sports, along with light reading; since the late 20th century also through video and computer games. Public service announcements. News Reporting and