But they may also fall victim to pandering to baser tastes among the public and influencing public opinion for their own commercial benefit. These discussions should not be seen as some inherent failure of journalism; rather, they should be understood as signs of how important journalism continues to be in the modern world. There has been a more fundamental shift taking place within the framework of these debates and discussions, a shift that could dramatically affect the very soul of journalism and what it will be in a digital age.
Traditionally, journalists saw their main function as informing the public about important events of the day. However, this notion has shifted in recent years with the rise of citizen-journalists and hyperlocal news, and the contributions that citizen-journalists have made to professional news organizations.
Now, a growing number of news industry watchers and pundits realize that simply informing is not enough; what journalism should be doing is also encouraging participation among the public. Journalism plays an important part in three of the four main functions of mass communication: surveillance, correlation , and cultural transmission. It can also play a major role in mobilizing the public, a role that has become even more potent because of the prevalence of citizen journalism.
These functions are carried out by the coverage of news. The public learns of events and happenings locally and around the world, and good coverage puts the events in a context that helps people form a picture of what the world is like. Through articles and shows on cultural and artistic figures, culture is transmitted and the public learns the mores of society. To a lesser extent, journalism also serves the entertainment function of mass communication through coverage of entertainment events and news on popular stars.
In particular, Facebook, has been the site of fake news stories that has caused the platform more than a few headaches. Although the company is an important part of mass media, it is not a news site. The correlation function is not in the hands of Facebook executives, and Facebook doesn't claim it to be so.
Although the first two functions are to provide and interpret news and information, the third allows media to reflect and influence societal norms.
The media serve as transmitters of cultural messages, letting the masses understand what are considered acceptable forms of behavior. Cultural transmission, however, evolves. What once was taboo can become the norm when enough people embrace it and when the media report on it.
The Brady family shared a bed on "The Brady Bunch" long before any other sitcom or television drama, and now "The Fosters" present foster kids raised by a lesbian couple. All three shows reflected the culture of the times while also setting up and condoning new norms. Media also serves as cultural transmitters that educates and entertains. Long before the advent of mass media, people were forced to entertain themselves.
Shahzaib Hassan July 7, , am. Archa July 30, , pm. Richard November 3, , am. This helped me a lot and so informative. Judie November 11, , am. The mass media do not exist in a vacuum. How do I answer the question about the mass media not existing in a vacuum.
Yeshwanth Gollapalli December 22, , pm. Thank you very much. Mohamed Simbi Koroma March 24, , pm. Montseng April 5, , am. Is there a difference between functions of mass communication and roles of mass communication? Thanks for updating me on my Reaserch Topic. David Jena November 8, , pm. Farooq February 17, , pm. Alhaji Musa Liman May 21, , am.
This is an excellent research which has further widen my horizon as a Nass Communication scholar. David wanami August 7, , pm. Bako August 14, , pm. Elsie Maduko October 20, , am. Nimra December 24, , pm.
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