Ralph E. Hanson, Second Edition
HomeWeblogChaptersCh. 1: Living in a Media WorldCh. 2: The Media Business: Consolidation, Globalization, and the Long TailCh. 3: Mass Communication Effects: How Society and Media InteractCh. 4: Books: The Birth of the Mass MediaCh. 5: Magazines: The Power of Words and ImagesCh. 6: Newspapers: Reflection of a Democratic SocietyCh. 7: Sound: Music and Talk Across MediaCh. 8: Movies: Mass-Producing EntertainmentCh. 9: Television: Broadcast, Cable and BeyondCh. 10: The Internet: Mass Communication Gets PersonalCh. 11: Advertising: Selling a MessageCh. 12: Public Relations: Manufacturing the NewsCh. 13: Media Law: Free Speech and FairnessCh. 14: Media Ethics: Truthfulness, Fairness, and Standards of DecencyCh. 15: Global Media: Communication Around the WorldAbout the BookAbout the AuthorHelp
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Chapter 3: Mass Communication Effects

Exercises

1. Paul Lazarsfeld's research of the 1940 presidential election revealed how undecided voters turned to the opinion leaders of their community, rather than the media, for information on the candidates and issues. Who would you consider the opinion leaders of your community? Have you ever turned to them for information?


2. Psychological effects are one type of effect that can be initiated through media exposure. Sadness, happiness, fright, and anger are examples of common feelings generated by media messages. Give specific examples of a few powerful feelings that you have experienced and the media that incited those feelings.

3. Media scholars have argued that a relationship exists between the amount of violent television an individual watches and his or her outlook on the world. Researchers argue that as the amount of a viewer's television viewing increases, so does the viewer's distortion of the world around them.

•  Consider the Source: Who is stating that viewing violent television programming makes individuals see the world as more dangerous than it actually is?

•  Analyze & Reflect: How significant is the portrayal of violence in the average television program? Is it okay to discount violence in a cartoon, and only consider the violence contained in a network news broadcast or a late-night drama?

•  Examine: Think back to the television programming you have seen in the last twenty-four hours. Was there violent content presented? If so, do you feel the level of violence you witnessed, either fictional or real-life portrayals, is representative of the world around you?

•  Conclude: Using the big city scenario, have you had reservations about visiting or living in a big city based on their portrayal on television as violent places? If you have visited a large metropolitan area, was your behavior during your visit influenced by the content you viewed on television? Did you act differently than you would have in familiar environment, such as your hometown? Did the experience change your opinion of big cities? Were your fears calmed, or did the visit reinforce your pre-existing views on big cities as violent places?