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Synthesizing a working definition of "mass" media

[journal article]

Potter, W. James

Abstract

Media scholars as well as the public frequently use the terms "mass communication" and "mass media", but the meaning of these terms is often ambiguous. While it is assumed that everyone knows what these terms mean, the few scholars who attempt to define these terms struggle to capture the essence o... view more

Media scholars as well as the public frequently use the terms "mass communication" and "mass media", but the meaning of these terms is often ambiguous. While it is assumed that everyone knows what these terms mean, the few scholars who attempt to define these terms struggle to capture the essence of their meaning without including elements that are faulty, and this task is becoming even more difficult in the new media environment. We are left with the troubling question: What are the "mass" media? This review constructs an answer to this question in a four step process. The first step features a critical analysis of the literature to identify definitional elements used by scholars. These definitional elements are subjected to four screens that evaluate their utility in a second step. The third step adds elements missing from the literature so as to make the eventual definition more useful in the new media environment. Finally, the fourth step features the construction of a working definition of “mass” media.... view less

Keywords
mass communication; definition; concept; communication research; mass media; new media

Classification
Mass Communication
Basic Research, General Concepts and History of the Science of Communication

Free Keywords
conceptualization; lineation theory; critical analysis

Document language
English

Publication Year
2013

Page/Pages
p. 1-30

Journal
Review of Communication Research, 1 (2013)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12840/issn.2255-4165_2013_01.01_001

Status
Published Version; peer reviewed

Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works


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© 2007 - 2025 Social Science Open Access Repository (SSOAR).
Based on DSpace, Copyright (c) 2002-2022, DuraSpace. All rights reserved.