ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN CREATING SOCIAL CHANGE
MASS MEDIA
Mass media refers to the technologies used as channels for a small group of people to communicate with a larger number of people.
The concept was first addressed during the Progressive Era of the 1920s as a response to new opportunities for elites to reach large audiences via the mass media of the time: newspapers, radio, and film. Indeed, the three forms of traditional mass media today are still the same: print (newspapers, books, magazines), broadcast (television, radio), and cinema (movies and documentaries).
Mass media has a prominent role to play in modern society. It can bring about radical changes and improve social situations as it influences our social, civil, cultural, political, economic and aesthetic outlook. This is because mass media have the ability to deliver information effectively.
The roles of mass media are:
Expanding horizons of thought:
Most people who live in traditional societies consider media to have supernatural powers by making them see and know the places they have never visited and people around the world whom they have never met. Therefore, the media act as a bridge between traditional societies in transition toward modern society.
The mass media to focus attention:
Traditional society moving towards transition began to develop knowledge and left behind customs or culture, assuming culture to be ancient. Therefore, mass media should be able to decide exactly what information or rubric will be delivered as media can influence the public mindset and raise people’s aspirations.
Aspirations of mass media:
Community aspiration grows directly or indirectly through broadcasts or information delivered by the media. For example, the style of dress or hairstyle influences people to perceive it as their views through media. The important thing is to realize that sometimes excessive aspirations may have a bad impact but still be represented as good and acceptable.
The mass media made the World Flat:
Although the speed of media has resulted in bringing people across the world closer to reality, the whole world is shrinking and becoming a global village. Today, we see the same products such as soft drinks, television, washing machine, refrigerator, etc. and the same type of advertisements everywhere.
The mass media help in bringing social change:
Using mass media, people’s attitudes and habits can be changed. For instance, we all had wrong notions about diseases like leprosy or HIV, or AIDS. It was thought that by a touch, people would be infected. So, the Government of India has taken initiatives for the eradication of Polio and special programmes and messages are delivered through media to give polio drops to children on the day that is declared ‘polio day.’
In general, the mass media is a means to deliver information from a communicator to the communicants. The information received from the media affects society's social and cultural life, both in the perception of attitude and behaviour. Mass media has created a new culture. A public attitude towards the new or popular culture has caused a social change in all dimensions of public life and demands a change from a traditional society to a society with a modern lifestyle.
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