Notes for Introduction to Mass Communication class.
From Chapter 1 of the Media Literacy and Culture textbook:
- Media saturate our everyday lives. A central – or the central – cultural force in our society.
- Culture is learned.
- U.S.: lowest rate of savings of any industrialized nation.
- Americans spend more than $12 billion per year on cosmetic surgery.
- We are defined by our culture.
- Culture is built and maintained through communication. Culture shapes the way we think, feel and act.
Pervasive impact on our lives
- TV: 8 hours, 21 minutes per day in a typical household.
- Average American owns 26 electronic devices for communication and entertainment.
- 71 percent of America’s 223 million Internet users log on weekly with no destination in mind.
- Teens and adults average more than two months a year in front of the television, 41 days listening to the radio, and a week online.
- Americans spend 60 percent of our waking hours consuming media content.
- Impact of technology, money on communication.
- Our role: Fish in water.
- Daily Show, The Family Guy, The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives: Designed for both sophisticated viewers and less skilled media consumers.
- How would you rate the media literacy of the average American?
- What drives the media?
- What impact do media organizations have on society?
From Chapter 2:
- Digital revolution
- Seismic shift in mass media
- Media companies in transition
- Consumer behavior is shifting
- Overall media consumption at all-time high
- Ownership of media companies in fewer hands
- Impact of globalization on mass communication
- Audience fragmented