Real Communication An Introduction

Appendix B   Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication^533

These features still apply to many traditional mass media rooted in the publish-

ing, broadcasting, and entertainment industries—but they’ve also been chal-

lenged over the past decade by the increasingly participatory nature of digital

communication.

In addition, although traditional mass media are distinct in many ways from

the more clearly interpersonal uses of media (such as telephone and e-mail), the

changing digital media environment has increasingly blurred the difference be-

tween these types of communication. For example, when Abigail posts a status

update on Facebook for her friends or forwards a joke over e-mail, her message

could potentially wind up being seen by thousands of people—thereby adding

a “mass” element to communication that is otherwise mainly interpersonal.

Similarly, individual audience members may provide immediate feedback to

professional news organizations and TV show creators by posting comments on

political and fan blogs—adding interactivity and feedback to what was once a

linear form of mass communication.

This merging of traditional mass communication with digital computing

and telecommunication technologies is called media convergence. Conver-

gence is a critical part of living in a digital media environment, and it affects how

mass media content is shaped as well as how mass media messages can influence

audiences (Pavlik & McIntosh, 2013).

The Pervasiveness of Media

With broadband Internet access, global satellite technology, and 24/7 news and

entertainment content, many of us have mass media content available to us at all

times. The average adult spends about 5 hours per day watching TV (Nielsen,

2013) as well as over 5 hours per day on online digital media via computers,

smartphones, and tablets (eMarketer, 2013). Children and teens spend about

7.5 hours on a typical day devoted to entertainment media, including TV, movies,

DO THESE LOOK

familiar? “Share icons,” a

common feature of many Web

pages, enable the viewer to

post and share the page to

social media sites, such as

Facebook and Twitter. iStock

Vectors/Getty Images

Traditional mass media

tended to operate along the

lines of the linear model of

communication presented

in Chapter 1. Messages

were sent out and there

wasn’t much feedback, if

any. But emerging tech-

nologies provide audiences

with increased opportunity

for interaction—in fact,

many messages depend

on audience interaction

to become “mass media”

messages. Every time you

forward a link—or choose

not to—you are playing a

role in that transaction.

Traditional mass media

CONNECT

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