Real Communication An Introduction

546 Appendix B   Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication

from the law were likely a reaction to the heavy press scrutiny at the time,

along with continuing coverage of other problems with the health care law

(Parker, 2014). As news coverage of “Obamacare” rises or falls in the future,

the issue of health care policy may resurface or fade as an important political

battle.

With a diverse range of media news outlets available online, we might

predict that media would no longer provide an agenda but would instead

result in people selecting their own news agendas. But there is evidence that

traditional media do still have an agenda-setting effect, although it is weak-

ened for people who use multiple online news sources (Shehata & Ström-

bäck, 2013). In addition, agenda-setting effects may be a two-way process

online, in which news stories encourage people to search for those issues

online, while people’s own online searches or Facebook or Twitter posts also

influence the coverage in the news media (Ragas, Tran, & Martin, 2014).

Converging Media Technologies

Earlier in this chapter, we argued that today’s media are converging—the

lines between traditional mass communication and digital computing

and telecommunication technologies are increasingly blurry (Pavlik &

McIntosh, 2013). In this section, we explore the benefits and challenges for

society of the increased interactivity and selectivity that media convergence

allows.

Democratic and Social Participation

One benefit of converging media is the great potential for individuals and

groups to participate more actively in the political process and contribute

more directly to the culture. With traditional media, only the professionals (news

organizations, television networks, studios, and so on), acting as gatekeepers,

control the creation and distribution of information and entertainment. Those

outlets require enormous capital investment as well as highly technical produc-

tion skills and capability. Internet use, on the other hand, doesn’t require the

same degree of skill, money, or access. This means that individuals online have

the opportunity to discover and provide competing voices to those of traditional

media; they also have a means to connect with others locally and globally.

Connecting Marginalized Voices

How did friends, relatives, rescue workers, and relief organizations make con-

nections in the wake of Hurricane Sandy? How did revolts in Tunisia and Egypt

so quickly escalate to thousands of citizens in the streets, eventually resulting in

their governments toppling despite efforts to squelch Internet access and limit

news media coverage? And how do fans of quirky shows, people dealing with

rare illnesses, and individuals seeking specific goals even find each other? The

use of the Web, e-mail, texting, and social networking (in combination with

traditional modes of communication) allow groups that would not get much

media coverage or whose members are not centralized geographically to better

How do you access media?

Do you read printed mate-

rial? Do you have a broad-

band connection at home?

Do you have cable televi-

sion? A smartphone? All of

the above? Do you think

you are typical in terms of

the number of ways you can

access media?

AND YOU?

DUE IN GREAT part to

vanity-focused TV programs

and reality stars, plastic

surgery—even in extreme

forms—is perceived as almost

routine, particularly among

females. JB Lacroix/WireImage/Getty

Images

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