com 314

what happens to us, what we do

we learn from someone who is trustworthy, credible, or who may have the power to control what we learn

systematic and logical observation in search of truth

• ontology
• praxiology
• epistemology
• axiology

• what is it?
• what is knowable

how does it work

• Why does it happen?
• also the study of knowledge and how we know

• should it happen?
• the role of values and morality in research and the building of knowledge

develop a sound theory that explains those effects

• traditionalism
• modernism
• post modernism

• dominant until 20th century
• god exists
• truth exists
• to find truth, find god

• dominant until the last quarter of the 20th century
• truth exists
• god may or may not exist
• human beings can find truth through rational means: objective observation, rational analysis and organization

• dominant world view at the present time (not to the exclusion of others)
• god does not exist (myth)
• truth does not exist but is a "construct" based on our perceptions
• experience and interpretation are the only means of explaining the world(or our perceptions of it)

• a set of inter-related propostions that suggest why events occur in the manner that they do
• a set of systematic informed hunches about the way things work

• with which we catch understanding about the world
• as theory develops, net is tighter and denser, collecting smaller details of understanding

• focusing on particular things
• highlighting or magnifying for closer examination

another analogy for theory

• a metaphor for the relationship in a process
• used by scientists to help clarify their thinking

• description
• explanation/understanding
• prediction
• control

must describe what happens in a particular communication event (ontology)

must explain how or why it happens (praxiology, epistemology)

if it can accurately identify what happens and why it happens, the theory ought to predict the phenomenon will happen again (ontology)

if you predict, then you may be able to control events and outcomes (axiology)

• extension
• intension

adding new concepts and ideas which are tested hypotheses

developing a deeper understanding of the basic concepts

• hypothesis is developed
• figure out how the hypothesis can be observed
• carry out the experiment/survey in an objective and standardized manner
• interpret the results

• reliability
• validity

• repeatable
• if you do project same way, you get same results

they measure what they intent to measure

• isomorphism
• generalizability

• does it apply to the real world?
• are the conditions in the study like those of the real world or are they artificial?

does it apply to more than the people in the project?

• it follows the laws of logic
• no two mutually exclusive qualities can exist at the same time in the same object

• things don't just happen without some catalyst or reason
• there is cause and effect

it is aimed at general understanding

mass com researchers and those in psychology or education should find the same results when they do the same experiment

• no theory can be proved
• it must be disproved

• if differing results occur, the reasons for them must be explained
• there may be an error OR the results are not mutually exclusive
• may adjust understanding to reflect new findings

• prediction
• understanding
• explaination
• control

predicts what is going to happen

describe how it is going to happen

explain why it is going to happen

use the above knowledge to improve society and/or individuals

• measures people, attitudes, values, motives and lots of intangible
• things....
• It includes the
• fields of sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, and mass com.

• studies/measures and social phenomena – how is a society structured and
• maintained/preserved.
• has all of characteristics of science: logic, generality. etc
• depends on established methods which have been and continue to be used in other
• disciplines

• creates social theories

• review past research
• identify important questions which remain unanswered
• identify/create best means of finding answers
• gather required data
• analyze data
• present results
• discuss what you've learned

basic qualities of physical science

"we dont affect society, we merely reflect society," and we give people what they want

• ratings are reasonable measurments of program consumption
• the multitude of cable and television channels results in intense, unavoidable competition
• television programming is risky

• business conditions or organization
• made up of three types of structure: organizations/instutions structure, structure of content, and structure of industry

• "An element of society with clear roles and relationships within the society.
• More than a mere organization."
• Examples: Hospitals, universities, police
• departments, public schools, churches, etc.

corporation owns or controls nearly all of the steps and processes in the production/distribution system

• the corporation owns several of the same type of company
• ex: only radio stations or only newspapers
• each industry has to respond to the others around it

• subscriptions
• ex. magazine sales

where the advertiser gets access to potential customer through advertising on your medium

logos at the bottom of the screen

Disney, Newscorp, General Electric, Time Werner, and Viacom

when a company owns all or most of the related elements of an industry

"you scratch my back, i'll scratch yours" approach

the relationship between decisions and consequences

what can be accomplished with current technology, finances, and structure

how well can you use the techniques and resources available?

reruns in syndication or on cable channels, and frequently on both

distribution on dvd or video

production specials that re-use existing content with additional features

cutting up parts of a previous content and using it in a new way

here the premises and symbolic universe of one show is used in other in the franchise

promotion effort designed to reframe a series to build new audiences and encourage existing ones

• income
• audience

• life-style and attitude information about viewers
• values, priorities, likes, dislikes

key statistics about viewers, age, income, education, marital status, etc

% of homes WITH television watching your program

% of homes using television watching your program

handwritten log of what you watched

device which measures what channel a set is tuned to and who is watching

• Media have to meet certain standards set up by the FCC and other government
• bodies, including Congress: Children's Television Act, ownership limits,
• indecency and obscenity standards are examples. (New interest in increased
• regulation at the FCC.

(other than price) These relate to whether the consumers like the format, the controversy, and to what degree?

Various codes of ethics and also impose standards on media content. MPAA ratings, TV Ratings, NAB Code, etc.

Citizen's groups can make significant impact, and some have even worked "deals" with content providers to "clear" content before it goes to production or air.

• the industry system rather than an accurate reflection of our culture or what
• individual viewers would like to see.

• disposable
• plastic
• limited in access

here today, gone tomorrow

mass appeal and superficial in nature because it has to please a lot of people

lots of good material never gets on