Models of Communication

Models of Communication

Main Content

Ø  Aristotle and Lasswell’s Models

Ø  Shannon and Weaver’s Models

Ø  Schramm’s Models

Aristotle and Lesswell’s models

Ø  Aristotle Models

·         Speaker

·         A massage

·         A listener

Ø  Lasswell’s Models 

• A source sends a massage
• Through a medium
• To a receiver
• Producing some effects

Shannon and Weaver’s Models

ž  According to Shannon and Weaver's model (as seen above), a message begins at an information source, which is relayed through a transmitter, and then sent via a signal towards the receiver. But before it reaches the receiver, the message must go through noise (sources of interference). Finally, the receiver must convey the message to its destination.

Shannon and Weaver’s Models

ž  The elements includes:

ž  Information source

ž  The message

ž  The transmitter

ž  The destination

ž  Noise

Schramm’s Model of Mass Communication1

Ø  Three elements :

•       The source

•       The message

•       The destination

Schramm’s Model of Mass Communication1

Schramm’s Models of Mass Communication2

ž  The figure above depicts in graphical manner the particular aspects of the mass communication process. This model is different from other models of mass communication in that while the original model  has ‘message’, the mass communication offers ‘many identical message’. Besides, the model specifies ‘feedback’. The feedback is represented by a dotted line labeled delayed inferential feedback.

Stages of mass communication

Stages of mass communication

               1. A message is formulated by  professional communicators.

                2. The message is sent out in a relatively rapid and continuous way.

                3. The messages reach relatively large and diverse audiences.

                4. Achieving similarities of meaning.

                5. Members of the audience are influenced in some way.

Professional communicators

Reporters, actors, authors, editorial writers, official spokesman—who gather edit disseminate media content.

Specialists who make their living working for some part of comm industry.

They usually depend on a host of other groups --creative people (artists, researchers, composers, directors); Technicians, commercial sponsor etc.

Rapid and Continuous Dissemination

Today high speed presses can run off hundreds of thousands of copies of a book for distribution around the country in a matter of days.

The same is true of the other media: once a film is produced, thousands of copies can be sent to theatres all over the country virtually overnight.

Radio & Tv conquer distances without delay.

Modern mass communication is usually continuous rather than sporadic. Newspaper appear everyday, magazines weekly or monthly; Publishers and movie producers provide a continuing flow of books and films to the public.

Large and Diverse (mass) Audience

The term mass refers to the social nature of the audience rather than to their size. This term needs explanation. Here we use mass to refer top simply to size and diversity, without the other connotations.And diverse in sex, education, race, color, age.

Achieving similarities of meaning

The essence of human communication is the achievement of more or less parallel sets of meanings between sender & receiver.

The meanings must be relatively accurate or similar for communication to be fruitful. If the receiver & sender differ in meaning then comm will be inaccurate.

Influencing people

The last stage in mass Comm is the outcome of the preceding stages. The changes can range from trivial to profound. It can change our thinking, our attitudes, belief (party preferences, religious convictions, public issues). At trivial level, a person may be entertained by reading comics. At the Social rather than personal level, mass communication can change our language and its shared understanding by introducing new words and meanings, example: AIDS, Tsunami, Katrina.

A Definition, Different Communication Settings

MASS COMMUNICATION

“Communication refers to the act, by one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages that are distorted by noise occur within a context, have some effect and provide some opportunity for feedback.”

The Three Major Communication Settings

• Intrapersonal  Communication  
• Interpersonal Communication
• Mass Communication

Intrapersonal Communication

Intrapersonal Communication Is communication “within one”.

Communication at this level could be you reading your class notes,

Talking to yourself and some people would say, simply   thinking.

Our silence in response also communicates.

Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication in which one person (or group) is interacting with another person (or group) without the aid of a mechanical device.

Talking to your roommate, participating in a class discussion.

Mass Communication

Mass Communication refers to the process by which a complex organization with the aid of one or more machines produces and transmits public messages that are directed at large, heterogeneous and scattered audiences.

Intrapersonal Communication

Source: Self; Single person.

Encoding: Single stage (directly from one to another person).

Message: Anything; but most often topics of a personal nature.

Channel: No machines interposed; Speech, Writing.

Decoding: Single stage (directly from one to another).

Receiver: Self; Single person.

Feedback: This types of communication itself a feedback process.

Interpersonal communication

Source: Single person; has knowledge of receiver.

Encoding: Single stage (directly from one to another)

Message: Private or public; hard to terminate; altered to fit receiver.

Channel: no machines interposed.

Decoding: single stage (from one to another).

Receiver: One or a relatively small number, in physical presence of each other, selected by source.

Feedback: Plentiful; immediate.

Mass communication

Source: Organizations; little knowledge of receiver.

Encoding: Multiple stage (message has to pass through gate keeping process).

Message: Public; easily terminated; same message to everybody.

Channel: Usually more than one machine interposed.

Decoding: Multistage.

Receiver: Large numbers; out of physical presence of source; self selected.

Feedback: Highly limited; delayed. 

                                                                                   ............................

“Communication r

 

“Communication refers to the act, by one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages that are distorted by noise occur within a context, have some effect and provide some opportunity for feedback.”

efers to the act, by one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages that are distorted by noise occur within a context, have some effect and provide some opportunity for feedback.”

“Communication refers to the act, by one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages that are distorted by noise occur within a context, have some effect and provide some opportunity for feedback.”

“Communication refers to the act, by one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages that are distorted by noise occur within a context, have some effect and provide some opportunity for feedback.”

Mass Media Models

Scholars have devised numerous ways to dissect& categorize the mass media. This includes:

     1. Hot-cool model;

     2. Entertainment-Information model;

     3. Elitist- Populist model;

     4. Push-pull model.

Each offers insight; but all of them have shortcomings in explaining the mass media.

Hot-cool model

This model is derived from the thinking of Canadian theorist Marshall McLuhan. He although sometimes even contradictory & confusing saw,

Books, Magazines, movies & newspapers as hot media. Because: These media require a high degree of thinking to use.

To read a book, you must immerse yourself to drive anything from it. The relationship between medium & user is intimate.

Movies as a hot medium: they involve viewers so completely. Huge screens command the viewer’s full attention, & sealed, darkened room shut out distractions.

Television as cool, they can be used with less intellectual involvement & hardly any effort.

Entertainment-information model

Define media based on the content: entertainment or information.

v Newspaper always considered as information medium.

v Audio recording & movies are considered entertainment medium.

v Books, television, magazine, radio both inform & entertain.

Elitist-populist model:

An ongoing tension in the mass media exists between advancing social & cultural interests & giving broad segments of the population what they want.

v Classical music verses pop music

v The prothom Alo verses Manabzamin

v Nudes in the art books verses Playboy magazine

Elitist model:

Serious media content appeals elitist people

 They feel the mass media have a responsibility to contribute to a better society & a refinement of the culture.

Populists model:

 Entirely oriented to the marketplace. Populists feel the mass media are at their best when they give people what they want.

Pull-push model:

The communication revolution introduced by the world Wide Web in the mid-1990s required a new model to understand new ways that the media were working.

The new model classifies some media as passive. pull media, which you steer :  radio & television, book, movies.

Push media:

Propel messages at you whether invited or not.

A recorded voice in a grocery store aisle that encourages you to buy a certain brand of corn flakes as you passes by the cereal display.

Pull media:

You have control of seeing the ad.

Push media, Advertiser has control to make ad seen.

No model is perfect, which means push media and pull media are extremes that rarely exist in reality. Most media messages are push-pull hybrid.

HOW PEOPLE USE MASS MEDIA

How People Use Mass Media?

People use mass media for:

• Cognition 
• Diversion
• Social Utility
• Withdrawal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Cognition

To learn about things, to keep up with information on current events.

•          We want to keep up with what the Government is doing?

•         What is going on in the world?

•         What political leaders are doing?

•         How to do things we have never done before?

•         We want to satisfy our curiosity.

Diversion

To get diversion, we go to media, diversion can take many forms:

¨      Stimulation

¨      Relaxation

¨      Emotional release

Stimulation   

•       Alone & seeking additional stimulation.

•      To avoid boredom media have taken advantages (ludic behaviour).

 Example:

•       Airlines show CNN/BBC during long flights.

•       In airlines terminals, TV channel.

•      In doctors waiting room special magazines are distributed.

 Relaxation

    Too much stimulation or too much information is not desirable, it’s called sensory overload.

     Different people relax in different ways: some watches TV, listen to radio or reading           newspaper.

Emotional release

Aggression on screen or aggressive scenes can actually purge the viewers own aggressive feelings, (catharsis theory).

Social Utility

We use media to strengthen our contact with family, friends, and others in our society.

•       Conversational currency.

Example:

Watching movies sitting beside your favorite one.

•       Para-social relationship. People develop feelings of kinship and friendship with media characters.

Withdrawal

The media help people avoid certain chores that should be done. Perhaps many of we put off our homework until we finished watching favorite TV program or reading article.

•      “Answer the telephone”

“I can’t, I m watching the TV, you get it”.

                                                                  .............................................

                                                                                                                                                                                           

DEFENATION & CHARACTERISTIC OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Mass communication

Mass communication refers to the process by which a complex organization with the aid of one or more machines produces and transmits public messages that are directed at large, heterogeneous, and scattered audiences.
Characteristics:

Source:
The sources in the mass communication situation are a group of individuals who usually act within predetermined roles in an organizational setting. Mass communication is the end product of more than one person.
Example:
Reporters gather news
Writers draft editorials
Receiver:
Mass communication sources have little detailed information about their particular audiences.
Encoding:
Encoding in mass communication is always a multistage process.
Channels:
Mass communication channels are characterized by the imposition of at least one and usually more than one machine in the process of sending the message.
Message:
Message in mass communication are public. Anyone who can afford the cost of a newspaper or a TV set can receive the message. Additionally, the same messages are sent to all receivers.
Decoding:
Mass communication typically involves multiple decoding before the message is received.
Audience:
One of the prime distinguishing characteristics of mass communication is the audience.
First: The mass communication audience is a large one; sometimes numbering in the million of people.
Second: The audience is also heterogeneous, that is, it is made up of several dissimilar groups who may differ in age, intelligence, political beliefs and so on.
Feedback:
Feedback in mass communication is labeled as delayed feedback. This feedback is indirect rather than direct.
Noise:
Finally noise in the mass communication setting can be semantic, environmental or mechanical.
                             
                                                            ...............................

                                                                 Shaheed Minar
The Shaheed Minar is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952.
On February 21, 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla. The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was elected on February 23 by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but soon demolished on February 26 by the Pakistani police force.
The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu.  To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight. After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt.
Today, the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered at the monument.