Assignment 2: Midterm Reading Exercises Media Coursework

Assignment 2: Midterm Reading Exercises
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SECTION A
1 How is communication as exchange different from communication as transfer/transmission?
Communication is often defined as the process of the transfer of information, and an exchange enabling the emergence of feelings, thoughts, and ideas between two or more agents of communication (Dunhill, 2009). Communication as an exchange is more descriptive of the interaction model of communication which involves the alternating roles of the sender and the receiver, as well as the generation of ideas and processing of messages. There is a wide network or interconnection between groups of people with the help of technology allowing the exchange to happen. This is also a definitive trait of what mass communication is (Gasher, et al., 2012). In comparison to communication as a transfer that closely uses the transmission model of communication. This is in linear or one-way form rather than an exchange or an interaction. A similar situation is the transmission of a message using a radio where the audience or receiver of the message does not have much say or effect on the whole process except for decoding the message sent by the other agent of communication (Mitchell, n.d.). This is more applicable to traditional media where there is less participation of the audience when it comes to the context and manner of transmission of the message. Although considered as traditional, communication as the transmission is still fundamental to what communication is today (Gasher, et al., 2012).
2 What does seeing communication as political and ethical rather than the semantic mean? Do you think this changes the view of communication? Why or why not?
Both political and ethical aspects of communication are focused on the meaning that the sender conveys to the receiver, but communication is a semantic aspect sees the relationship of the words and the meaning that can be drawn from this. Political and ethical communication is concerned with the manner of dissemination up to the influence of the message on the receiver, while these are comparable to seeing the semantic of communication because semantics opens a lot of possible interpretations to the words in the message presenting various barriers affecting how it is processed and if it is understood in a manner that the sender wants the receiver to perceive the message. Barriers such as culture, body language, word choices, dialect, pronunciation, and etc. are some of the barriers in semantics (Mitchell, n.d). This changes the perspective of communication and opens more aspects and factors that should be considered to ensure that the intended meaning of the words in the message is conveyed successfully to the receiver. Problems with either the political and ethical aspects of communication or semantics can alter the communication process affecting the interpretation and processing of the message by the receiver.
3 What are some special features of new media and what are their implications for democracy?
The main features of new media are interactive, digital, hypertextual, virtual, globally networked, and at times simulation. The evolution of the new media has presented more opportunities for the voices of the people to be heard regardless of political status or stand which greatly affects how democracy is practiced. The scope of the network in the new media is powerful and has the power to be revolutionary due to its scope of influence. The control of media depending on its ownership may limit the various perspectives and ideas that can be found and shared through new media, thus affecting the society and how democracy is practiced (Gasher, et al., 2012). The interactivity of new media is also beneficial to the way people communicate with each other, as well as how the citizens communicate with various institutions and authorities for the possible improvement or changes in the current system. Issues regarding governance now ensure expanded participation of the society due to media becoming a vehicle for a more open and transparent system (Gasher, et al., 2012). New media being virtual also speeds up the communication making it more efficient and effective in comparison to the face to face interaction to be able to communicate.
4 How might media convergence impact democracy?
Media convergence refers to the combination of various forms of media. There is the presence of the classic radio, print, and television, in addition to a more diverse selection of media forms due to the presence of the internet and social media, enabling more connection and communication in a convenient manner. This greatly affects democracy by empowering its interactive nature, making communication between the institutions and different functions more efficient, responsive, and equitable. The convergence of media opens more options for people to participate in a wide range of issues from the latest updates in pop culture, as well as influencing change in the detested rules and regulations currently implemented by the authorities and government (Gasher, et al., 2012). This makes democracy more powerful because the voices of the people are heard, including stories and speeches that may highly influence the beliefs, thinking, and behavior of the audience and the whole society (Shister, 2002). The aforementioned effects of media convergence to democracy are beneficial but this also poses some risks due to the availability of misleading or false information, that may be destructive to the community. Aside from this, there is also a possibility of information overload because of the overwhelming number of readily available news without the assurance of these being authentic and reliable.
5 How do the terms spectator/user and consumer/prosumer impact our conceptualization of audiences?
The terms spectator, user, consumer, and prosumer seem to have a similar meaning at first and can be interchangeable to some people, but these words differ in the way the audiences are defined. The words spectator and consumer both refer to a more passive type when compared to user and prosumer. The spectator refers to those audiences who watch or observe. For the consumer, these are those customers who buy products as well as use them. These are normally used terms but when compared to user and prosumer, there is a difference in the impact it has on what an audience is. The term user is a more active term pertaining to more than just observation or watching but having the actual experience itself. Similar to the comparison between consumer and prosumer, prosumer takes a more active role by doing more than just buying and using of the product but also promoting it to other people which greatly affects the image of the brand in a positive or negative way depending on on the judgment of the customer. These terms portray the active participation of the audience and the major effects that they are able to contribute and give in an interactive manner.
6 What is appropriation? Provide an exampl...