Defined: Messages communicated through a mass medium to a large number of people such as newspapers, radio, and television. .
Communication is the process of transmitting a message from a source to an audience via a channel. For example a conversation, the person speaking is the source. The person who is listening is the audience. What is transmitted is the message. And the spoken voice is the channel.
Interpersonal Communication is the process of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes from one person to another.
Mass Communication is the process of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes to people usually through a machine. .
The four functions of the Mass Media.
1. To Entertain: Entertainment is the biggest service of the mass media. Television is undoubtedly the nation's number one entertainment medium, but film and radio aren't far behind. How it works is the public demands entertainment from its media. Since the media owner wants to succeed they have no choice but to try to be entertaining. If the show is not entertaining the viewer can simply change the channel or turn the television off.
2. To Inform: Although entertainment may be what the public wants from its mass media, but information is probably their most important function. Even though the power of the mass media is to inform it is almost incredible. For example, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, within a ½ an hour 66% of all Americans knew of the event and by early evening 99.8% had heard the story. .
3. To Influence: The power of the mass media to change people's minds directly is very limited. Many people don't like to have their minds changed and so they ignore or misinterpret attempts to do so usually successfully. The most obvious and prevalent example of mass media influence is advertising. Through careful intermixture with entertainment and informational content, they gain a captive audience.