Philippine Christian University

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
PROF: Dr. Gloria Q. Resurreccion
Saturday – 2:00-5:00 p.m.

TOPIC: CHILDREN AND THE MASS MEDIA

Reporter: Jemelyn M. Aguilar

Introduction

Mass media play an important role in everyday life. There is a growing use of media in
early childhood, so it is not surprising that they greatly influence children and young
people as well as become an essential element of education. At present, it is difficult to
imagine the world without such global media as TV or the Internet that most of us use
every day. Children do the same. Most of them make use of media every day, both at
home and at school.

Nowadays, mass media have become an integral part of our everyday life. Media are
not only sources of information and entertainment; they are also means of
communication, the way we get in touch with others, regardless of distance. The use of
media takes up a great deal of our free time.

“Child”
A child is most often defined as a young human being between birth and puberty; a boy
or girl. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a
person younger than the age of majority.

Biologically, a child is “anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between

infancy and adulthood”.

We consider a person child from “toddler to age 12”

What is Media?

Media is a tool used to convey mass communication to a larger audience of market. Up

until the 20th century the main source of information were TV, Radio, Magazine,
Newspaper and lately the internet. These mass media plays a big role in our life.
A. The Structural Perspective

In the late 1940s the American political scientist, Lasswell, asked the following question
about communications and the media: 'Who says What in Which Channel to Whom with
What Effect?' In the way in which he phrased his question Lasswell drew attention to the
existence of socially structured channels through which messages pass to various
groups or to individual recipients. Here we shall examine the main ways in which media
messages move to their various destinations:

1. The Various Media

The different kinds of media that children are using today. Modern media comes in
many different formats, including print media (books, magazines, newspapers),
television, movies, video games, music, cell phones, various kinds of software, and the
Internet. Each type of media involves both content, and also a device or object through
which that content is delivered.

Print Media

The term 'print media' is used to describe the traditional or "old-fashioned" print-based
media that today's parents grew up with, including newspapers, magazines, books, and
comics or graphic novels. Historically, only wealthy publishers had access to
sophisticated type-setting technologies necessary to create printed material, but this
has changed in recent years with the widespread accessibility of desktop publishing
software and print-on-demand publication services such as Lulu.com (LINK). More
recently, electronic book readers such as the Amazon Kindle which store hundreds of
books on a single device and which allow readers to directly download books and
newspapers have become popular.

Television

Television has been entertaining families. In the beginning, there were few programs to
pick from, but today, there are literally hundreds of general and specialty channels to
choose from and thousands upon thousands of programs. Where it was once the case
that programs had to be watched at the time they were broadcast on a television, this is
no longer the case. Today, viewers can summon a movie or television episode
whenever they want, through many cable or satellite services' pay-per-view or free on-
demand services. They may also download or stream episodes from the Internet and
watch them on their computers. Viewers with certain cell phones may even watch
programs through their cell phones.
Movies

Movies (films) are the oldest form of motion picture technology capable of capturing
lifelike video-style images. Originally, movies could only be consumed at a
neighborhood movie theater, but these days movies are widely available for people to
consume in their homes, on their computers, and even in through their cell phones.
Commercial movies are broadcast on television, and via cable and satellite services
which may feature High Definition (HD) video resolution and sound, essentially allowing
the movie theater experience to be replicated in a home theater environment.
Commercial movies are also distributed on DVD and Blu-Ray disks, which can be
rented from stores and through-the-mail services such as Netflix, and through
downloadable computer files, which can be legally downloaded from movie rental
services such as Amazon and iTunes or streamed through Netflix or on-demand cable
services. Home movies produced by amateurs with inexpensive video cameras are now
also widely available through video sharing websites such
as YouTube.com and Vimeo.com.

Video Games

Available since the early 1980s, video games have only grown in popularity among
youth. Today's games make use of advanced graphics and processors to enable three
dimensional game play featuring highly realistic landscapes and physics simulations,
and the ability to compete against other players through a network connection. Modern
video games are immersive, exciting and increasingly interactive. Players feel like they
really are in the situation because of the life-like graphics and sounds. Through video
games, youth can extend their pretend play, as they become soldiers, aliens, race car
drivers, street fighters, and football players.

Popular gaming consoles today include Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony
Playstation III. There are also hand held consoles which enable mobile game play such
as Nintendo's DS. As well, some video games can also be played on personal
computers. Most video games use a hand-held device with buttons, joysticks, and other
devices for manipulating the characters on the screen. However, the newer games
systems use motion-detecting sensors, such as accelerometers which encourage
players to move their entire body to complete game activities. For example, in Wii
Tennis, a player swings his entire arm to have the player on the screen hit the tennis
ball.

Games such as the recently popular World of Warcraft are played in a networked
universe shared simultaneously by thousands of gamers at once. Players may be
across the street from one another or across the globe using the Internet to participate
in a shared three-dimensional world in which each player can control one or more
avatars, and chat using text or voice.
 2. The Individual View of Structure

The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound.

Thus, it is important that parents should discuss to their child’s exposure to media and
to provide guidance on age-appropriate use of all media, including television, radio,
music, video games and the Internet.

B. The Interpersonal Perspective

Mass media can also be classified as communication technology, delivering information

promptly and providing enjoyable entertainment. This is through newspapers and then
radio, television, films and the internet. In addition to that, it also includes the mass
books, music, magazines as well as video games. Each of the medium plays an
essential role in spreading news or information on a tremendous scale. However, mass
media can subconsciously manipulates and influence the audience through imitation
and modelling. Besides that, mass media will indirectly instill a perception on a
particular topics or views. This can be good or can be bad.

1. Parental Influences

The family plays the most important roles in the society to influence one's attitudes. This
is basically because family are people whom literally close to us and those whom
interact with us every day over a long period of time. Generally, we learned from our
family’s attitudes based on direct learning and also indirect learning. It is either parent
teaches us on certain things or whether we learned it through our own observations.

The family also brings out the values within us. Good values from the parents will be
inherited by the children as well. Parents will always be the first teacher and a good
model, in which influences the child. Values in a family can be seen in many ways. This
includes displaying the values of honesty, caring, responsible, respect, sympathetic and
also generosity. Children subconsciously learned from what they observed. They will
judge on how their parents show the good values in them. Therefore, in modelling good
values, parents or the adult must show a good example to their children.

Family is undeniably the major agents of socialization that directly influence an

individual’s perspectives in life in terms of attitudes, beliefs as well as values.

2. Group Membership

A peer group is made up of people who are similar in age and social status and who
share interests. Peer group socialization begins in the earliest years, such as when kids
on a playground teach younger children the norms about taking turns, the rules of a
game, or how to shoot a basket. As children grow into teenagers, this process
continues. Peer groups are important to adolescents in a new way, as they begin to
develop an identity separate from their parents and exert independence. Additionally,
peer groups provide their own opportunities for socialization since kids usually engage
in different types of activities with their peers than they do with their families. Peer
groups provide adolescents’ first major socialization experience outside the realm of
their families. Interestingly, studies have shown that although friendships rank high in
adolescents’ priorities, this is balanced by parental influence.

3. Latent Roles

Not all mass media is bad, some mass media can serve as a positive role in a young
person life. But it is the negative roles that mass media serve that needs to be
changed. People changing their image and violence are two major problems young
adults suffer from nowadays. Mass Media is very powerful so how can we stop
something that is so powerful? To start with it will have to be the parents’ job to help
solve the influence of mass media over young children. Maybe if parents spent more
time with their children it would help decrease the negative influences of mass media.
Also if the more you watch violence, it increases your appetite to do deviant things, then
perhaps the less violence young adults watched it would help decrease their appetite to
commit any type of deviant behavior.

4. Uses and Effects

How is Mass Media Affecting Socialization in children and young adults? The answer to
this question is very simple now: mass media has enormous effects on our attitudes and
behavior. Mass media opens our minds to discover new things one may have not
known before. The mass media can serve as positive and negative influences in
children and young adults’ lives, that’s why it is very important for parents to shield their
children as much as possible from these negative influences.

Positive effects

Electronic media is a central focus of many very young children's lives, used by parents
to help manage busy schedules, keep the peace, and facilitate family routines such as
eating, relaxing, and falling asleep, according to a new national study by the Kaiser
Family Foundation. Many parents also express satisfaction with the educational benefits
of TV and how it can teach positive behaviors.

 Educational program

By watching educational TV children at every age learn so many things. Infants and
toddlers start learning different words, objects and their meanings. Math puzzles and
many other activities enhance children’s decision power and mental ability. Baby TV is
very popular now a day among children.
  Makes a Child feel more confident

While watching their favorite cartoon show, kids adopt many things and sometimes they
talk and behave in the same manner as their favorite character does. Doing so they feel
more comfortable and confident that they can talk to people and even can perform
infront a crowd.

 Enhance imagination and creativity

By watching different programs and cartoons children become more creative. They try
to do things indifferent ways. So there imagination and creativity is enhanced. There is
also evidence in the literature that children’s imaginative play can be positively affected
by television content. In fact, several experiments have found that television can teach
specific attention skills and strategies.TV offers a kid more opportunities to express
himself. He gets new ideas with which he can show his talent.

 Positive effects of cartoon

Infant, toddlers and preschoolers learn so many things from cartoons like Baby Looney
Tunes, and different cd’s of cartoon movies. By watching these cartoons they start
knowing different symbols. Words and many other gestures, they also know their
meanings. They also learn good things like sharing, caring about friends, keeping the
surrounding clean, and doing their duties (like homework) happily.

 Helps Improve Vocabulary and Learn new languages

Good media increases the vocabulary of the kids. Children also learn to interact in
various languages with help of television media. For instance children who don’t have
English as their first language.

 Develop parent-children relationship

When parents buy different storybooks, watch different cartoons and children programs
with their children or let their children to cinemas for watching movies. In each of the
above case parents spend time with their children. As a result parent’s child relationship
is improved. Many researches have shown that media influence parent child
relationship. The rise of Internet has facilitated new forms of communication and social
interactions. Grand children can now keep up with their grandparents via e-mail.

 Source of entertainment

Television, Internet and other media are a source of entertainment for every child even
for infants and toddlers. Like infants and toddlers enjoy sounds and movement and at
the same time they also learn from it. Perceptually salient features of television such as
movement and sound effects drive attention of children to informative features such as
dialogue and narrative and they learn from visual and sound effects of objects
Negative Effects

Children's exposure to electronic media such as television, video games, the Internet,
and music has increased enormously in recent decades. Numerous studies have found
that many parents do not limit their children's media intake, and that they underestimate
how much television their children watch. Some of the negative effects that media has
on children are as follows:

 Psychological effect

The basal ganglia portion of the brain becomes very active when a person plays video
games and watches TV. And the body releases a chemical called dopamine. Ritalin
(and cocaine) also works on the basal ganglia of the brain and increase dopamine.
More dopamine is released; the less neurotransmitter is available to do anything else.

 Unhelpful Cartoons

Preschoolers are not responding mindlessly to these physical features. Just as they are
beginning to develop scripts and other schemas that help them organize and make
sense of their experience with real life, it seems that preschoolers are also developing
schemas related to the formal features of television, and can use them to explore the
medium. Children who viewed the violent cartoons showed decreases in measures of
self-regulation. Children who watch aggressive cartoons with lots of violence can be
more likely to engage in aggressive behavior than those that do not.

 Advertisement

Television shows no longer just provide entertainment for children. Now they are a
showcase for "must have" items that parents are expected to buy. They teach children
to become consumers before they've even reached the age of 3.

 Impact of horror movies and cartoons

Children who watch horror movies, shows, may have some emotional or psychological
problems. Toddlers and young children who watch violent movies, including Halloween
horror films, television shows may be more likely to develop anxiety, sleep disorders,
and aggressive and self-endangering behaviors.

 Poor academic performance

Too much media — for kids of all ages — can have a negative impact on their school
readiness and academic performance. Specifically, poor grades and low reading ability
and vocabulary are connected with too much media consumption. Plus, media usage
and "multi-tasking. This may contribute to kids paying less dedicated attention to their
homework.
  Media & violence

Watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or video game
player will behave aggressively in both the short and long term. Children who observe
violence or are victims of it show more behavior problems than other children.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the media has both a negative and positive effect on our youth. We feel
the effect is more negative than positive because of what we have seen, heard, and
researched. There are so many negative examples in the news of children acting out
due to media involvement. It is very hard for children to distinguish between reality and
fantasy. This causes children of today to act out based on what they see. We strongly
believe that seeing, hearing and interacting, for example, with video games full of
violence obstructs a child's vision of a healthy start in life. There are only some positive
actions that children portray from what they see or hear from media. These of course
can be controlled by the parents through controlling the way their children take influence
by media by telling them about the reality and helping them distinguish between the
good & the bad.

References:

The Sociology of Education

By: P. W. Musgrave

https://storify.com/_Mama_Cita_/how-does-mass-media-affect-socialization-in-young

https://www.uniassignment.com/essay-samples/theology/family-and-mass-media-influences-theology-
religion-essay.php
 Philippine Christian University
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
PROF: Dr. Gloria Q. Resurreccion
Saturday – 2:00-5:00 p.m.

TOPIC: CHILDREN AND THE MASS MEDIA

Reporter: Jemelyn M. Aguilar

Introduction

Mass media play an important role in everyday life. There is a growing use of media in early childhood, so
it is not surprising that they greatly influence children and young people as well as become an essential
element of education. At present, it is difficult to imagine the world without such global media as TV or the
Internet that most of us use every day. Children do the same. Most of them make use of media every day,
both at home and at school.

Nowadays, mass media have become an integral part of our everyday life. Media are not only sources of
information and entertainment; they are also means of communication, the way we get in touch with
others, regardless of distance. The use of media takes up a great deal of our free time.

“Child”
A child is most often defined as a young human being between birth and puberty; a boy or girl. The legal
definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of
majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority figure, or signify group
membership in a clan, tribe, or religion.

Biologically, a child is “anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and
adulthood”.

We consider a person child from “toddler to age 12”

What is Media?

Media is a tool used to convey mass communication to a larger audience of market. Up until the 20 th
century the main source of information were TV, Radio, Magazine, Newspaper and lately the internet.
These mass media plays a big role in our life.

A. The Structural Perspective

In the late 1940s the American political scientist, Lasswell, asked the following question about
communications and the media: 'Who says What in Which Channel to Whom with What Effect?' In the
way in which he phrased his question Lasswell drew attention to the existence of socially structured
channels through which messages pass to various groups or to individual recipients. Here we shall
examine the main ways in which media messages move to their various destinations:
 1. The Various Media

The different kinds of media that children are using today. Modern media comes in many different
formats, including print media (books, magazines, newspapers), television, movies, video games, music,
cell phones, various kinds of software, and the Internet. Each type of media involves both content, and
also a device or object through which that content is delivered.

2. The Individual View of Structure

The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. Thus, it is important
that parents should discuss to their child’s exposure to media and to provide guidance on age-appropriate
use of all media, including television, radio, music, video games and the Internet.

B. The Interpersonal Perspective

Mass media can also be classified as communication technology, delivering information promptly and
providing enjoyable entertainment. This is through newspapers and then radio, television, films and the
internet. In addition to that, it also includes the mass books, music, magazines as well as video games.
Each of the medium plays an essential role in spreading news or information on a tremendous scale.
However, mass media can subconsciously manipulates and influence the audience through imitation and
modelling. Besides that, mass media will indirectly instill a perception on a particular topics or views. This
can be good or can be bad.

1. Parental Influences

The family plays the most important roles in the society to influence one's attitudes. This is basically
because family are people whom literally close to us and those whom interact with us every day over a
long period of time. Generally, we learned from our family’s attitudes based on direct learning and also
indirect learning. It is either parent teaches us on certain things or whether we learned it through our own
observations.

The family also brings out the values within us. Good values from the parents will be inherited by the
children as well. Parents will always be the first teacher and a good model, in which influences the child.
Values in a family can be seen in many ways. This includes displaying the values of honesty, caring,
responsible, respect, sympathetic and also generosity. Children subconsciously learned from what they
observed. They will judge on how their parents show the good values in them. Therefore, in modelling
good values, parents or the adult must show a good example to their children.

Family is undeniably the major agents of socialization that directly influence an individual’s perspectives
in life in terms of attitudes, beliefs as well as values.

2. Group Membership

A peer group is made up of people who are similar in age and social status and who share interests.
Peer group socialization begins in the earliest years, such as when kids on a playground teach younger
children the norms about taking turns, the rules of a game, or how to shoot a basket. As children grow
into teenagers, this process continues. Peer groups are important to adolescents in a new way, as they
begin to develop an identity separate from their parents and exert independence. Additionally, peer
groups provide their own opportunities for socialization since kids usually engage in different types of
activities with their peers than they do with their families. Peer groups provide adolescents’ first major
socialization experience outside the realm of their families. Interestingly, studies have shown that
although friendships rank high in adolescents’ priorities, this is balanced by parental influence.
 3. Latent Roles

Not all mass media is bad, some mass media can serve as a positive role in a young person life. But it is
the negative roles that mass media serve that needs to be changed. People changing their image and
violence are two major problems young adults suffer from nowadays. Mass Media is very powerful so
how can we stop something that is so powerful? To start with it will have to be the parents’ job to help
solve the influence of mass media over young children. Maybe if parents spent more time with their
children it would help decrease the negative influences of mass media. Also if the more you watch
violence, it increases your appetite to do deviant things, then perhaps the less violence young adults
watched it would help decrease their appetite to commit any type of deviant behavior.

4. Uses and Effects

How is Mass Media Affecting Socialization in children and young adults? The answer to this question is
very simple now: mass media has enormous effects on our attitudes and behavior. Mass media opens
our minds to discover new things one may have not known before. The mass media can serve as
positive and negative influences in children and young adults’ lives, that’s why it is very important for
parents to shield their children as much as possible from these negative influences.

Positive effects

Electronic media is a central focus of many very young children's lives, used by parents to help
manage busy schedules, keep the peace, and facilitate family routines such as eating, relaxing, and
falling asleep, according to a new national study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Many parents also
express satisfaction with the educational benefits of TV and how it can teach positive behaviors.

 Educational program
 Makes a Child feel more confident
 Enhance imagination and creativity
 Positive effects of cartoon
 Helps Improve Vocabulary and Learn new languages
 Develop parent-children relationship
 Source of entertainment

Negative Effects

Children's exposure to electronic media such as television, video games, the Internet, and music has
increased enormously in recent decades. Numerous studies have found that many parents do not limit
their children's media intake, and that they underestimate how much television their children watch. Some
of the negative effects that media has on children are as follows:

 Psychological effect
 Unhelpful Cartoons
 Advertisement
 Impact of horror movies and cartoons
 Poor academic performance
 Media & violence
Conclusion:

In conclusion, the media has both a negative and positive effect on our youth. We feel the effect is more
negative than positive because of what we have seen, heard, and researched. There are so many
negative examples in the news of children acting out due to media involvement. It is very hard for children
to distinguish between reality and fantasy. This causes children of today to act out based on what they
see. We strongly believe that seeing, hearing and interacting, for example, with video games full of
violence obstructs a child's vision of a healthy start in life. There are only some positive actions that
children portray from what they see or hear from media. These of course can be controlled by the parents
through controlling the way their children take influence by media by telling them about the reality and
helping them distinguish between the good & the bad.

References:

The Sociology of Education

By: P. W. Musgrave

https://storify.com/_Mama_Cita_/how-does-mass-media-affect-socialization-in-young

https://www.uniassignment.com/essay-samples/theology/family-and-mass-media-influences-theology-
religion-essay.php
Introduction
Sociologists define socialization as a complex and a persistent process of experiences. People will
indirectly cultivate their highest possible potential and get to know their culture by socialization
(Macionis, 2012). Every social experience that we undergo will have significant effects in our life,
whether it is a small scope or a wider scope. There are basically four essential agents of
socialization. These include the family, school, peer group as well as the mass media. Individuals
grasp the knowledge and associate the norms and values of their culture they hold through these
agents of socialization. Not only that, understanding the social structure such as race, gender and
class needs to be taken into consideration as well.

Family influence on Beliefs

The family is foremost the important agent of socialization and has the greatest impact from all four
agents of socialization. Infants are dependent on others as they are weak, pure and not influenced
by anything yet. So, the parents and other family members are responsible on the child’s upbringing.
It is them who taught us how to define ourselves. It is them who gave us the perspective to view this
world and life. And we inherit our beliefs mostly from our parents.
To sum up, beliefs or religion does play a significant role in socialization. It influences morality of the
people in a society thus being a key component in determining of what is wrong and what is right.
And the most important thing is it gives us a sense of hope. In other words, something to believe in
as well as something to hold on to.

Mass media influence on values

In this millennium world, values influence by mass media through facts, ideas, and culture. Mass
media is one of the social communications for an individual’s, families and friends. Mass media can
determine a meaning of an image about the surrounding that happens in the society. It is also
influences the way of thinking of people that base on mass media.
In mass media, positive or negative expresses the opinions, behaviours, mentalities, values and
social norms of the society. Furthermore, the increasing or the decreasing of the level of thinking is
also base on the mass media. Some people are easily influence by negative media that decline the
level of thinking. "The humanity shaped by mass media in the world, at the global village level" said
by McLuhan. McLuhan also said that, the diversified collectively must decrease rather than general
information of the individuals (Maria, n.d.)
Besides that, the most effects of mass media among the society are the teenagers. They can be
easily influence by TV show, celebrity, advertisement and fashion. There are positive and negative
effects that determine the values of mass media on teenagers. There is an example of positive
effects for teenagers is where they can get good influence such as attention by surrounding and
gains popularity among their friends and society that can make them become good, healthy and
wealthy. Meanwhile, the negative site of effects towards teenagers is where they can get bad
influence by sex image; images of violence and exposure to junk food advertisement that can make
them live in unhealthy life.
However, we as the society do not have much control and choice to not be influenced by the mass
media nowadays. Hence, we have to put our own entrustment to the higher authority in order to feed
us with news, amusement as well as advancement on education. Therefore, we as individual who
received abundance of information needs to be critically choosy and knows what is the best for us.
We need to put the hat of thinking and evaluate what is right and wrong as this is very essential for
own development of values in us that will be accumulated and passed down to our next generation.
Mass media absolutely without a doubt had influence in many ways, but values take a huge portion
of it.

Conclusion
Socialization has played tremendous part in one’s life. It is a lifelong social experience that each and
every one will encountered. It is from socialization that shaped an individual personality. Personality
is defined as the style or patterns of feeling, the way of thinking and how we act in certain situations
(Macionis, 2012). Furthermore, nature and nurture do have significant effects in the growth and
development of an individual. Both nature and nurture play an equal amount of role to enhance a
person highest possible potential.
In addition to that, the main four agents of socialization that is the family, the school, the peer group
and the mass media do developed a person’s character and behaviour. As we can see throughout
the paper, the most important agent will be the family. According to the attachment bond theory by
psychiatrist John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, the mother-child relationship is the main factor for an
infant’s advancement (Jeanne Segal, 2013). Thus it is very important that parents give enough love,
attention and care to their children to trigger an all-rounder person. Several studies had been
conducted and it was proven that there were interconnections between parenting attachment style
as well as adult attachment style in romantic relationships.
Besides family, the second agent of socialization that we choose to discuss in details is the mass
media. Technology has changed splendidly and promptly. Information can be retrieved within
seconds and everything is at your fingertips. However, mass media like television, newspapers,
radio, films and the internet can influence a person largely in every aspect. Thus it is very critical for
a person to filter each of the information they obtain. Not only that, the amount of usage needs to be
controlled especially televisions. The exposure of mass media on the other hand had suggested that
youngsters to be more daring in order to fit in the society. The tendency for youngsters to get
influenced easily is high. That is why mass media is considered to be one of the agents of
socialization that shape an individual social experience.

Mass Media

Due to rapid technological development, the world has become a global village.
Young people are increasingly exposed to ways of life of other countries through mass media.
Mass media includes newspapers, television, the internet and communication gadgets

Ways through which children are socialized through the Mass Media

• Young people get to know about current fashion and entertainment e.g songs and movies all
over the world through mass media
• Young people identify themselves with actors and other celebrities through mass media.
• Young people copy the way of dressing, talking or walking from celebrities they see in mass
media.
• Through mass media, the foreign influence has effect on African culture.
NB: Mass media can have negative effects on young people. Parents and teachers therefore
need to monitor what the young children are exposed to through mass media.

Peer Groups
Pupils in a classroom usually form small groups based on friendship. These groups are known
as Peer groups. Peer groups are usually made up of pupils of about the same age, same sex
and same interests.

Ways through which children are socialized through the Peer Group

• In a peer group, children learn group loyalty. The peers form strong bonds of friendship. The
bonds can be so strong that it can lead to disregard to authority.
• They also learn to share information – a lot of information is shared through peer groups. This
is because the members of a peer group are usually very free with each other. E.g. it is possible
for learners to learn about sex and sexual reproduction through peers.
• They also learn to identify with the various gender roles. This is because peer groups are
usually single sex oriented.
• Children in peer groups learn to accept and accommodate others who have different values
and views from their families.
• Peers learn and practice adult roles especially through play.
NB: Although Peer Groups are an important agents of socialization, they need to be monitored
because they lead to development of negative behaviours such as stealing, dishonesty, drug
abuse, etc

The Functionalist Perspective

Functionalists believe that mass media contributes to the benefit of society. Charles
Wright (1975) identified several ways in which mass media contributes to creating
equilibrium in society. He claims the media coordinate and correlate information that is
valuable to the culture. The media are powerful agents of socialization. Through the
media, culture is communicated to the masses. Serving society through social control,
the media act as stress relievers which keep social conflicts to a minimum.
Concept and usage[edit]
This verbal communication model has been referred to as "a linear and Uni-directional process",[1] "a
one-way process",[1] an "action model",[1]:134 a media theory "classic",[4][5]"widely used segmentation of
the communication process",[4] and "a simple, linear, and potentially hypodermic conceptualization of
communication."[5]
The model organizes the "scientific study of the process of communication".[3] The focus of the model
is broken down by each element of communication: "'who' refers to the communicator who
formulates the message; 'what' is the content of message; 'channel' indicates the medium of
transmission; 'whom' describes either an individual recipient or the audience of mass
communication; 'effect' is the outcome of the message..."[6] The movement of the message travels
from the communicator to the audience. Although this model represents a one-way flow of
communication, the "effect" also refers to feedback in public relations.[7] The model can be used in
pedagogical settings to teach students major elements of a communication process and as a starting
point for developing hypotheses.
Lasswell stated that the "Who" referred to "control analysis", the "Says What" referred to "content
analysis", the "In Which Channel" referred to "media analysis", the "To Whom" referred to "audience
analysis", and the "With What Effect" referred to "effect analysis".[3]

Question Element Analysis

Who? Communicator Control Analysis

Says What? Message Content Analysis

In Which Channel? Medium Media Analysis

To Whom? Audience Audience Analysis

With What Effect? Effect Effects Analysis

The mass media is a diversified collection of media technologies that reach a large audience
via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a
variety of outlets.
Broadcast media transmit information electronically, via such media as film, radio, recorded music,
or television. Digital media comprises both Internet and mobile mass communication. Internet media
comprise such services as email, social media sites, websites, and Internet-based radio and
television. Many other mass media outlets have an additional presence on the web, by such means
as linking to or running TV ads online, or distributing QR Codes in outdoor or print media to direct
mobile users to a website. In this way, they can utilise the easy accessibility and outreach
capabilities the Internet affords, as thereby easily broadcast information throughout many different
regions of the world simultaneously and cost-efficiently. Outdoor media transmit information via
such media as AR advertising; billboards; blimps; flying billboards (signs in tow of airplanes);
placards or kiosks placed inside and outside buses, commercial buildings, shops, sports stadiums,
subway cars, or trains; signs; or skywriting.[1] Print media transmit information via physical objects,
such as books, comics, magazines, newspapers, or pamphlets.[2] Event organizing and public
speaking can also be considered forms of mass media.[3]
The organizations that control these technologies, such as movie studios, publishing companies,
and radio and television stations, are also known as the mass media

Issues with definition

In the late 20th century, mass media could be classified into eight mass media industries: books, the
Internet, magazines, movies, newspapers, radio, recordings, and television. The explosion of digital
communication technology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries made prominent the question:
what forms of media should be classified as "mass media"? For example, it is controversial whether
to include cell phones, computer games (such as MMORPGs), and video games in the definition. In
the 2000s, a classification called the "seven mass media" became popular.[citation needed] In order of
introduction, they are:

1. Print (books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, etc.) from the late 15th century
2. Recordings (gramophone records, magnetic tapes, cassettes, cartridges, CDs, and DVDs)
from the late 19th century
3. Cinema from about 1900
4. Radio from about 1910
5. Television from about 1950
6. Internet from about 1990
7. Mobile phones from about 2000
Each mass medium has its own content types, creative artists, technicians, and business models.
For example, the Internet includes blogs, podcasts, web sites, and various other technologies built
atop the general distribution network. The sixth and seventh media, Internet and mobile phones, are
often referred to collectively as digital media; and the fourth and fifth, radio and TV, as broadcast
media. Some argue that video games have developed into a distinct mass form of media.[6]
While a telephone is a two-way communication device, mass media communicates to a large group.
In addition, the telephone has transformed into a cell phone which is equipped with Internet access.
A question arises whether this makes cell phones a mass medium or simply a device used to access
a mass medium (the Internet). There is currently a system by which marketers and advertisers are
able to tap into satellites, and broadcast commercials and advertisements directly to cell phones,
unsolicited by the phone's user.[citation needed] This transmission of mass advertising to millions of people
is another form of mass communication.
Video games may also be evolving into a mass medium. Video games (for example massively
multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), such as RuneScape) provide a common gaming
experience to millions of users across the globe and convey the same messages and ideologies to
all their users. Users sometimes share the experience with one another by playing online. Excluding
the Internet however, it is questionable whether players of video games are sharing a common
experience when they play the game individually. It is possible to discuss in great detail the events of
a video game with a friend one has never played with, because the experience is identical to each.
The question, then, is whether this is a form of mass communication.

The family helps children develop their abilities to plan everyday activities, encourages
them to physical activity, to develop hobbies and interests as well as to choose the best
ways of spending free time. Each family can benefit from appropriate use of mass
media. It is commonly believed that media can: help educate children and develop their
knowledge; extend parents’ educational and psychological knowledge; inspire and
encourage parents to use this knowledge in their contacts with children; that way media
support educational function of the family; integrate family (using media together helps
tighten family bonds); compensate deficiencies in the family (Ibid., 213). On the
contrary, if improperly used, media potential can bring harmful effects to the family life.
Media-related risks include: disorganisation of family life, family disintegration, damages
to family bonds as well as rows and arguments between family members. Furthermore,
television or other media cannot replace parents in bringing up children (Izdebska,
2000, 81). Even if family members receive media content properly, they might be
affected by atomisation, which means separating family members and isolating them
from the world around. To prevent media-related risks, family bonds and relationships
should be developed. Instead of spending free time in front of the TV screen, parents
ought to encourage their children to other ways of spending free time.