Mass Communication

Although researchers and pundits describing mass communication sometimes focus on the type of technology involved (e.g., newspaper or television), a productive way to consider mass communication involves audience. Mass communication involves the presentation and interpretation of information among a large, relatively heterogeneous audience, typically as a result of an effort by a professional organization. For much of the 20th century, mass communication efforts involved a single entity reaching many people with information, or a one-to-many model of communication; in the 21st century, new communication technologies facilitate many-to-many communication as well. The one- (or few-) to-many aspect of mass communication separated the phenomenon from other forms of mediated communication, such as person-to-person telegrams or telephone calls. The introduction of Internet-based technologies and what are now called ...