Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Mass and Mediated Communication Contexts

Mass communication is one of the best researched and influential of all the communication contexts. It is also the context that has stimulated the most controversy by both scholars and practitioners alike. Sending potentially millions of people the same message at the same time assumes some degree of responsibility. Messages containing profanity, indecency, and obscenity have been of concern since the earliest days of broadcasting. Since its inception in 1934, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has monitored the content of broadcast communication and has levied fines for stations that broadcast content deemed to contain offensive messages.

Entertainers who employ verbal aggression often find themselves the center of ...