Self symbols and society : an introduction to mass communication

This is a different kind of introduction-to-mass-communication text. Rather than recount the history of the various media, detail the structure of the media industries, and then present a litany of research findings about media effects, we challenge readers to examine media history, opera tions, and effects in terms of their own role in the mass communication process. The underlying premise of this book is that it is the audience-collectively and as individuals-that has shaped the media environment in which we all live. It is the interaction of individuals with one another, their society, and their culture

that has allowed the media to develop as they have, to operate as they do, and to

influence us as they can. We've chosen this audience-centered approach because it allows each of us to determine for ourselves the role that the media play in our lives. Too often, discus sions about the media take on universal dimensions: "The media do this," or "Peo ple spend too much time with the mass media." But we all know that the media do different things to and for different people. We all use media differently and to dif ferent extents.