Attitude Of Adults Towards Mass Media Messages

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The influence of media messages on audience has been a subject of much controversy in media studies .Mass media is a medium in which media messages are conveyed from one point to a very large number of other points. These include newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the internate.Audiences are generally self selected, people who tune to a particular television or who read magazines, they are heterogeneous, meaning large and diverse. There has been various contestations surrounding the influence of media messages on the behaviour of audiences .The essay aims to give an analysis on the applicability of Katz and Lazarsfeld‘s theory that mass media have a rather limited influence on the audiences. The media has a limited influence on audiences because the mass communication can be affected by unpredictable ways such as variable exposure to media messages, type of medium used to convey the message, the nature of the content and the form of presentation and language of the message, different character traits of audiences, different subcultures and values and leaders‘s opinion makers within communities can mediate messages received from the mass media. Because of mediating factors the audiences would therefore react differently to media messages. However, it will be deliberate distortion of reality to assume that media have a rather limited influence on audiences since the hypodermic model have direct influence on its audiences. Taking the argument on a different dimension the interpretive and the uses and gratification theories argues that audiences are the ones   who shape media messages since they select and interpret media messages rather than being passive receivers of media messages. Much will b elaborated as the essay unfolds.

 Katz and Larzarsfeld (1955) argued that the media have a rather limited influence on the audiences.  For Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955) in their text the personal influence explained that mass media in general have a rather limited influence on audience because communication process can be affected by mediating variables which affect the responses of audiences to media messages. Exposure or attention to media messages causes the media messages to have a rather limited influence on audiences. Haralambos and Holborn (2008) postulates that personal, political, practical and technological factors can shape the nature and extend of an individual or group‘s exposure to any particular message or medium. This can be exemplified in that m that of women do not read newspapers, adolescence do not view news programmes. As a result their behaviour is not affected by these media messages. Hence, it is credible and worthwhile to argue that media have a rather limited influence on its audience.

Katz and Lazarsfeld (1945) study investigates the effect of political mass communication on the 1940 US Presidential election. The work suggests that the mass media has a limited effect and that other social influences an overriding effect on opinion formation. Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955) initially assumed that messages were transmitted from the mass media to a 'mass audience', who absorb the message . However, their work suggests that only 5% of people change their voting behaviour as a result of media messages. The weak influence of the mass media was explained by overriding social influences in their ‘limited effects paradigm’ .Katz & Lazarsfeld (1955) confirm the assertion of Lazarsfeld,Barelsonand Gaudet( 1945) that the “media have a rather limited influence” on society. This is because the mass communication process is altered by a number of variables. The key factor is seen as being the role of opinion leaders who mediate media messages and exert strong influence over individuals with a low level of independent thought. Katz and Lazarsfeld may be misleading when they project the characteristics of opinion leaders. Many opinion leaders will have the characteristics they mention, but it is also known that some opinion leaders in some subject areas will not have those general characteristics .Influence tended to be horizontal across a particular socio-economic class, except that in the 'higher' social classes there was a tendency for people to find opinion leaders in the next class up. No opinion leader was an opinion leader in all aspects of life. Therefore, owing to the above explanation it is sound and comprehensive to argue that indeed the media have a rather limited influence on its audiences.

In addition mass media messages have a rather limited influence on audiences since the type of medium used to convey the message has an important impact on the power of the message. For example television footage of starving children may have a more powerful effect than a newspaper report about the same subject. Baran (2011) postulated that the purchase and reading of a book is a more individual, personal activity than consuming an advertiser supported television, radio, newspapers and magazine media. It should be noted that the news paper had limitations of the time factor . News had to be collected, compiled, edited and printed in advance and then sent to people to read them .All these took plenty of time. For example what you read in the morning was printed o around midnight .That means it does not contain anything that happened after midnight .Thus, the differences in medium used to convey media messages result in limited effects on the audiences. This study will be examining the attitude of adults towards mass media messages.

1.2  STATEMENT OF PROBLEM.

Communication is generally seen as an important part of the world and every part of human life and existence. It is through communication that human beings mould and control the society. Man is able to mould and control the society through the use of mass media channels like radio, television,  newspapers,  books,  telephone  or  through  face  to  face communication. These media of mass communication are consequently regarded as the features of every modern society. Communication, which is powered by media channels has proven to be the pivot on which society develops and rests on. The development of these communication media are accompanied by an increase in the scale and complexity of societal activities  and  arrangements,  social  change,  technological  innovation, rising  personal  income  and the  standard of  life,  the  decline  of some traditional forms control and authority.

The audience is a concept that describes those who have access to media messages; they are the people who receive media messages. Mass media messages are directed at some segment of the society. The messages from radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc, are directed at those people who finally consume them. These messages may be features, articles, editorials,  news,  documentaries,  musicals,  interviews,  discussion programmes, just to mention a few. People must listen to, read and watch these media programmes or media messages. Those people who have access to these media programmes are often referred to as mass media audience. Okunna (1999, p. 155) summarises the mass media audience as consumers of mass communication messages. They are all those people who expose themselves to mass media messages.

Haralambos and Holborn (2008) argue that in interpretive model, audiences are believed to filter media messages. People attend to and use media messages in a selective way, ignoring, reacting to, forgetting or reinterpreting messages according to their own view points. In other words they actively interpret the media message. One important way in which  people engage with media messages  is intertexually, that is,  they may read one text in relation to others ( Halloran,1988) cited in Haralambos and Holborn (2008), or they may use one message system for example newspaper  accounts of lives of stars and  to engage with another example of  a television programme  which includes one of the stars as an actor.Fiskie (1970)cited in Haralambos and Holborn(2008 )notes that  in watching a  soap opera  a viewer will move  between different levels, engagement , when the audience felt if he or she was there with the characters, detachment when the audience explain that the  actor will die since he wants to leave the  series and the referential that is when the audience make reference to the person he or she knew.  For Fiskie the audience is powerful. it is the people who make  popular culture in the way they respond to, consume, reject  to media messages.

Interestingly, researches have been carried out on peoples reaction, attitude and perception to media messages but there has been very few researches on the attitude, perception and knowledge towards mass media messages particularly in Nigeria. It is on this note, that this study will be focusing on the attitude of adults towards mass media messages.

1.3  OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the attitude of adults towards mass media messages. Specific objectives of this study are:

i. To determine whether adults in Nasarawa State have a positive attitude towards mass media messages.

ii. To determine whether adults in Nasarawa State rely and trust the credibility of mass media compared to others like social media and interpersonal media.

iii. To find out whether mass media especially radio has brought a lot of development to the development of people both in the cities and rural communities.

1.4  RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To guide this study the following questions were formulated.

i. Do adults in Nasarawa State have a positive attitude towards mass media messages?

ii. Do adults in Nasarawa State rely and trust the credibility of mass media compared to others like social media and interpersonal media?

iii. Has mass media especially radio has brought a lot of development to the development of people both in the cities and rural communities?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The following null hypothesis will validate this study:

Hi: Adults in Nasarawa State do not have a positive attitude towards mass media messages.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.

This study examines the attitude of adults towards mass media messages.

This study will be significant to the national broadcasting commission and also to the several media houses in Nigeria as it will expose the need and importance for adults to be conversant with mass media messages.

This study is of benefit to the academic community as it will contribute to the existing literature on mass media and also serve as guide to student who may want to further research on the topic

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study centres on the attitude of adults towards mass media messages. Empirically, this study will determine whether adults have a positive attitude towards mass media messages, determine whether adults rely and trust the credibility of mass media compared to others like social media and interpersonal media and find out whether mass media especially radio has brought a lot of development to the development of people both in the cities and rural communities.

Nasarawa State is the location for this study.

1.8 Limitations of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the absence of  literature on the discourse of adults attitude towards mass media. Thus much time and organization was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection. Also the study is limited in sample size and geography covering only Nasarawa State. Therefore findings of this study cannot be used for generalization thus creating a gap for further studies. 

Also encountered was time constraint as the researcher had to carry out this research in addition to attending lectures.

1.9 Definition of terms

Mass media:  criminal activity has received heavy coverage in the mass media

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