Media Research -Introduction

INTRODUCTION 
The term mass media refers to any form of commu­nication that simultaneously reaches a large number of people through different channel of communication..    

WHAT IS RESEARCH? 

Usually these kind of things researcher investigate in mass media.  They  are: a radio station adopted format, a radio station played songs, a radio station's morning show listeners, The advertising  effective on TV, radio, the Internet, and in all types of print. the reason for  newspaper subscriptions declining, the elements of a successful magazine cover page.

GETTING STARTED

Two basic questions a beginning researcher must learn to answer are how to  and when use research methods and statistical proce­dures and

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MASS MEDIA RESEARCH

There are four phases in media research. 

They are

PHASE 1 The medium itself

PHASE 2 Uses and users of the medium

PHASE 3 Effects of the medium

PHASE 4 How the medium can be improved

In Phase 1 of the research, the research subject is medium itself.

1.   What is it?

2.   How does it work?

3.   What technology does it involve?

4.   Who will have access to the new medium?

5.   How much will it cost?

In this phase two, the study about the uses and the users of the medium.

1.   How do people use the medium in real life?

2.   What is the reason for the usage.

3.   What purpose they used media?

4.   What gratifications does the new medium provide?

Phase 3 includes investigations of the social, psychological, and physical effects of the medium.

1.   How much time do people spend with the medium?

2.   Does it change people's perspectives about anything?

3.   What do the users of the medium want and expect to hear or see?

In Phase 4, research is conducted to determine how the medium can be improved, what is the impact of it either in its use or through technological de­velopments.

1.   Can the medium provide infor­mation or entertainment to more types of people?

2.   How can new technology be used to perfect or enhance the sight and/or sound of the medium?

3.   Is there a way to change the content to be more valuable or entertaining ?

The Growth  Of  Mass Media Research

Research is a never-ending process. At least four major events or social forces have encouraged the growth of mass media research.

1.   The first was World War I, which prompted a need to understand the nature of propaganda.

2.   A second contributor to the development of mass media research was in the 1950s and 1960s that research data are useful in developing ways to persuade potential customers to buy prod­ucts and services.

3.   A third contributing social force was the increasing interest of citizens in the effects of the media on the public, especially on chil­dren.

4.   Increased competition among the media for advertising dollars was a fourth contrib­utor to the growth of research.

MEDIA RESEARCH AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Scientific research is an organized, objec­tive, controlled, qualitative or quantitative empirical analysis of one or more variables.

All research, whether formal or informal, begins with a basic question or proposition about a specific phenomenon. For example, why do viewers select one television program over another? 

THE METHODS OF KNOWING

There are several possible approaches in an­swering research questions.

A user of the method of tenacity follows the logic that something is true because it has always been true. Media exploit the youth is a general concept.

In the method of intuition, or the a priori approach, a person assumes that something is true because it is "self-evident" or "stands to reason." Some creative people in adver­tising agencies resist efforts to test their ad­vertising methods because they believe they know what will attract customers.

The method of authority promotes a be­lief in something because a trusted source, such as a parent, a news correspondent, or a teacher, says it is true. 
source : Wimmer and domenick-Mass media research