Public Opinion Formation in an Era of Mass Communication Convergence

2016 ◽  
pp. 137-148
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Kowalewski ◽  
Maxwell McCombs

Abstract For the past 50 years since the seminal agenda-setting study, scholars have continued to make strides in understanding the importance mass communication plays in public opinion formation. Although scholars have measured both first- and second-level agenda setting often using open-ended response, more close-ended measures might assist in measuring the theory, adding to the rich data. This experimental study directly compared open-ended responses shown to gauge an agenda-setting effect with close-ended responses to enhance the assessment of both first- and second-level agenda setting. The findings identified close-ended scales, including news salience, social salience, personal salience, and feelings salience, that add to the precision of measuring the salience of issues and attributes, indicating we have alternative measures to gauge agenda setting.


Author(s):  
O. Yatchuk ◽  
N. Kodatska

<div><p><em>The article presents the dynamics of the main factors for the development of modern television, the transition from traditional technologies of television broadcasting to the latest technologies. The process of developing digital television and broadband has been technically determined to address the challenge of integrating new technologies into traditional TV content. Ways of expanding the possibilities of interaction between the viewer and the television producer in the context of overcoming the crisis of traditional technologies are analyzed. It is determined that integration, development of mobile communications and Internet technologies are a hallmark of the modern world media space and have a significant influence on the formation of public opinion. The analysis of actual media researches concerning problems of the theory of mass communication is carried out. The phenomenon of «social television», which combines watching TV with simultaneous communication in social networks, is considered. The author draws attention to the disclosure of the determining factors of media communication, the study of the process of feedback from viewers on television. It is stated that the development of modern technologies, namely digital broadcasting and introduction of broadband Internet access to create a multimedia platform that combines Internet communication services and television content, contributes to improving the mechanism of interaction between the TV and the viewer. The theory of the conceptualization of journalism based on identity construction is examined: journalists understand their audience and, as members of that audience, connect with their communities. An analysis of integrated journalistic activity is conducted, which consists of three stages: gathering, editing and disseminating information. It is determined that the influence of the Internet allows the consumer to play his or her role at each stage, thus helping the journalist determine the degree of relevance of the story to himself and to the potential audience. The common features of modern telecontent were singled out and a comparative analysis of the trend of development of interactive TV programs of the USA, UK and Ukraine was made.</em></p></div><p><strong><em>Key words:</em></strong><em> public opinion, two-vector communication, feedback, communication methods, television audience, country telephony.</em></p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCISCO FATAS-VILLAFRANCA ◽  
DULCE SAURA ◽  
FRANCISCO J. VAZQUEZ

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