Friday January 15th (Chapter 1)

1.)Define culture, mass communication, and mass media, and explain their interrelationships. 

(response to question #1) 

While Culture embodies a society's values, the mass media distributes them to the public. Culture (big C) is associated with art; this includes both "high" and "low" culture. Culture (little c) refers to a broad category identifying ways that people live during certain eras; the idea of culture is to symbolize a society's values as a whole. Mass communication is the process of designing and delivering cultural messages to large and diverse audiences through media channels. Mass media are the "channels of communication" that are used to produce and distribute information; this information can be distributed through songs, novels, movies and newspapers. The relationships between these can be found within the definition of mass media. Culture is reflected through mass media and shared with the public through mass communication. 

2.)What are the key technological breakthroughs that accompanied the transition to the print and electronic eras? Why were these changes significant?

(response to question #2) 

The transition from written to print and electronic technology were accompanied by Johannas Gutenburg and his invention of the printing press and movable type writer in the 15th century. This invention brought higher learning to the masses, and encouraged people to strive for higher positions in their communities. His idea introduced a method of mass production, which was later followed by Henry Ford's assembly line and the first great american automobile. The book became the first mass marketed product in history; this product also encouraged the rise of the middle class. Literacy rates began to rise among the working classes and their ideas of individuality and opinion making rose with them. 

7.)What are the chief differences between modern and postmodern values?

(response to question # 7) 

I believe that the main differences between modern and post modern values are the roles of women in the work force. During the second world war while the men were away, the women obtained jobs with positions that would have usually belonged to men. Women began to educate themselves in other areas besides household chores and child baring. The values of America began to change with them. There was then a greater need for women's education and that was made known through the media. Newspapers all over began picking up on the phenomena and the hunger for education and job security of their own rose in women ever since.