his chapter begins by taking up two major
challenges facing a sociological analysis of mass
communications. One is to define and specifically
to set boundaries on precisely what constitute mass communications
and the other is to specify what constitutes
sociological research on mass communications, when much
of what should be included in the literature is produced
by people who are not sociologists. The chapter then
addresses the origins of mass communications research
because these roots, particularly concerns about propaganda
and an interest in using mass communications for
commercial purposes, have had an enormous influence on
the development of the field.
Following an overview of the history, the chapter takes
up the three primary coordinates for examining the sociology
of mass communications: content, communicators,
and audiences. The content of mass communications has
been examined from two major approaches encompassing
varieties of content analysis and discourse analysis.
Content analysis has been favored by those who see the
interpretation of content as less problematic than those
who adopt a discourse analysis approach, which takes into
account the subjective nature of texts and the likelihood of
multiple readings. Research focusing on media communicators
includes analysis of the industry, where the problem
of concentrated ownership and control has occupied considerable
attention. It also takes up the organization of
mass communication activities, with scholars here calling
attention to the impact of work practices and organizational
routines on media content. Finally,