thesisprojectsng

Introduction This training note is designed to help students clearly understand the functions, systems, coverage and dysfunctions of the mass media, using relatable scenarios drawn from everyday Nigerian experiences. The aim is to move beyond memorisation and help students see how mass media actively shape society in practical and sometimes problematic ways. Functions of the Mass Media The mass media perform essential functions that societies have always needed. According to Harold Lasswell, the media extend social functions that existed long before modern technology. Whether the effects are positive or negative, the media operate within the social system and influence how people see the world, respond to events and relate to one another. Surveillance of the environment. One of the most fundamental functions of the mass media is surveillance of the environment. Through news reports, documentaries and special bulletins, the media monitor events and conditions in society and report them ...

Introduction   This training note is designed to help PGD students clearly understand how modern mass media evolved from earlier systems of public communication. Rather than appearing suddenly, modern media developed gradually from informal and formal methods of information transfer embedded in traditional societies. By tracing this evolution, students can better appreciate mass media as a social institution shaped by culture, necessity and power relations. The antecedents of modern mass media refer to the traditional forms of communication that existed before the emergence of newspapers, radio, television and the internet. These traditional media laid the foundation for organised mass communication by establishing patterns of information sharing, audience gathering, message authority and social influence. Broadly, these antecedents are divided into informal transference media and formal transference media. Informal Transference Media Informal transference media represent the earli...