Free # 5 Production, Consumption and Reception

It is important to question what is knowledgeable as well as what is communicable in our everyday lives. The field of media and communication allows students to analyze the different ways our society relays information. In order to do this, it is essential to become educated on the study of media. Media studies is used by scholars to analyze the content, meaning, and history of the various ways to communicate information. Many theorists would agree that the ways in which media has changed has broken the traditional boundaries between the producer and the consumer.

Our society is filled with consumers that are easily influenced by the media. Social power or the power behind the media refers to the elite (wealthy) which essentially take power (money) away from the working class. This concept is related to critical media theory. The critical media theory looks at the impact of corporate ownership of media production and distribution. Essentially, it explains the effects that media has on the lower and upper class. The “Circuit of Culture,” involves the text, production and reception of a product. The text is the actual meaning that is conveyed in the book, magazine, or newspaper. It deals with what the actual message conveys. Just to clarify, this is the opposite of Marshall McLuhan’s concept, “The Medium is the Message.” The production is where, how, and why something is made. Production looks at who is involved, and how it is produced and distributed. Lastly, the reception which always depends on the actual text is how the audience or consumer responds.