THEORY OF MEDIA AND PEOPLE IN MASS COMMUNICATION

THEORY OF MEDIA AND PEOPLE IN MASS COMMUNICATION
By: Fajar Junaedi S.Sos, M.Si

Nothing in the theory that the media has presented a thorny dilemmas and debates in the study besides the study of mass communication media audiences or audiences (audience). The makers of media theory at points far from each other about a consensus on how to mengkonseptualkan audiences and influence audiences. There are two views that are vis a vis the deal about the nature of the audience has involved two related dialectics.

First is the existence of a conflict between two ideas which states that the audience is the mass public and on the other hand, the idea that audiences are small communities. Second is the contradiction between the idea that states are passive audiences and ideas that believes that audiences are active. The debate over later seen with a clear color theories below.

Massa Vs Community Community
Controversy over public versus mass involving the diverse communities that are not the same perspective in mass communication studies about the existence of an audience. Some people have the perspective that the audience as a mass that can not be distinguished, and some others see it as one small group or community that is not uniform. In this perspective glasses, the audience is understood as a population in large amounts which could then be united by means of mass media. In the second perspective, as a member of the audience understood that discriminate against members of small groups that are affected most from the party.

The theory of mass society is a concept that is very complex in nature. Mass society theory provides a description of the mass kehidapan where community life and ethnic identity has been replaced by a relation that contains characters depersonalization entire community.

Proponents of the theory of mass society to give reasons about the theory that they built. The reason given is that the rapid growth that occurred in communications has increased human contact, which in turn has made people experience a greater interdependence than in the past. But apparently this interdependence and result in an imbalance that affects all of society.

This imbalance in the form of mutual dependence that simultaneously makes people increasingly alienated from one another. What happens is a disconnect community and family relations, as well as questioning old values.

As a concrete example is how the Bedouin community in the interior of West Java which is still firmly maintain their traditions, rejecting the presence of mass media. Their social relations are still heavily influenced by the tradition that jointed old values. Very different conditions we will encounter in the Sundanese people who have been in the city of Bandung which has received much media exposure. Their social relations, especially with family and neighbors, it must be more stringent than the Bedouin community. It may be that they will not know the neighbors who are in the house. This condition can easily be encountered in a variety of luxury housing are mutually alienated from one another.

While the community approach to media content in the community interpreted based on the meanings that social work in groups, and individuals are influenced more by their peers than by the media. According to Gerard Shoening and James Anderson, the idea of ​​community in the study of mass communication view the content of the media as something that the media-interpretive, where meaning is born of the messages generated in interactive media in a group of people who use media in the same way (Shoening and Anderson in Littlejohn, 1996: 332-333).

Active versus Passive Audience Audience
In view of the passive audience of mass communication theory is influenced by the flow directly from the media, while the audience views the active state that the public has an active decision about how to use the media. All this happens in mass communication studies, mass society theory more have a tendency to use the concept of passive audience theory, although not all theories can be categorized as a passive audience theory of mass society. Likewise, most of the theory of community that developed in the study of mass communication were more likely to adhere to an active audience.

Discourse on the various theories relate to the growing influence of the media afterward. The theory of "powerful influence" as the theory of the bullet (bullet theory) that caused the media are more likely to be based on a passive audience, whereas the theory of "minimal effects" such as the uses and gratification theory is based more on active audiences.

In a study conducted by Frank Biocca, in the article titled "Opposing Conceptions of the Audience: The Active and Passive hemispheres of Communication Theory" (1998), who later acknowledged to be the most comprehensive public debate about active versus passive audiences, found some typology from the active audience.

First is the selectivity (selectivity). Active audience is considered selective in the process of media consumption that they choose to use. They see themselves not perfunctory in consuming media, but based on reason and a purpose. For example, more business-oriented magazine Self-consuming and Bisnis Indonesia newspaper to know the development of the business world, sports fans consume Tabloid Bola to know the results of various sporting events and so forth.

The second characteristic is the utilitarianism (Utilitarianism) where the active audience is said to consume media in the framework of an interest to meet the specific needs and goals they have.

The third characteristic is intentionality (intentionality), which implies a deliberate use of media content. The fourth characteristic is the participation (involvement), or business. That audience is actively thinking about their reasons for consuming media.

A fifth, believed to be a community of active audiences who stand in the face of media influence (impervious to influence), or are not easily persuaded by the media itself (Littlejohn, 1996: 333).

Audiences are more educated (educated people) tend to be part of an active audience, because they are more able to choose the media they consume according to their needs than the audiences who are not educated.

We can see the typology audience is passive and active audience than print media consumption society all around us. Criminal print media, such as Pos Kota dan Lampu Merah di Jakarta, Meteor di Jawa Tengah, Koran Merapi di Yogyakarta dan Memorandum di Jawa Timur very popular among the lower middle. Various daily can easily be found in the location-location then be spread all over the newspapers at the curb with consumers who dominated the middle to lower. They consume media on the selectivity of menimal and objectives that are not so clear. In contrast to the upper middle class are better educated who consume mass media with specific objectives to be selective. For example, those active in economic activities will certainly prefer Bisnis Indonesia than choosing other media. The reason they chose this medium because of the daily course of this peel more economic and business issues that are directly related to their daily lives.

But the vast majority of mass communication scholars today are more convinced that the mass of the community and active-passive dichotomy is a concept that is too simple or deterministic, because the concepts above are not able to examine the actual complexity of the audience. Could be at a certain moment the audience into an active audience, but at other times they become a passive audience, so the question then shifted more about when and under what circumstances the public becomes more easily influenced.