MORE THAN A PIC.....

One photo speak thousand words. While seeing this picture in surface, it is just a picture of an old woman crying. But in fact when we observe and analyze it deeply we can understand her emotions. So more than the text, the picture itself drag my attention toward it. This picture reflects the detachment of a mother with her dear son who was killed in the Maoist attack in 2062 B.S. in Dadhikot, Bhaktapur and who has been her support in her old age. It depicts not only the sorrow, pain and grief of sub-inspector Hari Wagle Sharma's mother but also the thousands and thousands mother who has lost their children in Maoist attack. The moment during the funeral of own son for a mother is always breathe taking. So we can imagine ourselves that how painful that moment was for his mother. All the dream and hope of that old mother has passed away and shattered into pieces with last breathe of her son. The crying and painful face of his mother clearly ask the question that who will be her support till her death. Every single drop of tear that roll down from his mother eyes bring tear to my eyes itself. So I feel this particular photo is touching.

ASSIGNMENT

Q. Discuss the significance of research in the field of mass media research with special reference to characteristic and objectives of research.

Research is a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem that needs a solution. It has its significance in the field of mass media research. Mass media is an essential part of everyday life. It plays an important role in disseminating information. Thus it is crucial for democracy. Our world has now become a global village and this would not have been a possibility without mass media. Mass media research is like any other research only it is done in the context of mass media. Mass media is helpful in understanding the process and effects of mass communication and to learn how mass communication influence individuals and society. So research has a vital role in the field of mass media research in order to know the impact of mass media over the society.

Mass media research falls under the mass communication research of communication research which is studied under social science research. Mass media research adopts scientific method. It is systematic, objective and empirical. It is cumulative, replicable, logical and purposive. Thus it is reliable source to gather data regarding mass media and its developments. Mass media research does a scientific study of mass communication media and how people interpret it as individual and as a member of society and the research helps in this by searching the differences of people to disseminate different forms of content.

Research helps in mass media research to answer some crucial questions like how to increase readership of newspaper, what do the audience prefer, when is the best time to broadcast a certain program, what sort of meaning are the audience making from the media messages and so on. This helps the media operators make better decisions. Big money is involved in the media industry so research is required to study the audience and the current trend In order to ensure the investments made. Moreover the media contents have to profound impact on the audience. Thus those research give us an idea on what to keep and what not on TV, newspaper etc.

Research is used in media every day in the form of opinion polls, audience surveys, growth projections or status reports and so on. It is used for advertisement, public relations, content productions and evaluation.

Mass media research on what type of content the audience want and what type of content is necessary for the audience is required for better production of programs. Mass media research with audience survey and opinion polls is helpful in understanding the consumption pattern of the audience; content analysis is useful for evaluation and assessment. The research helps in mass media helps us better understand the problem within the society. It is done for better contents, to attract more audience, to better represent the society and to avoid bias.

The main objectives of research are:

1. Generate new knowledge i.e. uncovering facts or phenomenon or establishing new relationship of various variables.

2. Improving understanding i.e. helping to explain situation or shed light on misunderstood phenomenon or concepts.

3. Application testing, i.e. trying out concepts and approaches in the real world to see If they work.

4. Comparing best practices, i.e. gathering information about successful of subjects in different circumstances and looking for explanation of their successes.

5. Helping with decision making i.e. generating information, concepts, framework and approaches that help executives or planners make better and more effective decisions.

These objectives of research also assist in mass media research in order to learn about the audience, the content to be broadcasted, published and other planning as well.

ASSIGNMENT

Q. Why is science considered more trustworthy method of knowing than tenacity, authority and intuition?

We know things in a number of different ways. As a result of our curious mind we are always in search of answers to unanswered questions. There are various methods of knowing. Among them the four widely accepted ways of knowing are:

a. Tenacity: In tenacity, people believe something is true because it has always been true and is commonly known to be true. People have faith just because of their tradition. Tenacity is unacceptable because it doesn’t permit any questioning. It is not verifiable.

b. Authority: Incase of authority, if a well-respected or authoritative source says that something is so and then it must be so. Authority is a subjective choice. Because of the subjectivity attached with authority we cannot be sure whether it is true.

c. Intuition: Intuition also known as prior method is based on the notion that people reach the truth because their natural inclination will be to do so. It agrees with reason and not necessarily with experience or rather experiments.

d. Science: No single path to discovery exists in science and no one clear out description can be given that accounts for all the ways in which scientific truth is pursued. Scientific method is objective and also its accepting is tested.

Besides, science all the other three methods of knowing are based only on observation which may be inaccurate. There is no touchstone against which its accuracy can be checked. However, science is the systematic study of anything that can be examined, tested and verified. Science develops through objective analysis, instead of through personal belief. Science seeks the systematic organization of information about the world and in doing so, discovers new relationships among natural phenomenon. It endeavors to explain why phenomena occur and how they are related.

The term ‘science’ is almost synonyms to ‘valid knowledge’. It is considered as the most trustworthy among the 4 ways of knowing due to the following characteristics:

a. Verifiable: The knowledge derived from science can be verified. Only when the work is verified and replicated through experiments will it be accepted as a scientific truth.

b. Objective: Science observes the things as they are without setting particular worldview affect the result or observation. The result of an experiment does not depend on the person conducting it.

c. Empirical: Empiricism is the central concept of science since science is the study of things that can be tested by sense and something which can convince. There should be certain proof which testifies the accuracy of knowledge.

d. Systematic: Science is defined as a systematic study. There are various steps for conducting a scientific study. Although the procedures to be adopted in a scientific investigation may differ according to the nature of investigation, type of phenomenon under investigation and the investigator himself or herself basic steps are the same.

e. Cumulative: Scientific studies are continuous. There is no end to it. Knowledge gained from previous studies are accumulated which helps in conducting new studies. Scientific study does not include only limited knowledge of self but of others and past result. Thus, scientific knowledge helps growing in a refined way.

f. Logical: Science does not mean merely following one’s belief and views. It is a system of reasoning. Inductive and deductive reasoning are used in scientific method.

Due to its characteristic, science is less to prone to errors. That is why people believe in science. Also, it is a state of objective human mind and follows a systematic procedure. In science, beliefs do not influence the truth. Scientific studies are conducted in such a manner that one’s thoughts and views have no effect over the result. The conclusion of the study shall be the same regardless of the researcher. The knowledge gained from experiment is not accepted as true until it is tested and opens to public inspection. In scientific method, there is no place for personal belief, perceptions, biases, values and emotions. It is a systematic study which involves a series of objective analysis. The truth is found only at the end which is purely objective. Hence, science is the most trustworthy among the four ways of knowing.

You Bliss Me!!!

Thinking of you

makes me happy...

Missing you

bring smile on my face...

Remembering of you

makes me fresh...

Talking about you

makes me believe on myself and my love...

Listening you

i can hear my heartbeat inside you...

Feeling you

brings a heavenly moment...

If you are really here with me

in front me

i will be complete.

Guzarish...

After a long time today I watched a Hindi movie. Ahh.... what a movie!!!! It touched my eyes, it touched my heart, it touched a lot moreover it touched my soul. From the beginning till the end I could not stop my tears. For the moment I thought I really went to a magic world full of love, romance where suffering are handled magically even though pain, suffering, fighting are playing as a throne. As there is a saying 'A rose always is beautiful even though it has a throne.' In the same way life is beautiful even though it has a misery. There is one line in the movie' zindagi bahut choti hay..... dil se jiyo....' and yes I believe life is too short to do anything so we should live our life from the bottom of our heart and live happily. After watching this movie yes I have also a Guzarish.... a Guzarish to watch this movie AGAIN...