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.