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MASS SOCIETY THEORY

Illustrating mass society with examples by Emmanuel Kwabla Wodewole Mass society theory is believed that mass media is responsible for breakdown of social order. The elites in the society felt they were losing grip of power they wielded over the masses as a result of modernization. An example Hearst yellow journalism as a promoter of unethical practices to “pollute” the mind of the semiliterate Branlilanger (1983) says leaders in education and religion resented media’s power to attract reader’s using content they considered highly objectionable, vulgar, and even sinful. Mass Society Theory espoused several assumptions and I will illustrate 3 of them. Firstly, the theory says media has the power to subvert essential norms and values and thus undermined the social other. They felt the solution lied in bringing media under elite control. One phenomena which has gripped our by neck is politics of insults in our media today. The elites including the president were victims. A caller has the effrontery to compare his president to a Chimpanzee on radio. Nana Akufo Addo is daily branded in the media as “wee” smoker without any proof. In African setting, when neighbor is grieving over a lost, that neighbor is not mocked publicly. But a discussant on radio also had the effrontery to insult former president Rawlings as the one who set his own house ablaze. The elites are beginning to fear the levels of our people are taking the press freedom to. The elites ask: where has respect for the elderly has gone? They fear our social norms and values have been crashed by modern mass media and something has to be done. It is not therefore a surprise to hear Dr Vladimir Antiwi Danso call for return of criminal libel law to check the excesses before the country, as he puts it, plunged into war. He blamed the insanity in the media on politicians and journalist. His call fits in the domain of Mass Society Theory which advocates some measure of control of media. The second assumption of the Mass Society Theory states that media have the power to reach out directly influence the minds of average people so that their thinking is transformed. Ghanaians witnessed the power of radio during the last general election in 2008. Radio Gold and Oman F.M spewed spurious messages at different times to NDC and NPP supporters respectively; accusing the other party was in bed with Electoral Commission (EC) to rig the election. The EC headquarters was besieged and had it not been the prompt response from security forces, different stories would have been written today. This is the fear of our elites. Thirdly the theory assumes that once media transform people’s thinking, all sorts of bad long-term consequences result-not only bringing ruin to individual lives but also creating social problems on a vast scale (Marcuse, 1941). Today armed robbery is rife on our high ways. The Chronicles also reported this week that a boy in Tema in connivance with a vice principal of private JHS swindled a British philanthropist via internet. The boy post as brilliant but needy student with scanned letter signed by the vice principal. Meanwhile the boy is not a student anywhere. It is called “sakawa” but the question that arises in the wake of these crimes is, are the perpetrators of crime practicing what they watch or hear in the media or the media reports only what goes on in the society? This is a Chicken-hen debate, which one is older.

In all these, who suffers? It is the individuals and society. This is the thrust in the message of Mass Society Theory.

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Mass Society Theory

The media has also really caused a bad influence to people especially the young elites instead of using the internet as a tool of forwarding our studies and education as a whole most young elites now use the media for duping people of their money simply because there are protocols or rules and regulation guiding against it. For instance instead of using the internet for educational promotional tool people now go there to watch pornographic pictures and videos and later practice them in their homes. For instance you can see someone telling someone he’s at home meanwhile he’s in the club. The media has also change the society negatively apart from its positive side. Illustrating Mass Society Theory with examples in Ghana Originally (in the early 19th century) Mass Society Theory is an ideology concept used by elite’s bureaucracy to overcome, persuade or dominate large local communities via mass media Television, Radio and newspaper. Mass media was used to achieve cultural values of the new era (Social Institution Education) the elites saw in mass media a weapon to break down the traditional society. Online with the idea of bringing down traditional value Mass Society theory took another meaning and step in to Ghana.

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