THE MASS MEDIA IN THE LIFE OF SOCIETY
проект по английскому языку (10 класс) по теме

Министерство образования РФ

Муниципальное общеобразовательное учреждение

средняя общеобразовательная школа №25

с углубленным изучением отдельных предметов

Проект

по английскому языку

на тему:

"THE MASS MEDIA IN THE LIFE OF SOCIETY"

(исследовательский)

Рыжова Наталья Владимировна

учитель английского языка

г. Орехово-Зуево

2014 г.

CONTENTS:

Introduction....................................................................................................................3

1. The history so far........................................................................................................4

2. Television in our life...................................................................................................5

3. The Press in our life…………………………………………………………………6

4. TV in Great Britain.....................................................................................................7

5. TV in the United States of America............................................................................9

6. Television is doing irreparable harm.........................................................................11

7. Internet.......................................................................................................................12

Conclusion......................................................................................................................14

Bibliography...................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION

        Modern life is hardly possible without information. Of course friends and relatives keep us informed about what is happening in the world, but such information is second-hand, and therefore is not at all reliable. It is the mass media that provide us with first hand and the quickest means of spreading news and the information. Radio plays an important role in reflecting the life of society and building opinions. It performs the service of information well enough but on TV everything is much more real. Mass media keep us informed about current events, extend the education, provide the cultural recreation, allow us to follow the latest developments in science and politics and offer an endless number of programmers which are both instructive and entertaining. So they give us a lot of useful information and are exciting.

         The study of the mass media in the life of Society seemed to be very important and significant to me. I became interested in it and started collecting the information from different books, magazines and newspapers. I also used dictionaries and encyclopedias. The media play a central role in our daily life, informing and educating, questioning and challenging - and of course - entertaining. As a result, my project is devoted to this subject.

        This topic was discussed at our English lessons. The pupils studied the history of mass media, talked about arguments for and against television. So I've made up my mind to study this topic more thoroughly.

        I decided to study and analyze what role the mass media have in our daily life. And what advantages and disadvantages it has.

        The name of my work is "The mass media in the life of Society". And the main aim is to know what the role of mass media is and analyze its advantages and disadvantages.

THE НISTORY SO FAR

        The idea of machine able to broadcast both sound and vision goes back to 1875. But it was until 1926 that a Scottish engineer turned the idea into a practical reality now, his vention dominates the modern media. This is its story.

        John Logie Baird produced the first television pictures just eight years after the First World War. They were in black and white and were not very clear, but he had proved that the principle worked. Early sets made in the years Baird’s break-through cost as much as a small car and not many were sold. Soon, though, his original system was improved and in 1936 Britain’s first regular TV programm went on the air. “Here’s looking at you” was broadcast by the BBC from north London’s Alexander Palace studios twice a day for a weekly budget of one thousand pounds. But Great Britain wasn’t the only country producing programmes. Other European nations, including Germany, were also involved in the early days of television. As, of course, was America and its there that the real TV revolution began after World War Two.

        Us television boomed in the late 40s. Commercial stations began to open in almost every city, and national networks made programmes which were seen from coast to coast. One of the American networks CBS even developed a color service as early as 1951 Two years later, TV took another important step when it covered its first major international event the coronation of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. It was the first time that a worldwide audience of millions had seen history take place in their own homes.

        By the end of the decade, TV culture was rapidly becoming a fact of life on both sides of the Atlantic. Even so it was still a very young medium lots of people didn’t have sets and many experts thought it wouldn’t last. That all changed in the 60s and 70s, though, as television started to satisfy the public’s desire, not just for entertainment, but also for rapid, accurate information. As more and more sets were sold, the importance of TV news quickly grew. After all what other medium could show you live as TV did in 1969 Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon?

        Since 1980 there have been four more major developments.

The first is video, which has given viewers the power to control what they watch and when they watch it. These days, fifty per cent of homes have a VCR (video-cassette recorder) and millions more are being sold every year.

The second is satellite TV. Thanks to DBS (direct broadcast satellites), dozen of new channels are now available to anyone who buys a recording “dish” many of these new channels specialize in one kind of program e.g. news, sport, cartoons, music, movies.

The third development is cable a system of Hi-Tech wires, which provides even more channels… at a price. But not only that. Cable also makes it possible for you to communicate through your TV, not just the other way around. More about that in a moment.

Fourthly, there’s HDTV (high definition television), which now offers a much clearer and more realistic picture than was possible even a few years ago.

        So… more channels, more choice, more clarity. What is there left for TV to achieve in the future? The answers to that is two-way communication. Modern technology means that 21 century televisions will be linked to computer data-banks, this way, viewers will be able to ask questions 9via remote control) about what they’re watching and the answers will appear on their screens. This idea is called “Hyper-Media” and it’s still at an early stage. But then, as we’ve just seen, TV has come a very long way in a very short time. The Hyper-Media revolution could happen sooner than many people think.

TELEVISION IN OUR LIFE

        Everyone knows that we get a great amount of information by mass media, especially TV. TV now plays an important part in many people’s life. It is an immensely powerful medium, as it uses the most important from of communication, the visual image, it is essential for us to try to decide whether it is a blessing or a curse. It demands complete and silent attention. It is death to conversation and normal two-way contact between individuals. It makes passive non-participating spectators of us all. We begin to forget how to occupy our spare time. Now all our free time is given to television. Obviously TV has both advantages and disadvantages. But to the former outweigh the latter. Really if there is a TV set in your home all you’ve got to do is to turn a knob, or to turn over to another channel or to turn the sound up and down, and you see plays, films, operas and shows of every kind, not to mention political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. TV, it is often said, keeps one informed about current events, allows one to follow the latest developments in science and politics and offers an endless series of programmes, which are both instructive and stimulating. The most distant countries and the strangest customs are brought right into our sitting room. You can hardly find a corner where one cannot receive radio or TV broadcasts. Hundreds of stations speaking in every language of the world fill the air. Radio and TV-n are undoubtedly, the quickest means of spreading news and information. What a great amount of information we get! We watch TV to be well informed. It gives wonderful possibilities for education.

There is considerable variety of programmers and we can select what we want to see: a film or a play, sport programmes, the latest news and so on. We find it pleasant to sit in our armchairs and glue to our sets and little by little people get accustomed to this mode of life and are cut off from the real world.

THE PRESS IN OUR LIFE

        Modern life is hardly possible without information. Of course friends and relatives keep us informed about what is happening in the world, but such information is second-hand, and therefore is not at all reliable. It is the mass media that provide us with first hand and reliable information.

     The mass media plays an important role in our life. Millions of copies of newspapers are printed in our country every day. The role of the press can hardly be overestimated, particularly at present. It keeps you informed in the latest news, different events, home and foreign affairs, news of culture, science and engineering development. But publishing news is not the only purpose of the press. There are many other purposes, which can be achieved by the press. It enriches our knowledge and broadens our outlook. The press shapes public opinion, influences governmental policy, gives citizens a view of our country and foreign countries as well. It performs a few functions: informative, entertaining, commercial and is addressed to people of different political views and different stations in life. What is printed and what is not, largely depends on the publishers’ concert of news. There is a well-known joke circulating among the publishers, which exactly defines their idea of news: “If a dog bites a man, that’s not news, but if a man bites a dog that is news”. In other words, news must be something unusual, unexpected, and sensational. But with many papers and magazines there exits a funny tradition to mystify their regular readers with sensational and incredible stories, published on their pages.

TV IN GREAT BRITAIN

The media play a central role in Britain’s daily life, informing and educating, questioning and challenging – and of course – entertaining. In recent years the availability of more radio frequencies, together with satellite, cable and microwave transmissions, has already made a greater number of local, national and international services possible. The transition from analogue to digital transmission technology is now expanding this capacity enormously. The Internet is providing, increasingly, an additional medium for information, entertainment and communication.

Television and Radio

Broadcasting in Britain has traditionally been based on the principle that it is a public service accountable to people. While retaining the essential public service element, it now also embraces the principles of competition and choice:

1. the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), which broadcasts television and radio programmes;

1. the ITC (Independent Television Commission), which licenses and regulates commercial television services, including cable and satellite services.

1. the Radio Authority, which licenses and regulates commercial radio services, including cable and satellite.

The three bodies work to broad requirements and objectives defined and endorsed by Parliament, but are otherwise independent in their daily conduct of business.  

Television viewing is by far Britain’s most popular leisure pastime: over 97 per cent of households have at least one TV set. British television productions are sold world – wide.

BBC

The BBC provides two complementary national terrestrial television networks: BBC 1 and BBC 2, which transmit 24 hours a day. It also provides a range of digital channels, including BBC News 24 and BBC Choice. BBC Network Radio serves an audience of 29 each week, transmitting 24 hours a day on its five national networks. BBC has 39 local radio stations serving England and the Channel Islands, and regional and community radio services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 42 other languages worlds – wide. It has a global weekly audience of at least 140 million listeners. BBC Worldwide Television is responsible for the BBC’s commercial television activity. It is one of Europe’s largest exporters of television programmes. It also runs an advertiser – funded, 24 – hour international news and information channel; and an entertainment and drama channel broadcast to subscribers in continental Europe and Africa.

The BBC’s domestic services are financed predominantly from the sale of annual television licenses; there are no paid advertisements. BBC World Service radio is funded by a government grant, while BBC Worldwide Television is self – financing.

Independent Television

      The ITC licenses and regulates three commercial television services – Channel 3 and Channel 4 (in Wales the corresponding service is S4C), which complement each other, and Channel 5 – all financed by advertising and sponsorship. Channel 3 programmes are supplied by 15 regionally based licensees and an additional licensee providing a national breakfast – time service. Licenses for Channel 3 and 5 are awarded for a ten – year period by competitive tender to the highest bidder who has passed a quality threshold.

Independent Radio

          Independent radio programme companies operate under license to the Radio Authority and are financed mainly by advertising revenue. There are three independent national services: Classic FM, broadcasting mainly classical music; Virgin 1215, playing broad – based rock music; and Talk Radio UK, speech – based service. About 200 independent local radio services are also in operation. Stations supply local news and information, sport, music and other entertainment, education and consumer advice.

Teletext, Cable and Satellite Services

        The BBC and independent television both operate a Teletext service, under which information is displayed as “pages” of text and graphics on receivers equipped with the necessary decoders.

         Cable services are delivered through underground cables and are paid for subscription. Cable franchises have been granted covering areas comprising 83 per cent of all homes and nearly all urban areas in Britain. In mid – 1999 there were about 12.1 million homes able to receive such services, and 3 million subscribing homes. Digital technology is being introduced which will support up to 500 television channels. Cable also has the capacity for computer – based interactive services, such as home shopping and email.

         Many British – based satellite television channels have been set up to supply programmes to cable operators and viewers with satellite dishes. Some offer general entertainment, while others concentrate on specific areas of interest, such as sport, music, children’s programmes and feature films. The largest satellite programmer is BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) which, with around 7 million subscribers, dominates paid – for television in Britain. It launched its digital satellite service in 1998, carrying more than 140 channels.

        Satellite television and cable services are funded mainly by subscription income.

TV IN THE USA

The problem of describing television is simply this: there is so much of it, so many different types, and so much variety.

For the most part, the American broadcasting system has always been a commercial system. It is supported by money from business that pay to advertise goods or services to the audience. Most commercial TV stations are affiliated with one of the three major networks, ABC ( American broadcasting company), CBS (Columbia broadcasting service), and NBC (National broadcasting company). These networks are not television stations or channels or programmes: they are not licensed to broadcast. Rather, they sell programs and news to individual television stations which choose those they want to broadcast. These affiliated stations, of course, also create some of their own state and local news programmes, purchase films from other sources, and so on. Because networks are commercial systems dependent on advertising, they compete with each other for viewers and are intent on choosing programmes that will win high audience ratings. Programmes that aim at mass entertainment are preferred over educational and news programmes.

The largest television network is not CBS, NBC, or ABC. Nor is it one of the cable networks such as CNN (cable news network), which carries only news and news stories. The largest network is PBS 9 public broadcasting service) with its over 280 nonprofit, non commercial stations which are educational in nature and allowing no commercials and advertising. These TV stations are supported by individual donations, grants from foundations and private organizations, and funds city, state, and federal sources. There are similar 5 types of stations, but no one station is exactly the same as another. Their level of quality, whether in national and international news, entertainment or education, is excellent. TV viewers in many parts of the world are familiar with "Sesame Street", "Holocaust", "Roots", "Dallars", or "Dynasty", which enjoy a great popularity everywhere.

All of the networks have nationwide news programmes. All have regularly scheduled news series. Among the most popular are CBS's sixty minutes and PBS's the macneil/lehrer news hour. The world's most durable TV show is NBC's meet the press. In this show, important political figures and leaders are interviewed by journalists.

As the aim of television is to attract as many viewers as possible, there is no escape from the dictates of popular tastes. The result is rather monotonous, with many variety shows, TV programmes. But it is not only the triviality that brings complaints. There is no formal censorship, and the portrayal of crime and violence for entertainment and thrills goes on without restriction. Danger and excitement attract big audiences, and night after night gangsters go through their routines of fighting, shooting, menacing, deceiving and robbing. The wrong-doers may be caught in the end, but they are shown as having qualities worthy of imitation, and their crimes bring them luxurious homes, swimming-pools, cars and boats. As the effects of television violence on children and adults can be very strong, and a link between the amounts of violence in society is possible, many people's protest has led to the introduction of "Family viewing time" from seven to nine o'clock in the evening. During these hours, programs containing violence and sexual suggestiveness are kept to a minimum.

The Press

National newspapers have an average total circulation of over 13 million on weekdays and about 14 million on Sundays, although the total readership is considerably greater. There are 10 national morning daily papers and 10 national Sundays – five “qualities”, two “mid – market” and three “popular”. There are about 1,350 regional and local newspapers, and over 7,000 periodical publications.

There is no state control or censorship of the newspaper and periodical press, which caters for a range of political views, interests and level of education. Where they express pronounced views and show obvious political leanings in their editorial comments, these may derive from proprietorial and other non – party influences.

A non – statutory Press Complaints Commission deals with complaints by members of the public about the content and conduct of newspapers and magazines, and advises editors and journalists. In 1995, the Government rejected proposals for statutory regulation of the press and for legislation to give protection to privacy. Instead, it endorsed self – regulation under the Commission and recommended tougher measures to make self – regulation more effective.

Working practices throughout the newspaper industry have become more efficient with the widespread used of advanced computer – based technology. Publishers have been able to reduce production costs by using computer systems for editing and production processes.    

TELEVISION IS DOING IRREPABLE HARM

       "Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free times is regulated by the "Goggle box'. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that program. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sand with and a glass of beer will do anything providing it doesn't interfere with the program. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programm, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn't matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence so long as they are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That's why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions with obtain in pre-literate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy; we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of king tally.

INTERNET

The Internet is a set of computers connected with each other by channels of communication, plus a set of standard rules, on which they exchange by the information.                                                                             The invention and the perfection of modems - special devices allowing the computer to send the information on the phone, - has opened doors in the Internet to huge quantity (amount) of the people, at which is not present. Any special network equipment, and there is only personal computer and telephone socket nearby.

Both Internet and the modems for personal computers exist already rather long. However only at all for a long time - about 1990 - the Internet has typed (collected), at last critical weight of the users and resources necessary for network revolution, occurring on our eyes. The high-speed modems allowing the usual users of personal computers without restrictions to enjoy by all boons of the Internet have appeared even later. And the system World Wide Web (WWW, or "«World wide web"), invented in 1993 and former firstly only by one of many components of a network, has borrowed (occupied) a leading position and began to define (determine) the person of the Internet literally in last years - two. By and large, the worlds Internet boom now in the heat - and very much was lucky (carried) to you, that you were not late almost to the beginning of performance.

The Internet is first of all huge set of computers and programmes. Among last you will find not only such, which are able well to decide (solve) your concrete tasks, but also is greater such, whose abilities it will be firstly complex (firstly difficult) even to present to you, probably. The Internet connection gives you a unique opportunity, what imperfect was your computer to have a look per the twenty first century and independently to accustom with such concepts, as « world cyber – social », « virtual money », « information environment (Wednesday) habitation». Item, - word, with all of subjects, about what so love to write now journalists.

However it only part of the answer on a question « that such the Internet ». The Internet today is not only huge quantity (amount) of computers, but also the improbable quantity (amount) of the people, for which network is an essentially new way of dialogue almost not having of analogues in the material world. The man - essence social, and dialogue with itself similar - one of his (its) first needs (requirements). Perhaps, till now still any technical invention (short of the telephone) does not make such revolution in this ancient as the world employment (occupation) - dialogue of the man with the man.

Certainly, what exactly will interest you in the Internet first of all - people or computers, - depends only on you. The ancient metaphor of the book as models of world, perhaps, deserves reconsideration - now on a role of such model computer approaches much better. When the speech goes about millions computers and their users all over the world, connected in a uniform network, the metaphor this already ceases be simply metaphor. That is why by exaggeration will not tell, that, leave in the Internet, you do (make) for yourselves accessible the whole world.

CONCLUSION

        The result of my research work became the study of the history of the development of media and the changes it had during all periods. I compared a massive information UK, America and our country; reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of television and its impact on our health. Those were the problems which I planned in my research work.

        While doing it I found out a lot of interesting facts and details on this subject. In conclusion I’d like to sum up the whole information.

        It’s impossible to imagine our life without mass media. They are newspapers, radio, television, the Internet and magazines witch widely used in today’s world. Mass media keep us informed about current events, extend the education, provide the cultural recreation, allow us to follow the latest developments in science and politics and offer an endless number of programmers which are both instructive and entertaining. So they give us a lot of useful information and are exciting.

        Newspapers are especially important nowadays and we can’t imagine our life without them. There are dozens of them on every news-stand. There are newspapers for professionals, for businessmen, for children and teenagers, for men and women, for sports fans, for those who are interested in gardening, fishing, and hunting, for those who keep pets and so on. Some newspapers publish serious articles on politics, economy and finance, some aim to entertain their readers. Many newspapers express certain political opinion and people choose them according to their own political beliefs. In short, you can always find a paper which suits your interests. The advantage of all the newspapers is that they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. But it is bad that very often newspapers are full of dramatic events about natural disasters, plane crashes, murders and robberies. Having read such articles, you feel depressed and it seems that the world is being ruined. One more disadvantage is that newspapers are full of gossip about different celebrities and their private lives. There are also a lot of photos of them in their most intimate moments. I think it shouldn’t be allowed; besides half of this information is unreliable.

        The main source of news for millions of people is television. Which its help we can see everything with our own eyes. It is the window on the world which gives us an opportunity to “travel” all over the world. TV gives us thought, introduces us to new ideas and activities. It has the power to educate and broaden our minds. It helps us to relax after a hard day’s work and to escape from reality. There is always a great variety of programmes on TV: news and sport programmes, talk shows and TV games, documentaries and feature films, concerts and theatre performances. But nowadays there is a lot of violence on TV. It dulls our sensitivity and when we learn about one tragedy or catastrophe, we perceive it as something quite natural, just like an everyday affair. Some people become TV addicts and they won’t give up TV for anything in the world. Nowadays some children are so addicted to TV that they are not interested in anything else: they don’t read books, communicate with adults and other children, they move less, speak less and they even think less. Though there are a lot of excellent educational programmes for children and programmes designed for schools. They help children to extend their knowledge and to develop their imagination.

        Many people prefer the radio. It is good to listen to it in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

        The Internet has recently become another important source of information. It is regarded as the latest addiction to trap thousands of people which has been blamed for broken relationships, job losses, financial ruin and even suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as a new illness that could cause serious problems and ruin many lives. Many users spend up to 40 hours a week on the Internet. Some of the addicts are teenagers who are already hooked on computer games.

Nowadays broadcasting companies have become symbols of their countries.

Over 99 per cent of British homes have a TV and the average British watches the “box” 26 hours a week. BBC (or the British Broadcasting Corporation) is a state company. Its two channels BBC1 and BBC2 do not show adverts. BBC1 broadcasts popular programmes (the news, sports programmes, shows, children’s programmes and soaps). BBC2 shows TV plays, classical concerts, foreign films.

Americans also love watching TV. American CNN (or Cable News Network) broadcasts only news but is popular all over the world. CBC (or Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) can be seen or heard almost anywhere in the country. The company broadcasts in English and in French. It broadcasts the news, shows, films and other popular programmes.

At the moment there are two state channels on Russian TV: ORT and RTR. They broadcast different programmes (the news and shows, soap and children’s programmes, recent and foreign films, sports programmes). They can be seen anywhere in the country. There are several other channels on Russian TV. One of them is Kultura. It shows special programmes: cultural news, Russian and foreign classical films, the best performances, classical concerts, talk shows on culture and education. This channel is getting more and more popular.

Looking through the whole information I have come to the conclusion that the volume of information in the modern world is tremendous, that is why we should decide for our selves what is really necessary and what some day may appear to be useless.

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