The Explorer Islamabad: Journal of Social Sciences ISSN: 2411-0132(E), 2411-5487(P) Vol-1, Issue (11):409-412 www.theexplorerpak.org
MASS MEDIA INFLUENCE IN OUR SOCIETY: AN EVALUATION AT JHELUM CITY Farhan Riaz1, Shazia Mehmood1, Zakir Hussain1, Muhammad Shahzad1, Hassan Abbas2 1 Department of Sociology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, 2Department of Sociology, Bahuddin Zakria University, Multan Corresponding Author: Farhan Riaz Bhutta PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi farhanriaz8@gmail.com Abstract: In the world of today, media has turn out to be as necessary as foodstuff and clothing. It has played significant role in amplification of the society. Media is considered as "mirror" of the contemporary society, in fact, it is the media which shapes our lives. In present study, the significant focus was to judge the most effective type of mass media in our daily routine lives. The study was qualitative and quantitative in Nature. It was conducted at Abbas Pura Jhehlum city. A sample of two hundred people was collected through simple random sampling technique. Then data was analyzed through spss (version 14.0). According to findings, it was found that electronic media had great influence in their daily routine life. The findings of the study may benefit the T.V administrations to reschedule their transmission according to viewer’s desire.
Key Words: Effective Media, influence, social Problems INTRODUCTION Mass media extremely influence the views and consciousness of the population about political, economic and social life within the society. So before long we can say that mass media and awareness are highly integrated with each other and it is a well-built agent of socialization of individuals and groups like family and educational institute. Today’s mass media radio, television, and the press consist of an important element of contemporary man’s environment (Wells 1972). Modern mass media is very contemporary phenomenon and are changing fast. Today’s youth is fully attuned to television, while their parents grew up with radio, and their grandparents may still marvel at the novelty of the broadcast voice. This media revolution is taking place in a simple generation, and the entire globe may be on the threshold of new media breakthrough in the age of satellites and advanced electronics. For this reason the role of the media and their impact on society must be constantly updated. Television as a major source of information about the world outside their own homes and neighborhood. It taught them human personality types. Sex and occupational roles, and about ethnic groups and social classes other than their own. Children had little direct contact with the occupational world, so they derived their
knowledge about many occupations from the mass media (Nobel 1980). Reported that more people use television that any of the other media and its viewers includes all social groups and classes. It is the most nearly universal medium (Williams 1985). Mass media was most important in attracting awareness and interest. Friends and neighbors were first in importance in the evaluation trial and adoption stages. Rate of adoption was defined as the relative speed in which an innovation is measured by the length of time required for certain percentage of members of a system to adopt an innovation (Supe 1987). The consequences of the roles the media play in our lives. The media often tells us what should and what should not be important to us socially, culturally, educationally, politically and economically. The major events in the world about which most of us have strong beliefs and attitudes, undoubtedly have been brought to our awareness, interpreted, and assigned value through media and not through personal experience (Alexander 1990). the phenomenal growth in mass media channels have lead to an expansion of the roles it could play in various areas apart from performing the function of providing information, public opinion and social attitudes, entertainment and brining about greater social integration. In contemporary times, the media plays an important role in providing information through news reports and analysis,
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which is beneficial in assessing political performance. The mass media have are now regarded as intervening influences in creating political awareness and assessment of political performance. The mass media have different effects on rural and urban population depending upon their literacy rates, exposure to media, level of political awareness and interest in politics. Mass media is a culture force, which not only reflects the social reality, but also modifies it according to the demand of the age. The contents of the media serve as a model and source for identification and gratification of certain psychological needs. The part of the media popular in any specific segmentation of the society conveys that it is providing some psychological gratification for the specific group (Seema 1992). The status of media as the major social vehicle for transformation and translation customs, tradition and norms, the role of electronics media and print media becomes extremely crucial in social decision making. But the media including newspapers as such cannot be solely blamed for not fulfilling its role in creating social awareness regarding a gender issue like dowry it remains one of its supreme obligations in analysis of report revealed some interesting facts about the issues covered in the Pakistani press. A sample of six Pakistani print publications showed that only 2.12% of the total space was dedicated towards social problems like environment, health and population (Shehzad 2003). Social needs are defined in various ways by different scholars. To some extent, a social need is a need which one conceives in his own environment: this may not be universalized to the other groups of the society. For example, employment, good food, health facilities, justice, security etc are social needs, which became social problems when remain unmet. Mass media communication is more important in changing cognition. The role of mass media may be mainly to achieve a climate for modernization rather than to provide specific details needed for adoption of innovation. Audience for the electronic mass media is larger than for the print media (Rogers 1969). Mass media are those communication media by which information, ideas, opinions and knowledge are transmitted to large number of people in the population at the same time and which have been introduced since the development of mechanism and electronic technologies (Selfe 1993).
MATERIALS AND METHODS Research is the organized way to explore the real facts that contribute in any sort of problem pertaining in any society. This research was done to dig up the role of electronic media which is creating and making people aware of their problems in their society. The aim was to over view the most effective type of mass media and its role in this regard. Different tools and techniques were used in the collection of data. The study was conducted in the locale of Abbas pura, the city area of Jhehlum city. A sample of 200 people was gathered through a sampling procedure normally known as simple random sample. Bothe the gender was taken as Sample and all were belonging to different spheres of life. Different sort of literature was review and in the spot light of that literature, a questionnaire was designed. It was than pre tested in the field before going and gathering the 200 sample data. After collecting the required data than it was analyzed through spss and below listed results were drawn. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The intention of the study to converse with the respondents Major analyses are presented below: Table. 1: Distribution of Respondents Regarding Age. Responses
Frequency
Percentage
Less than 17
28
14.0%
18-25
51
25.5%
26-33
39
19.5%
34-41
52
26.0%
42-49
27
13.5%
58 +
3
1.5%
Total
200
100.0
Table illustrates that there were 28 respondents who were less than 17 and in the second category of age the respondents were 51. In the third category of age group 26-33, respondents were 39 and in the fourth category 34-41, people were 52. 27 respondents were in the age group of 42-49. In the last level of maximum age group was +58, and only 3 respondents were selected. Table. 2: Distribution of Respondents Regarding Gender and Marital Status. Responses Male Female Total Marital Status Married Unmarried Total
Frequency 169 31 200
Percentage 84.5% 15.0% 100
132 68 200
66.0% 34.0% 100
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Responses
Frequency
Percentage
Govt. employee
19
9.5%
Business
121
60.5%
Private
29
14.5%
Unemployed
31
15.5%
Total
200
100.0
Table reflects that 9.5% respondents were having Government job and the maximum number of respondents were those who had their business, they were 121 in numbers. 14.5% respondents were having private jobs and 31 respondents were jobless. Table. 4: Distribution of Respondents Regarding Education Responses
Frequency
Percentage
Illiterate
52
26.0%
Middle
40
20.0%
Metric
24
12.0%
Intermediate
19
9.5%
Graduate
42
21.0%
Postgraduate /
23
11.5%
Above Total
120
100
Table exposes that 52 respondents were illiterate and their percentage was 26. Those who had middle passed in education they were 40 and they contribute 20% in this. Metric pass respondents 24 in numbers and they contributed in 12%. 9.5 % respondents were intermediate level of education and their number is education column is 19. Graduate respondents were 42 in numbers and their percentage was 21. Postgraduates or those who have above qualification, they were 23 in numbers and they their contribution in this column is 11.5%. Most of the respondents belong to middle class family background, so that is why they were 52 in numbers. The locale of this research also contains the postgraduates or above qualified persons who were selected in this research. The minimum percentage showed us about the education level of respondents who were just intermediate pass or having the certification level of it.
were 169 out of 200 of sample and the frequency of Table. 5: Cross Tabulation with “Type Of Media� & Age Group. Type of Mass Media Electronic Print media media Less than 17
% within Age
% within Age
8
28
71.4%
28.6%
100%
44
7
51
86.3%
13.7%
100%
36
3
39
92.3%
7.7%
100%
43
9
52
82.7%
17.3%
100%
8
19
27
29.6%
70.4%
100%
0
3
3
.0%
100.0%
100%
151
49
200
75.5%
24.5%
100%
26-33 % within Age 34-41 % within Age 42-49 % within Age 58 + % within Age Total % within Age
Total
20
18-25
Age
Table explains that the total male respondents Female were 31 which inputs 15.0% of overall sample. Out of 200 respondents 132 were married and 68 respondents were unmarried. Table. 3: Distribution of Respondents Regarding Their Occupation
Table proved that in the less than 17 category of age group, 20 gave their answer in the favor of electronic media and 8 said about print media. In 18-25, 44 respondents said electronic media and 7 said print media. In 26-33 category 36 respondents vote for electronic media and only 3 gave answer for print media. In 34-41 category 43 said electronic media and 9 respondents said print media. In 4249 level of age group, 8 said about electronic media and 19 said print media. In 58+ age group of category, no one said about electronic media but there were 3 in numbers for print media. Table. 6: Distribution of Respondents Regarding What is the Role of Media in Behavioral Change? Responses
Frequency
Percentage
Positive
69
34.5%
Negative
114
57.0%
Neutral
17
8.5%
Total
200
100.0
Table demonstrate that the maximum percentage of those who had given their opinion in negative, they were 114 and 57% of the total sample. The minimum percentage of respondents was 8.5 and was 17 in number who gave the neutral answer against this question. 69 respondents were said that positively about this question and they were 34.5%.
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Table. 7: Distribution of Respondents Regarding that What People Think about Media. Shows the reality? Responses
Frequency
Percentage
Yes No Don’t Know Total
28 172 0 200
14.0% 86.0% 0% 100
Is responsible for the aggressive attitude of People Frequency Percentage 124 63 13 200
In this table three different categories were defined. The first category was asked about the reality that media reflects. A big number of 172 respondents said that media did not show the reality at all and the 28 respondents said yes which media show the reality of life. Media is shaping the lives of people, this can been seen in the second category. 62% respondents gave their opinion that media is responsible for the aggressive attitude of people and 31% respondents said that no, media is not responsible for it. And 6.5% response gave no opinion about this question. Third category is about the violence in people because of the media. 67% respondents said that yes media is doing all this sort of change in people. Though, 28% respondents said that no, media is not contributing in it. The respondents were said that they don’t know about this, they were 5%. CONCLUSION Through present research, it was found that electronic media is very influential in the reshaping of people’s life. It has great influence on daily routine life of individual of the society. This research found that according the respondents perception about the media is very much wrong. They said media is responsible for violence in people attitude. Aggressiveness is the second one bad thing that media is inserting in the mind of individuals. It is clear now, print media is also important but people have more interest in electronic media rather in print media. It was found through this research that people think that though electronic media is very informative but this is also destroying us morally. As they think media has negative effect on their minds. It is concluded that mass media especially electronic media has great influence on the individuals minds and the society as well where we live. REFERENCES Alexander, R. 1990 Terrorism and the Media. Maxwell Macmillan Pergamon Publishing. U.S.A.
62.0% 31.5% 6.5% 100
Is responsible for the violence in people Frequency Percentage 134 56 10 200
67.0% 28.0% 5.0% 100
Nobel, Grant 1980 Children in Front of Small Screen. Sage Publication. Rogers, Everett M. 1969 Modernization among Peasants, the Impact of Communication. Standford, Calif: Atandford University Press. Supe, S. V 1987 An Introduction to Extension Education. Oxford IBH Publishing. Shahzad, M. 2003 An article Published in Political Economy section. The news, Pakistan. Sunday, June. Selfe, P. 1993 Work Out Sociology. Macinillan Press, London. Seema, Pervez 1992 Analysis of Mass Media Appealing to Women. National Institute of Psychology, Islamabad. Women’s division. Govt. of Pakistan, Islamabad. Wells, Alan 1972 Mass Media and Society. National Press Books Pala Alto, California. Williams, S. 1985 The Communication. Fransisco.
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Publication Date: Dec-1-2015 © 2015“The Explorer Islamabad” Journal of Social Sciences-Pakistan
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