![]() ![]() Each group will therefore try to give services that will attract many customers. Most organizations go for those groups that have the highest number of customers in a society. All the groups that form the mass media have an economic interest and each group intends to benefit at the end of the day. A group that has more consumers would like to control the social institution and this is likely to bring conflicts. The superior groups tend to assume that they significantly control society. Trying to align the operations of these groups becomes difficult. The different groups that comprise the mass media have different owners with varying interests (Thompson, 2000). It argues that it is very hard to avoid conflicts in a place where there are different interest groups. The conflict theory deals with conflicts that arise because of different interests by different groups in a society. ![]() Application of Conflict Theory on Mass Media All the groups in the mass media must act as a system that can only work as a whole and where the exception of one will lead to failure of the whole system. The media must also act as a whole to maintain the patterns of its operation within a given society. Different media groups must be integrated so that the institution acts as a whole. All the groups that form the mass media must have a consensus on issues that they report to society. The status quo within a given society is maintained by mass media. This means that all the media groups must adapt to the society where they exist. The different aspects that form the media must give similar information regarding a society. For the media to function and maintain itself, all the problems that may exist need to be addressed. It is composed of such different bodies as magazines, newspapers, television, amongst others. It is not supposed to give wrong information to a society or any information that will mislead or lead to conflicts in the society. All these entities work together to achieve the objectives of the entire mass media. Mass media is a social institution that is made of various entities. The functionalism theory groups all the aspects in a social institution or a society to form one which functions as a whole (Hesmondha & Toynbee 2008). Application of Functionalism Theory to Mass Media The three theories have significant impacts on both the mass media and society. While the three theories differ in some approaches, there are instances where they all have some similarities. Functionalism, conflict, and interactionism theories affect the mass media in our society in different ways today. The conflict theory deals with such conflicts between social groups that have different interests in a given society. This leads to conflicts between the groups. Different social groups in a given society are likely to have different interests. The society in which the media operates will interact with the media and affect the media and its activities. If so, how would such a theory impact the mass media that is well known to enjoy its fair share of liberalism? On the other hand, interactionism refers to the fact that the social factors interact in everyday activities and this interaction is likely to affect the behaviors of individuals in a society. Critics of functionalism are of the opinion that this theory is innately conservative. These groups come together and work as a whole so that every group gives similar information regarding an issue in society. In mass media, functionalism defines a scenario where different media groups that operate in a given society work together so as to be consistent in their operations. The functionalist theory asserts that just as scientific methods are used when studying the physical world, they can also be applied in studying social aspects. Some of these are the functionalist, conflict, and interactionism theories. There are various theories that are used in analyzing various aspects of mass media. When functionalists are faced with different elements of society, they are at times tempted to pose the question what role do all these societal aspects play? A question of this nature is not misplaced seeing that societal social structures enhance stability, integration, balance, and consensus. Interaction between media and society has a great influence on the behaviors of individuals in it, and the educational practices they are affiliated to. ![]() The media surveys the environment and provides news and information to the society, correlates the response to this information, entertains and transmits culture to future generations. Mass media plays a significant role in shaping and informing society in every nation. It is through it that information is passed to different groups of people in society. Mass media can be defined as the print and the electronic means by which communication takes place. ![]()
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