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Abstract
It is hard to imagine a more challenging arena for communication research than that presented by new media and their impact on our society. We have witnessed the fastest evolution in communication technology in human history and, along with it, the evolution of communication conceptions and theories used to assess its impact. More than a decade has passed since Chaffee and Metzger first published their intriguing article “The End of Mass Communication?” and suggested that the new media will change the notions of mass communication and, as a result, the theories used in communication research. Today, we know more about new media and its effect on communication, society, and communication theories. The present article, therefore, sets out to reassess Chaffee and Metzger's claim by describing the development of several core theories of communication research, namely the agenda-setting theory and the notions of media audiences and the Digital Divide, in light of the new media. Our review shows that the role played by communication technologies in social, cultural, political, and economic processes is as central and influential in the new media era as it was in traditional media environment and that, although theories may change to accommodate the changes of the new media environment, researchers are still dealing with the “old” issues of power and resistance, and structure and ownership.
Notes
1According to Pew research center, the proportion of Americans who read news on a printed page—in newspapers and magazines—continues to decline: in newspapers, from 46% in 2000, to 23% in Citation2012, and in magazines from 26% in 2000 to 18% in Citation2012. Radio news has fallen by 10%, from 43% in 2000 to 33% in 2012. Even television seems to suffer: Only about one third (34%) of those younger than 30 say they watched TV news yesterday. In 2006, nearly half of young people (49%) said they watched TV news the prior day. At the same time, the clearest pattern of news audience growth in 2012 came on digital platforms. For example, in 2012, total traffic to the top 25 news sites increased 7.2%; and about one third or more of those ages 18 to 39 regularly see news or news headlines on social networking sites (In Changing News Landscape, Even Television is Vulnerable: Trends in News Consumption 1991-2012, 2012).
2These data comes from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project's report “Internet Adoption, 1995–Citation2012: % of American Adults Who Use the Internet, Over Time.” Retrieved from: http://pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Trend-Data-%28Adults%29/Internet-Adoption.aspx.
3First level refers to the impact of media agenda on public agenda, that is, on what people think about. Second level refers to the characteristics of the issues as promoted by the media, that is, on how people should think about.
4As the Pew Annual Report on American Journalism 2013 noted, the digital advertising market is growing faster than other kinds of advertising. Total digital advertising (including mobile) rose to $37.3 billion in 2012, a 17% increase. News organizations are facing continued competition from other companies for digital ad dollars. Digital advertising, across formats, continues to be dominated by five large companies: Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Microsoft, and AOL. Within digital, mobile advertising is growing rapidly as well. Although still small, the mobile ad market grew 80% in 2012 (Pew Research, Citation2012).
5Baker (1994), Hamilton (Citation2004), and McChesney (Citation2004) present well-documented accounts of ongoing distortions. For example, Baker (Citation1994) documented the statistical impact of advertising on the coverage of tobacco-related health hazards.