Mass Media as a Macrolevel Source of Social Control: A New Direction in the Community Structure Model

Abstract

A community structure model is grounded in the structural model of mass media originally formulated by the Minnesota team of Tichenor, Donohue, and Olien. Although recent theoretical and empirical work has led to major refinements of the community structure research, there remain substantive and promising issues that deserve to be examined by mass communication scholars. This article recasts the original structural model by integrating a community-oriented approach to social control and formulates a set of hypotheses with regard to the role of local mass media in community social control.A community structure approach to the study of mass media is rooted in the structural model of mass media originally formulated by the Minnesota team of Tichenor, Donohue, and Olien . To understand the role of mass media in society, this approach examines social mechanisms that influence the distribution of information and its social control implications, particularly regarding the stability of a social system that revolves around the

Coverage reflects importance of fishing to community

“…8 The community conflict and structural pluralism concepts have been tested by numerous communication researchers, often demonstrating predictive power. 9 Studies have used the framework to examine media coverage of social change 10 and political and youth participation, 11 as well as the role of community stress in public affairs place blogging. 12 These studies adapted structural pluralism into a broader discussion about community structure and the relationship between journalists and the contextual influences of the surrounding society.…”