Community Services 2017-2018

THEME 16: SOCIAL COMMUNICATION MEDIA: PRESS, RADIO, CINEMA AND

TELEVISION. THE IMPACT OF THE IMAGE. INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION,
CINEMA AND ADVERTISING: ICONIC LITERACY.
The media are tools that allow us to keep everyone informed.
world informed about what is happening at a national and international level. In fact, Umberto said.
ECO "All information is important if it is connected to another." Therefore, there are channels that
they provide us with information, news, and images about the world we live in. In the
modern societies, which need to be in constant contact and informed about everything that
It happens, the media is fundamental, in fact, it is believed that one could not live without it.
in the same way we do it without the media.
The media have positive and negative characteristics. In the
first, they enable extensive information content to reach far-reaching places of
planet immediately. They also make it possible for many personal relationships to
keep them together or, at least, not let them disappear completely. In the second, they fall into
the manipulation of information and its use for the self-interests of a group
specific. In many cases, these media tend to shape and disseminate
stereotypes. That's why today we have different stereotypes based on different
characteristics such as ethnicity, social class, age, religion, and gender.
Therefore, the only thing we can do in the face of this inevitable situation is to create a
critical thinking, fostering lost values, and taking the best from the media as one can
to be assertive information, the acquisition of useful knowledge for personal growth and
try not to absorb the negative aspects that the media conveys.
Likewise, we must be aware of some legislative references regarding which they are
protected the activities surrounding media and copyright rights and
image, as they can be:
Spanish Constitution of 1978.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1949.
Law 22/1987, of November 11, 1987, on Intellectual Property.
Law 28/1995, of October 11, on the incorporation into Spanish Law of Directive 93/83/EEC,
of the Council, of September 27, on the coordination of certain provisions relating to
copyright and related rights in the field of broadcasting
via satellite and cable distribution.
Now, fully entering into (1) THE MEDIA
SOCIAL: PRESS, RADIO, CINEMA AND TELEVISION, providing a definition of the term, by
social media or mass media, we understand those technical instruments-
audiovisual transmission artists that present these descriptors: they broadcast in the same
identical moment message and to a large number of people.
Mass media represents the mediation between social culture and
the family-school. The representation of the world they make is the one that ultimately is
generalizes. Furthermore, regarding the language they use, the press employs written text and the
still image, radio, sound, and cinema and television, sound and image. However,
they have a common body and specific characteristics that grant them unity and
sufficient diversity to integrate into a global society.
According to MCQUAIL (1991), the characteristics of the media are, among others
others:
They are public and are distributed in a relatively unstructured and informal manner.
The contents of communication imply a certain tendency towards standardization and stereotyping.
since they target broad audiences.

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They simultaneously reach a large number of people who are distant from the source.
station and distant from each other. But the impact produced is not homogeneous.
The relationship between the sender and the receiver (audience) is impersonal, insofar as the communication
It is carried out through material and technical support and is unidirectional.

Regarding the evolution and rise of mass media, they us

They have accompanied us in our personal and community history for several centuries, with different
reasons and consequences. In fact, what initially seemed like a logical behavior of
human communication process and the interest in reaching a greater number of receivers, has
become a matter of imposing socio-cultural patterns and guidelines and information
selective for social, political, and economic control. J. CLOUTIER classifies the history of the
communications during these periods:
Period of interpersonal communication.
Period of elite communication.
Period of mass communication.
Period of individual communication.
The changes occurring in developed societies have facilitated the expansion of
the mass media, some reasons are:
Population concentration: Urban development causes large groupings, so that
In cities, it is necessary to have artificial means to facilitate relationships and
communication.
The tertiary sector of the productive sector: The increase in the size of the secondary sector and of
tertiary in the productive activity, necessitates on one hand to publicize the products and on the other to
consume its own resources.
The growing presence of devices for communication between people: It occurs
the appearance of mass media that will reveal diverse realities to
various social members simultaneously.
The technological and information revolution is contributing to a universalization.
growing information-communication. An increase that in turn causes social imbalances
that turn it into an instrument of power by controlling access to information and culture.
However, from their origin and purpose, the media have different
formats and formulas to reach their recipients, so that the effects they can produce
According to R. GUBERN (1988), they are:

Impact effect of the message: Behaviors and perceptions of reality are generated according to the
intentionality of the message.
Boomerang effect: Behaviors and perceptions of reality that are contrary and even
opposite to the purposes of the sender.
Unexpected effects: It occurs when some significant information compels to inform about it.
canceling whatever was being communicated at that moment.
More specifically, in the case of the press, for three centuries it was the only medium.
informative, however, it did not start suddenly, but rather the information acquired two new ones.
notes: regularity and publicity.
The origins of the modern press are located at the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of
liberalism aside from Europe, the establishment of an affluent social class and the changes
technological. All this allowed the press to integrate into the social structure as a
basic institution of political, economic, and cultural life; nevertheless, it was a press
of elite status that only a few privileged individuals had access to.
Another type of press rose to prominence between 1870 and 1914, the 'mass' press that still exists today.
present. The fundamental features were its operation as a prosperous business

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commercial for monopolistic interests and dependence on advertising revenue.

Currently, we are witnessing the birth of a new model of journalism, thanks to the rise of the
computer science and communication networks: the 'digital' press. Among its characteristics are:
They collect your messages on a manageable medium, with information that can be retrieved with
ease and whenever one wants.
It allows selection in the newspaper's offer, each reader chooses the way according to their tastes and
moment.
It is accessible to a large number of people due to its affordability.

At the same time, the newspaper market offers, on one hand, the daily newspapers, which are the press that ...
publish at least five days a week, and magazines, which are released weekly, biweekly or
monthly. As for its functions, its objectives are to inform, guide, and entertain. The
The newspaper makes use of written language with precise keys of distribution, arrangement, and size.
It helps with photography and the extralinguistic signs that add value to the text. Likewise,
it has a structure that usually addresses the following sections: First page (headlines,
most important news and summary). International information. National information.
Regional and local information. Society. Sports. Cultural information. Shows. Letters to
director.
In the texts that appear in a newspaper, according to GARCIA NOVELL (1992), one can ...
distinguish three genders:
Informative genres: News, reports, and interviews are usually cited. The first two...
they differ in the extent and the luxury of details with which the facts are presented. For their part, in the
The interview aims to inform the reader through the answers of the interviewed character.
Opinion genres: They are classified into the editorial and the article. The editorial is an article.
unsigned journalistic piece that explains, interprets, and evaluates a significant event representing the
ideological stance of the newspaper. The article is an analysis of current events or a specific fact
from her, where the author expresses his viewpoints and opinions.
Eclectic or mixed genres: They mix information and opinion. They can be the chronicle,
critique or the comment.
We also found the radio, which was introduced in Europe in 1914, but not until 1925.
it arrives in Spain through Radio Barcelona and Radio Unión in Madrid.
We can define radio as a mass communication medium that uses the technique
for the remote transmission of sound messages and requires a transmission station
reception by the medium and by a receiving device on the part of the user. In fact, it is perhaps
the most effective, widely used, and cheapest means of communication. The phrase used for
defining the status of transmission media confirms its immediate character: radio provides the
news, television shows it and the newspaper comments on it. Among its characteristics are:
Speed: The radio can be where an event occurs and broadcast the news.
simultaneously.
Accessibility: Through its waves, radio reaches everywhere.
Economic: The radio medium is cheap, as the capture of a program requires
only from a receiver, accessible and cheap.
Popular: It is the medium that uses language closest to the oral communication system. It is
also in which the public actively participates the most, especially through the phone.
Ephemeral: The radio message is fleeting, temporary, and ephemeral.
Regarding its functions, the most important are:
The information: Essential function, favored by the speed of transmission, the low cost and the
credibility, as communication is received under conditions similar to the person-to-person relationship.
persona.

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Entertainment: It is made up of magazine, sports, and musical programs, the latter have
grown a lot thanks to the development of frequency modulation and stereo transmission.
Training: Conceived in a broad sense, it can contribute to greater training of the
audience, we also find it in a strict sense, cultural and educational programming.
In the case of programming, the sections or areas that we may encounter are:
News: They range from local to international. Their schedules are fixed. At night it usually
to make a summary or expansion.
Talks: Specialists in the topic being discussed, intellectuals, and reputable individuals participate.
Interviews: They are usually conducted in magazines and talk shows.
Reports: Programs dedicated to the treatment of a current issue with intervention
direct contact with protagonists in the environment.
Musicals: They are specialized programs in any type of music or event.
related to it.
Cultural: They are programs dedicated to theater, literature, cinema, and other manifestations.
cultural.
Sports: Specialized programs in all sports. They have a large following at specific times.
nocturnes, especially football.
On the other hand, we also find cinema, which we could define as the
cinematic procedure for special printing and projection. It produces an extraordinary
sensation of reality due to the breadth of the vision, the sharpness of the focus of all planes and the
realistic sound atmosphere. One of the aspects that characterize it is the fact of seeing a
movie in a dark screening room that keeps the individual occupied only in the
screen and in that context, it is difficult to escape the message of the work. Also, because it is a social act
that has to do with patterns of relationship with other people.
Regarding his evolution and filmography, we can distinguish between:
Silent film (1919-1929): The 1910s see how cinema is consolidating its language and
settling as an artistic manifestation. The contributions of Griffith and Charles Chaplin are vital.
Sound film (1929-1939): It appears in 1972 in the United States, and initially represents a slight
setback in the evolution of cinematic language by trying to transfer theatrical successes from
Broadway to the screen.
Cinema in World War II: A pause in film production occurs, nevertheless,
Casablanca stands out as one of the great masterpieces.
Post-war cinema: Cinema in the 1960s reaches its golden age, known as the
seventh art. The cinema of the production companies from the United States predominates.
Contemporary cinema: American cinema continues to dominate the film industry, both in
level of production as well as distribution.
Among the main film genres, the following stand out: horror cinema, the
of gangster or film noir, comedy cinema, science fiction, etc.
Regarding film narration, the moving image is a semiotic macrostructure.
that combines various systems of signs, which creates the sensation of reality. In fact, it
the essence of the film lies in three main dimensions, which are:
Intention: Proposal made as a means of mass communication.
Argument: A story or narration, either real or fictional, current or past.
Technique: It is the form of expression made up of figurative elements such as framing, or the
what is seen at each moment on the screen, with each shot, etc.
Finally, as a means of communication, we find television, which we could
define it as 'the transmission and reception of moving images at a distance'. The values
social and cultural, along with political and economic, are the most relevant dimensions and

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transmitted by television. In this way, it is considered the most recent medium and
influential.
About its origins and evolution, the first television system is patented in Germany.
in 1906. As a public service, it was born in 1936 when the British BBC began its
transmission activities. In 1953, color television appeared, and since the 1970s
experiences an increasing integration in the audiovisual industry, becoming one of the
large film producer and exhibitor. But, since the 1980s, the impact of the new
technologies characterize the development of television: the digitalization of video signals, the
teletext, broadcasting satellites, etc.
Regarding its characteristics, it is worth noting the unidirectional nature and the apparatus.
centralizer, in fact, television is the ideological apparatus par excellence. In turn, its
mass character, causes television to increase its advertising and economic function, directed,
controlled and organized to meet the demands of advertisers.
Finally, it is worth noting the phases of the television process, which can be divided into:
recording, transmission, and reception of images and information, through a camera of
television towards the receiving devices, emitting microwaves and electrical signals.
Another point to consider on the subject is the IMPACT OF THE IMAGE, as
In the information society, a large part of the data we receive about the world around us
surrounds us and contributes to creating our own image of reality, we receive them through
audiovisual media such as cinema, television or the internet. These media use a code
mixed that relate signs of different types, such as:
Iconic: They are moving images, in them resides the great communicative power of the
audiovisual messages.
Linguistic: They are the spoken words that accompany the images in a document.
audiovisual.
Sound: Composed of music, noises, silence, and special effects.
We must also consider the emotional impact of the image, as these
communicate globally and through emotion, as they attract us, convince us and us
They excite. In fact, advertisers and other communicators are aware of that impact power.
the mass society, therefore, when text and image combine to form a message it
they establish different meaningful relationships with each other.

According to ALONSO & MATILLA (1990), the suggestive function of the image is given
because images convey a flow of data with a specific purpose. Therefore, they
they distinguish three main functions of communication through images: the informative, the
recreational and the suggestive. Above all, the latter is the most interested as it aims to obtain
something about us, not giving it to us, for example, advertising and propaganda. Therefore, the images
they transmit to us:

Model creation: It shows us on screen characters that resemble us in order to

to provoke an identification of the viewer with the model.
Creation of contexts: The models we wish to identify with appear
surrounded by objects, landscapes, people, etc. of great appeal or that possess a series of values
positive attributes that the receiver will also assign to the model.
Seduction mechanisms: Television messages select content that seduces the
receiver exploring the darkest corners of a psyche. They also seek seduction to
through formal elements such as music, the appearance of the protagonists, or movement.
Television messages that seek to fascinate: To achieve this, they select those aspects of the
reality that is interesting and offers it in a way that leaves the receiver dazzled and their senses dull.
rationality. At that moment, emotions prevail and the receiver applies the
characteristics of that fragment of reality to the whole, reconstructing a new reality.

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Likewise, when text and images appear as part of the same message
Different situations can arise, such as, for example, that it is the text that develops the meaning.
of the message and the image serves as mere illustration. Or on the contrary, that it is the image that
express the basic idea and the text becomes something accessory or unnecessary. Therefore, it must be
there exists complementarity between text and image, as both contribute something to meaning,
establishing relationships such as:

Support or anchoring relationship: The text establishes and specifies the meaning of the image.
Relationship of parasitism: When one of the two imposes its meaning, nullifying the other.
Symbiotic relationship: It is one of enrichment between text and image, they contribute to each other.
new meanings, both connotative and denotative.
However, a contradiction between the image and the word can also occur.
In that case, a conflict arises that creates strangeness in the reader and forces them to pause in the
interpretation of the message.
On the other hand, we find the INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION, CINEMA AND
ADVERTISING: ICONIC LITERACY. In that sense, MCLUHAN (1999)
I observed that the media are powerful agents of change that affect the way in which
we experience the world, interact with one another, and use our physical senses,
the same senses that the media extend. He insisted that they should be studied more for their
effects that, due to their contents, obscure these effects through their interaction and deprive us
of the power to keep the media under our control.
Personalities like BRUNER, MCLUHAN, or HAVELOCK (1994) go so far as to assert
that changes in the media produce changes in people's mental structures or
modifications in their cognitive abilities, since the use of a certain type of
language modifies cognitive capabilities and functions and this translates into new ways of
to learn.
In fact, mass media is a daily way of perceiving or
interact with reality, especially for generations that have already been born into the
"planetary village", that have spontaneously learned to learn through the media of
communication and that they have acquired attitudes, habits, and skills, in addition to knowledge.

All this would not be a problem if it were not for a fundamental issue: who decides what
we see and the special nature of audiovisual communication not in terms of our
needs, but their interests. On the other hand, the mass media contain a type of ideology
that arises from its own communicative structure: unidirectional and hierarchical. The image,
skillfully processed when not manipulated by the media, captivates the child's attention,
replaces reality in its view of the world and even conditions its cognitive structures.
the only educational alternative is to master the medium, know its tricks, learn to handle it, in
definitively, to be able to understand, interpret and critically evaluate.
Television has a great influence on children and young people, especially on their
social learning. Traditionally, children, through their active involvement with the environment and
From observing others, they form models of how to behave and interact with them.
TV alters social learning by taking away time from a more active and direct relationship.
with their parents and other children, thereby increasing indirect experience and decreasing their
direct experience.
The normal and healthy emotional development of children within the family unit also
has been affected, in addition to television, by the mechanization of toys, by the new
technologies and for the care of children entrusted to third parties constantly. In this
environment cannot learn to relate intimately and permanently with other people, and that is
something that will continue in the lives of adults.

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MATILLA Et. Al. (1995) highlight some of the negative values of the use and abuse of
television, such as:
The function of distorting mirror of social reality.
Television advertising conveys the impression of a direct relationship between having and being happy, with
the aggravating factor that having is never represented by the fruit of effort, but is given by
Well, any method to achieve it.
The programs promote conformity, passivity, the reproduction of structures
socioeconomic factors and not creativity or critical spirit.
Cinema shares with television its power of evocation and simulation of reality, and
therefore its capacity to influence the formation of attitudes and in lifestyles and ways of living
of young people and adults. However, it requires more complex means of production and distribution, with
final products usually of higher artistic quality, although always from a perspective
commercial.
In the case of advertising, its role in promoting products and services has always been
accompanied by economic activity. However, starting from the industrial revolution, with the
mass production and accelerated production of series and competitive products, it is when it becomes a
decisive element in production.
From the end of World War II, advertising takes on a new role, no longer
it's not just about promoting products, but new expectations must also be created.
needs playing with the motivations of individuals and associating them with the consumption of new
products. Thus, it becomes a fundamental element of the current economic system,
essential to stimulate the consumption of products and services. Therefore, we are the so-called
consumer society.
To reach all individuals, advertising was associated with the media.
mass communication, a union from which both have benefited, the free or paid media
low price due to being financed by advertising become mass-produced and reach everyone
sectors of the population. And advertising becomes omnipresent.
The generalization in Western countries of consumer society and the race
ascendant of advertising power, entails the search for new techniques and procedures to
consumption service. Therefore, companies incorporate specialists with the intention of
improve the promotion of products and services through advertising.
The advertising message can be directed straight to thought, to the realm of the
consciousness, to reason. What is now sought is to awaken in the receivers the greatest number of
positive emotions and getting them to associate with the products. Therefore, the work
advertising consists of finding the suitable procedures so that in the mind of the viewer-
consumer establishes a chain of associations that leads to identifying the product with a
particularly important human aspiration for the group it is aimed at.
One of the biggest concerns of advertising creatives is breaking the filters that
Every consumer confronts the product when they realize what they want from the advertisement.
is "to sell someone a motorcycle." Thus, a good strategy to overcome this problem is to catch them off guard.
to the receptor, without using its critical defenses. When they do so without anything testifying that they
It is about advertisements, we are facing what is called covert or silent advertising.
Another technique to overcome the conscious filters that the potential consumer puts up in front of the
Advertising is referred to as subliminal advertising. A subliminal message is a sensory stimulus.
that our brain perceives without us becoming aware of it. We can distinguish
between
Strict subliminal messages: Those that the subject is unable to perceive consciously.
no matter how hard he tries.

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Intentional subliminal messages: Those that are emitted hidden with the intention of
we only capture them unconsciously, although if we are warned or seek them, we can
discover and observe clearly. It is about techniques of concealment and camouflage of objects,
words or symbols that act on our subconscious without us being able to defend ourselves,
associating certain products with qualities or characteristics that are foreign to them.
Regarding iconic literacy, MCLUHAN points out that for the understanding of the image
A multidimensional approach is always required, that is, to understand it from different perspectives.
perspectives.
CAMPUZANO (1992) introduces the notion of iconsphere, to represent the environment.
visual in which we live, pointing out that it is one of the factors that most influence life
people in our society. Audiovisual media, especially television, have
expanded in such a way our environment, that even today we can know more things about places
very distant from our own city.
Verbal language and audiovisual language are two ways of processing reality, and
They configure quite different forms of culture based on their own characteristics. Not
However, the drawbacks of audiovisual language stem from one of its advantages, its ease.
learning Indeed, to learn to master its complex and varied codes we have not
had to go to school, but just being in contact with them for a while has
bastard. This lack of effort easily leads to processing messages automatically, not
reflexive, remaining passive in the face of attempts at persuasion or manipulation by the
emitters.
For this reason, iconic or audiovisual literacy will consist of making people aware of the
codes and their use by the sender for specific purposes. If the images
Audiovisuals inform us about reality in a concrete and emotional way, we will learn to read
images when we know how to apply rational and critical criteria that make us aware of
the communicative processes, in the face of persuasion. Thus, some of the elements that we have
what to analyze in images for their iconic literacy are:
Global aspects:
a) Size and format: Together they constitute a framework. The size affects the feeling of
viewer in front of an image acquiring a different expressive value. The format in an image
rectangular is defined by the proportion and the ratio that exists between its vertical and horizontal sides.
horizontal. Short ratio formats are fundamentally descriptive, while the
the long radio favor storytelling, allowing to create directions, rhythms, behaviors,
etc.
b) Level of iconicity: It designates the degree of realism or likeness of an image to the object.
what it represents.
c) Simplicity/complexity: An image is simple when it is easy to interpret, requiring little
effort of attention and dedication for its understanding. Complex images do not compel
a superior effort. In addition, an image is monosemic when it conveys nothing more than the object
what it represents. On the contrary, it is polysemic when, in addition to representing an aspect of the
reality suggests more complex meanings.
d) Objects, people, and events: Verbal language is analytical. Audiovisual language is
synthetic, images are perceived globally, intuitively. Therefore, it is easy that
certain elements present in the image are not perceived consciously. By
So, when we proceed to the reading of images, it is essential that we stop at the
description of the objects, shapes, and events present in them.
2. Basic signs:
a) Points, lines, and shapes: The point is the simplest sign that can be used in communication.
audiovisual. By placing it on a surface, certain visual tensions are created that will
depending on its location. In the case of the line, it can be defined as the footprint of a point

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in motion, and it usually doesn't make sense in isolation. Shape is another of the basic signs of
the image, for the directionality of its lines provokes differentiated sensations.
b) The texture: In the case of the photographic image, the result of the texture of the image will be
conditioned by the sensitivity of the film used, photographic enlargement, and the support
employee in the representation of the image.
c) The light: It can change properties, attributes, or qualities depending on what is desired.
express through brightness and tone.
d) The color: It has three fundamental properties: hue, shade, or chroma based on the
color variation; saturation, depending on the degree of intensity and purity of the color and the
luminosity, intensity, and brightness, which is the amount of white light reflected by a color.
e) The framing: It is the portion of real space captured in an image. It produces selection of the
reality. We found the scale, which is the relationship between the image occupied by a certain
object and framing; the angle, that is to say the physical point of view of the scene, and the optics
from the image.
f) Composition: It is the process by which the different visual elements are organized to
to provoke an effect and a specific sense of wholeness.
3. The time:
With a camera we freeze time in a snapshot. The duration of
That moment depends on the shutter speed, that is, the time allowed for light to pass through.
to impress the movie.
4. Text and graphics:
In its relationship with the image, the text can serve as an anchor, which reduces the
significant possibilities of the image, and the function of relief, where the image and the word
they complement each other forming a whole.

Finally, as a CONCLUSION to the topic, point out what ANTONIO GAUDÍ said.
Creation continues ceaselessly through the means of communication of man. But
Man does not create... He discovers." This is why the media has the potential
to create social values and exert influence on people because they provide definitions,
They present models, promote stereotypes, and can be a exponent of changes.
Moreover, they are a powerful instrument of socialization, even more powerful than the
family, school, or work because they shape feelings and beliefs, train the
senses and help to shape social imagination. Currently, we are immersed in the
means from children to adults, therefore, when exerting a significant force on the
culture, whether we like it or not, today the media plays a greater role than ever in the education of the new
generations shape tastes and trends in audiences of all ages, build the agenda
about the topics we discuss daily and that have even changed the ways of governing and
make politics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Images in Action
The Red Book of Advertising
The treatment of information and other fables
McLuhan for Beginners
MC Quail, D. (1991). Introduction to the theory of mass communication.
Barcelona: Paidós.
Campuzano, A. (1992). Audiovisual Technologies and Education. Madrid: Akal.
Public Telenovelas, Private Telenovelas
From the Tower.