The Ghost of Reality: Realist and Idealist Perspectives in the Analysis of Media

All mass communication theories are based on explicit or implicit assumptions about the links between media & "reality." Here, realistic theories are distinguished from idealistic ones. Realistic theories regard mass media as derivative & secondary, less real than real-life worlds & social relations they reflect. On the contrary, idealistic theories assert that media actively build the cognitive world; they interpret & transform reality in the process of transmitting news & entertainment to the audience. Moreover, idealistic theories correspond to a media-saturated society & reflect recent acquisitions of sociology of knowledge, sociolinguistics, & semiotics. Nevertheless, a realistic foundation is required to prevent them from falling into relativism & skepticism. Mass communication theories cannot ignore people's sense of reality, attitudes of different interpretative communities, & requests for credibility & responsibility from audiences. 132 References. Adapted from the source document.