Review of Mass communications

Abstract

Reviews the book entitled "Mass Communications" edited by W. Schramm (see record 1950-02563-000 ). The book is a collection of readings. In a field as broad as this one, anyone who attempts to select and edit a limited number of readings obviously is confronted by several very difficult problems. The authors success in solving these problems largely determines the value of the publication. Providing a satisfactory degree of continuity is one of these problems. Schramm's solution consists mainly of grouping the readings and giving a short introduction for each section. The section on the development of mass communications includes readings on the history of the newspaper, motion pictures, radio and international communications. The control and support of mass communications are considered in a second section. The third section consists of five readings on various aspects of the communications process from the standpoints of general semantics, psychology, and anthropology. The three remaining sections cover content, audiences, and effects. The appendix presents several pages of a wide variety of facts and figures. Judged by conventional standards used to evaluate most publications, this collection of readings would have to be rated as spotty in coverage and below par in continuity. The usefulness of this book depends on the need that any particular person might have for a collection of readings on this subject. It provides convenient material for class purposes, and it at least minimizes the amount of digging necessary to get an introductory overall picture of this field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)