Journal of Communication Research
Year:2009 | Volume:16 | Issue:2 (58)|Papers Count:13

Normative theories determine the musts and mustn't of media performance. Sibert (1963) recommend four following theories: Authoritative, Liberal, Social Responsibility and Russian Communism. After Sibert, Merill offered a dual classification (Authoritative, Liberal), Hachten suggested a five component categorization (Authoritative, Russian Communism, Developmental, Revolutionary and Western), Altschul developed a three-legged classification (Market, Marxism and Progressive), and finally, McQuail added two more theories, i.e. Developmental and Democratic Participation, to the four-folded division of this strand of theories.The present article employs the basic components of media normative theories to extract the Islamic Revolution’s leaders’ viewpoints from their various speeches. The extracted propositions indicate that the normative system appealing to the leaders, despite some similarities to the six theories abovementioned, has some characteristics, which might be deemed as the seventh pattern.

The present study examines the role of media (TV, computers, books, magazines and satellites) in Adolescents’ National Identity growth. In this study, 440 adolescents from Tehran’s guidance schools and high schools were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. To measure national identity, identify signs and national symbols, the extent of media consumption, family and personal characteristics, we used a questionnaire. The research findings were processed using t-test, Spearman correlation, exploratory factor analysis, and multivariate regression. The findings show that the extent to which radio, TV and computer are used, predicts national identity, signs and national symbols. Using books magazines as well as social-economic networks also predicts the extent of knowledge on national signs and symbols.

The present study seeks to examine the impacts of using mass media and mass communication networks on national identity. To investigate the relationship, views from Anderson, Riseman, Gidens and Inglehart are used in the study. This research has been carried out through a survey using questionnaire distributed among students from Isfahan University in the academic year of 1387-88 (solar calendar). In the first stage of the research, stratified sampling and in the second stage, quota sampling were used. Some 490 subjects were selected as the sample. The hypotheses’ testing suggests that there is a relationship between mass media consumption and national identity. The findings indicates that individuals consuming domestic media get a high score on the construct of national identity and, contrarily, the score of those individuals who use foreign media is low on national identity. The finding is indicative of attitudes’ shift towards new patterns. Regression Analysis has also been used for examining hypotheses. Other findings show that of all the variables affecting national identity, variables such as gender, the extent of foreign and domestic media consumption, age and marital status are more decisive.

The present article is the result of a 2007 survey aimed at examining the effect of audio-visual media on juvenile delinquency. The sample consists of 170 juvenile offenders (at the diagnosis of court) and 260 non-offender juveniles from the same religion, age group (13-18 years old) and gender. Findings show that 21.5 percent of juvenile non-offender group use more than 5 hours of TV each day while this figure for juvenile offender group is 33 percent (P<0.01). Using the Internet in non-criminal youth group was 39.6 percent and in juvenile offender group was 67.6 percent (P<0.01). Some results indicate that there is no significant difference between these two groups in terms of consuming satellite TV. However, juvenile delinquents use the Internet, significantly, less than non-delinquent juveniles, and they use the national TV, significantly, more than non-delinquent juveniles. It seems that, long term use of TV, not using the Internet and overusing films and video CDs, increase the risk of juvenile delinquency.

This paper examines four models of media effects, i.e., direct, conditional, accumulative and cognitive effects as well as the important variables in each model. These models demonstrate four different processes of media effects obtained from different studies. The models differ in that each one focuses on a specific aspect of media content or audiences as the recipients of media effects. These four models are designed to classify the explanations. Since each model focuses only on some parts of the reasons behind media effects, none of them alone can explain the effects of media in whole. However, importance and value of these models is due to the fact that they can help examine the media effects processes directly. Finally, the article proposes some suggestions for managers, planners and programmers of different media, especially radio and television.

The present study entitled “the representation of cultural identity in Iranian TV series”, examines cultural identity in the narrative content of Iranian TV series. In this study, identity is categorized into collective and personal. Collective identity, in turn, is divided into such categories as ethnic, national, religious and modern. Since cultural identity stems, in principle, from interactions and links between the components of social structure, it encompasses all the above mentioned concepts. This concept in Gerbner Cultivation Theory is referred to as a meaningful pattern, which is presented to audience through TV series and representation. The Television series "Khat Shekan" is selected for the purpose of the study. Of all the series’ 22 episodes, 14 episodes and 16 scenes (as the smallest unit of analysis) were examined using semiotics analysis. Signs and codes present in the selected parts and scenes and containing cultural identity implications are analyzed and assessed at three levels of reality codes, representation and ideology using John Fisk analysis. Research findings show that religious identity in this TV series, based on a specific reading, is represented as the basic and superior cultural identity. In contrast, national and modern identity is displayed as the levels of cultural identity with a negative value and society anti-norms, which is at odds with religious identity.