Meaning and/vs. Information in Media Studies

Abstract

The field of media and communication research is characterized by a variety of theoretical and research strands. This presentation suggests that the various traditional social scientific approaches share what is called an “information perspective”. This perspective emphasizes the discrete, message-like character of media output and its social impact. It largely makes use of quantitative data and causal relationships. The major new development in recent decades is the emergence of what is called the “meaning perspective”; it emphasizes the discursively integrated character of media output and processes of sense- making among audiences. This perspective is explored in regard to the issue of media audience's interpretive freedom, and in regard to an “informational” genre like TV news. While the meaning perspective has many assets, it too has its limitations, and the information perspective continues to develop. Researchers need to see the possibilities of the creative interplay between them.