Mass media and the concept of interactivity
I. The role of the mass media in promoting democracy.
The mass media providers can promote democracy.
The Internet can provide forums for the public to express their opinions and critique of the work of the journalists.
II. The effectiveness of emails in journalist-reader communication and online forums in reader-reader interaction.
A. Non-constructive emails clog system
B. Lack of time to respond to valid emails
III. The mass media's limited utilization of the Internet technology.
The mass media have failed to capitalize on the use of the Internet to promote interaction between journalists and the public.
B. Journalists do not have ample time to interact with the public.
A. Research study interviewing senior executives
B. Better interaction is needed between mass media
In the article entitled "Mass Media and the Concept of Interactivity: An Exploratory Study of Online Forums and Reader Email," Tanjev Schultz (2000) highlighted the role of the mass media in promoting democracy by enhancing interactivity between mass media providers and the public (p. 206). More specifically, Schultz (2000) explored the potential of the Internet to transform the public from passive consumers of information to active participants who can counterbalance the bias and power of the mass media through public discourse (p. 207).
The investigation of the current level of interactivity between the mass media and the public was implemented with two research studies. In one research study, Schultz (2000) examined the use of emails as a form of communication between journalists and readers by surveying a group of 50 New York Times journalists. It is important to note that out of the 50 journalists, only 19 responded to the survey, thus suggesting the journalists' lack of interest in this issue. Nonetheless, this study indicated that most of the journalists reported that ...