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Communication & Media:
From Theory to Application
Theoretical Basis: Part 1 of 3
Catholic Distance Learning
Network – August 2007
Why teach communication & media
in the seminary?
• Media is our culture.
• Communication is changing due to media
influence.
• If communication is changing and media is
the strongest influence, we must change the
way we communicate faith.
• The Church calls for knowledge of media to
reach and meet the needs of the changing
parishioner.
Media is our culture
• Epistemology
Media = truth
• Salience
News media reports = public agenda
• Framing
Emphasizing certain attributes to the
neglect of others = public opinion
Activity: Ask students for examples of the epistemological impact of
media and how it shapes our thoughts. What are the pros and cons
of salience and framing by the news media?
In Depth Resources:
“Framing as a theory of media effects,” Journal of Communication, Volume 49 Issue 1 Page 103-122, March 1999
http://www.workingpsychology.com/mediafr.html
“A first look at communication theory,” Em Griffen, McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Communication is changing
• Our relationships
Paris Hilton
Pope Benedict XVI
Me
•
•
•
•
Computer-mediated communication
On-demand media
Voyeuristic media
Obsessive communication
Activity: Discuss how current trends in media change the
way we communicate with one another. What long-term
effects might these changes have?
Media effects on faith:
The good, the bad and the ugly
• We have let others define us
• “Spirituality” replaces religion
• Marginalization of our message
• Church seems irrelevant when
not present in the media
• Soundbite mentality is the norm
• Nature of communication is
changing
Activity: Discuss each of
these topics with students.
What evidence is there for
each of these effects? What
does it mean for the Church?
• Used to “on-demand”
communication
• Parishioners do not tolerate poor
communication – even from their
church
Basic relevant media theories
• Media Effects Model
A broad-based belief covering multiple theories that media is not
neutral. It has a strong and long-lasting effect on those who
consume it.
• Agenda Setting Theory
The media tell us what to think about and how to think about it
through transfer of salience and framing.
Resource: http://www.afirstlook.com/manual5/ed5man28.pdf
Activity: Discuss these basic media theories and their possible
long-term effects on communication and practice of our faith.
The Church calls for
knowledge of media
Seminarians should be
trained at three specific
levels:
1. Focused on the receivers:
understanding the media
culture & its influence
2. Training the faithful in the
right use of media & how to
best use it yourself
3. Specialist training level:
using media as an integral
component of your
priesthood & training others
on the first two levels
- Congregation for Catholic Education,
Guide to the Training of Future
Priests Concerning the Instruments of
Social Communication, 19 March 1986.
Preparing clergy in the classroom
• Incorporate communication through media into existing
courses.
• Plan workshops and seminars
that give seminarians hands-on
opportunities to communicate
through media.
• Discuss ways to communicate
theological teachings through media. For example, ask
students, “How would you communicate this theological
principle through media? How is this different from the way
you would communicate it from the pulpit?”
Relevant communication
documents of the Church
•
•
•
•
•
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Inter Mirifica
Communio et Progressio
Aetatis Novae
The Rapid Development
Ethics in Communication
Evangelii Nuntiandi
Toward a Pastoral Approach to Culture
These documents are readily available at www.vatican.va or
http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/churchdocs/index.html
Activity: Discuss the relevant points of these documents as they
relate to student’s individual ministry.
How pervasive is media usage?
• For more than 40% of that time, media was the only activity
pursued.
• We use two or more forms of media 30%
of the time.
• 96% use two or more forms of media at once.
• TV is still king - four hours per day per person.
• We spend two hours per day on the computer.
• On average, Americans spend nine hours per day
with some kind of media.
• 57% of our media usage occurs in the home, 43% of it occurs
elsewhere.
Ball State University’s Center for Media Design Middletown Media Studies Report,
October 2005
Just youth are heavy media
consumers…right?
AGE OF INTERNET USERS
Age
Activity: Ask the
students to keep a log of
their own media activity.
It is always more than
we think it is!
12-17
18-24
25-29
30-34
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-75
76+
% of Americans In Age Group Online
87%
82%
85%
83%
76%
73%
68%
68%
55%
57%
26%
17%
(Source: Wash Post 2/6/06 quoting Pew Internet & American
Life Project surveys conducted Oct.-Nov. 2004 (teens) and
Jan.-June 2005 (adults)
Heavy on-demand users
Hundreds
40%
2005
2006
20%
0%
None
Light
Heavy
Heavy on-demand consumer doubles in one year
Arbitron Inc./Edison Media Research, 2006
Electronic media vs. print
Newspapers decline in popularity while
electronic media gains.
35%
30%
25%
20%
2002
2007
15%
10%
5%
0%
Internet
Newspapers
Radio
Television
Which media are you likely to use less?
Arbitron Inc./Edison Media Research, 2006
The BIG questions
• How does media affect
the way Catholics
approach their faith &
how must we change our
communication to reach
them?
• How can we best use the
media to communicate
our faith?