Sociological aspects of mass media: construction of reality

The Sociological Aspects of Mass Media: Reality Construction SUMMARY Mass media is a powerful society institution that has a power to create stereotypes, that‘s why some questions arise: is Lithuanian society adequately informed about the events in the country and abroad? Does mass media always properly use its symbolic? Does her action always match the interests of civil society? Lithuanian mass media is not only the most trustful institution in Lithuania but also is one of the most important sources of information. The high level of mass media confidence, controversial and questionable presentation of information and events in Lithuanian society and the intention to look at this social institution from the other point of view – not from the audience but from the agent of mass media, encouraged to take an interest in this social institution and try to reveal its working principles in selecting, processing and presenting information to the society. The purpose of this work is to reveal an inner ideology of the mass media and critically evaluate the mass media as a mean of reality construction on the ground of the experience of mass media agents. There are reviewed the common features and peculiarity of the press and television. The common mass media aspects are analyzed on the ground of various sociological and communicative theories that are assigned to mass media. There are discussed M. McLuhan’s, J. Baudrillard’s, C. McCullagh’s, P. Berger‘s, T. Luckmann‘s and some others theoretical ideas. On the ground of the experience of mass media‘s agents, there are revealed the main principles of information selection, the stylistic and technical means to present the infomation and the strategy and commercial interest of the mass media. Our knowledge of the world is formed by the information that mass media agents present to us. In this selective way the agents of mass media have a power to form and restrict our perception of the reality. The news that we receive, are the versions of events, presented and formed by the agents of mass media, that are depend on their relations and possibilities, experience, expertise and moral values, political attitude and their chance to reach the news-makers. Mass media can service for the purpose of the civil society at the same time be interested in its commercial interests. Everything depends on the inner ideology, i.e. on the principles of information selection, its processing and presenting