Essay: Mass Communication and Social Change

Copyright © www.examrace.com
One of the objects of newspaper is to understand the popular feeling and give expression to it; another is to arouse among the people certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popular defects. M K Gandhi Historically, social structure and tradition in India remained impervious to major elements of modernity until the contact with the west began through colonization. This contact had a special historicity which brought about many farreaching changes in culture and social structure of Indian society. There was, however, one important feature of Indian modernization during the British period. The growth of this process was selective and segmental. It was not integrated with the microstructure of Indian society, such as family, caste, village community. At these levels, the British by and large followed a policy of least interference, especially after the rebellion of 1857. Later, in the twentieth century, as the nationalist movement gathered momentum which felt strong need to mobilize masses in the active policies. The press became the chief instrument for carrying out the task that is for arousing, training, mobilizing and consolidating nationalist public opinion. The influence of the media on Indian masses was tremendous. It not only educated the masses politically, but also motivated them to discard irrational, old and evil social practices. The media of communication which have accelerated the rate of growth and cultural diffusion of modernization have also been introduced in India by the colonial