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This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of books as a mass media. The cultural impact is examined as a criteria for being called "mass media". Bibliography lists 1 source.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KW60_KFbooks2.doc
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part in that exposure. Films and music are obvious examples of mass media: they are artifacts of media that are reproduced and disseminated millions of times to millions of viewers
and listeners, and viewing films and listening to music occupy a common role in the lives of most consumers of media in our culture. The role of books, however, is
more questionable. Considering the relative "niche" status of books when compared to other forms of mass media, can books rightfully be called mass media at all? Certainly, the numbers seem
to suggest that books have less "mass" appeal than competing forms of media. This is true even of established classics and best-sellers. For instance, Margaret Mitchells "Gone with the Wind"
sold 20 million copies over a period of forty years, while the film adaptation of the same novel once enjoyed some 50 million viewers during a single television broadcast (Dominick,
2008, p. 137). The upper limits of the average best-selling hardcover in todays market is, by contrast, some 125,000 copies sold (Dominick, 2008, p. 137). In order to understand why
books can rightly be considered mass media in spite of this, one must look at the sum cultural impact of books as a whole. Even if fewer people read books
than listen to music or see movies, the cultural impact of those books can still be quite great. Historical examples include Harriet Beecher Stowes "Uncle Toms Cabin", widely regarded as
being instrumental in shifting public opinion towards slavery in the United States, or Rachel Carsons "Silent Spring", which is credited with launching the movement towards environmental awareness that is now
one of our societys most pressing concerns (Dominick, 2008, p. 137). The cultural impact of books should be obvious in that books remain around, despite the fact that they are
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