ABSTRACT
The
purpose of this study is to discuss and analyze the function of mobile phones
on mass news reports. However, a concise definition of mobile phone and also
the mobile phone will be given in the initial stage of the study because one
cannot discuss the mobile phone without the internet. The internet and the
function of mobile phones. Though the
short coming or disadvantages will be mentioned, the functions of the mobile
phones also will be emphasized.
Keywords: mass
media, mobile phones, internet.
INTRODUCTION
Mobile
phones were first introduced in Japan in the year 1979 and later became a mass
media in 1988 when the first downloadable ringing tones were introduced in
Finland. Soon, most forms of media
content were introduced on mobile phones, tablets and other portable devices.
Today
the total value of media consumed on mobile vastly exceeds that of the internet
and was with over 31 Billion Dollars in 2007. Mobile phones have so many unique
benefits which many media experts claim makes the mobile more powerful than the
internet or television. Starting with mobile phones being permanently carried
and always connected, mobile phones have the best audience accuracy and like
most mass media, it has an in built payment channel available to every user
without any credit cards or pay-pal accounts or even an age limit.
Mobile
phone is called the seventh mass media and was introduced in Nigeria under the
leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the year 1994 as part of the
deregulation of the communication sector amidst other sectors of the economy.
The introduction led to a radical change in the communication sphere of the
country and has continued to shape the lives of its citizens in information
dissemination.
DEFINATION
OF TERMS
INTERNET:
the internet is a network of interlinked computer networking worldwide, which
is accessible to the general public. These inter-connected computers work by transmitting
data through a special type of packet switching knowing as the internet
protocol.
MOBILE
PHONES: mobile phones can be defined as an electronic telecommunication device,
often referred to as a cellular phone or cell phone. Mobile phone are connected
to a wireless communication network through wave or satellite transmission,
most mobile phones provide voice communication like short messages
services(SMS), multimedia message service(MMS) and it is also provide internet
services such as web browsing and email.
NETWORK:
a network is a group of two or more computer systems linked together and
computer networks include
-
Local area networks (LANs)
-
Wide-area networks (WANs)
-
Campus area-area networks (CANs)
-
Metropolitan-area (MANs)
-
Home-area network (HANs)
MOBILE
COMMUNITY: Mobile community is a network of interpersonal ties that provide a sociability,
support, information, a sense of belonging, social identity and which always
connect its members regardless of where they go.
THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
The
theoretical framework that gives this paper authenticity is the Media
Dependency Theory. It was propounded by Sandra Ball- Rokeach and Melvin Defleur
in 1976. The theory states that the more dependent a person is on a media for
having his/her needs fulfilled, the more important the media will be to that
person. The key idea to this theory is that audiences depend on the media for
information to meet their needs, goals and interest. The degree of dependency
is also influenced by the number of information, function and social on
sub-stability.
According
to Yaroson and Asemah cited in Asemah (2008) the basis of media influence resides
in the relationship between the larger social systems, the media’s role in that
system and audience relationship to the media, the degree of dependence on the
media and their content is key variable in understanding why and were the media
messages alter audience beliefs, feelings or behaviors.
Media
dependency theory which is also known as media system dependency theory has been
explored as an extension or an addition to the uses and gratification on
approach which emphasizes audience needs. Both however are in agreement that
media use can lead to media dependency. Defleur and Balls-Rokeach (1976)
describe dependency as the correlating relationship between media content. The
nature of society and behavior of audiences, it examines both macro and micro
factors influencing motives, information-seeking strategies, media and
functional alternative use and dependency on certain media.
According
to LittleJohn (2002) people will become more dependent on media that meet a
number of their needs than on a media that provide only a few ones. If a person
finds a media that provides him with several functions that are central to his
desire, he will be more inclined to continue the use if that particular medium
in the future.
The
reason for adopting this theory in this study is because of the use the basis
of media influence which resides in relationship between larger social systems,
the medias roles in that system and the audience relationship to the media” the
media plays a great role in our society and since the theory state that the
more information an individual get need their need is fulfilled, the more important
the medium is to them. One of the easiest way for media houses to get more
closer to its audience and also to know their view on an issue is through the
mobile phone. This can be done by organizing feedback methods like call-in
programmes, text-ins, interviews, vox-pop etc. from the audience to gather
opinion about any issue.
IMPORTANCE
OF MOBILE PHONE
Marshall
Mcluhan prophecy of “the world becoming a global village through the use of the
internet” has a great role to play in the discussion. Now we can access
whatever he/she want to on the internet through the mobile phone. According to
Tomi .T. Ahonen, in his book the mobile
as mass the seventh 7th media
he said that
The
cellphone is emerging as a mass media. Twice as many cellphones as TV sets,
three times as many subscribes as internet users, four times as many cellphones
as personal computers, four times as many cellphones as cars. 31% of all music
dollars spent worldwide already goes to the worldwide array of cellphone based
music service. 20% of videos gaming software service revenues. Advertising,
news, TV, internet giants, social networking and even Hollywood movies and
printed books are now rushing to capture their share of the 7th mass
media.
MOBILE
PHONE AS THE 7TH MASS MEDIA.
Mobile as the seventh mass media is as much
superior to the internet as a TV is to a radio, today at 2.7 Billion mobile
phone users, there are three times as many
mobile phones as personal computers, and over a quarter of all internet
access is already from mobile phones. Mobile phones emerge as a seventh mass
media by the year 2000. Mobile phone is the first mass media channel can do
anything everything each of the size previous mass media channel that can do.
This shall be discussed below:
i.
Mobile phones can
replicate all the traditional mass media e.g we can rad printed content like
newspapers (print, the first mass media)
ii.
We can download music
recordings (social mass media)
iii.
Watch movies (third
mass media)
iv.
Listen to radio (fourth
mass media)
v.
Watch television(fifth
mass media)
vi.
The phone can also copy
all of the legacy of the personal computer (PC) based internet today (sixth
mass media)
Though not all of it is as convenient or
comfortable, but all is possible on advanced handsets or mobile today. Ahonen
(2000) posits that “magazines and newspapers only sell circulations but on
mobile we know every single user”. Mobile is the first mass media with built in
payment mechanism.
UNIQUE BENEFIT OF THE MOBILE PHONE AS A CHANNEL
·
Mobile is the first
personal mass media.
·
Mobile is permanently
carried.
·
Mobile is always on.
·
Mobile has in built
payment mechanism.
·
Mobile is always
available at the point of creative inspiration.
·
Mobile has the most accurate
audience measurement.
·
Mobile captures the
social context of media consumption.
·
Mobile enables augmented
reality.
·
Mobile offers a digital
interface to the real world.
THE RELEVANCE OF
THE MOBILE PHONE TO MASS NEWS REPORTS.
Mobile phones
can be said to be very important to the mass media channel, the public and the
masses. On the side of the media, mobile phones has made the job of the
journalist more easier in terms of getting information on time and it has also
reduced the cost of transportation for example, if a journalist needs thousands
of naira to go and get information, the can buy air time far less than that
amount and still get the information they need.
For the public/audience,
newspapers are now readily available online using data instead of going to a
newspaper stand to buy one. This saves time and money. The audience can also
listen to radio through the mobile phone and even watch TV on some smart
phones. This again has also reduced the cost of fueling a generator when the
electricity company seizes power and saved money that would have been used to
buy radio batteries.
CHALLENGES/LIMITATIONS
OF THE MOBILE PHONE TO MASS NEWS REPORT
In as much as
mobile phones are of great relevance to the mass media and information dissemination,
it faces some challenges such as:
v Battery
failure.
v The
phone itself might get spoilt at the point of need(reporting /interview)
v In
some cases, one may not get the clarity in terms of taking pictures or videotaping.
v The
mobile memory card might get corrupt or damaged. In this event, the journalist
loses all his vital documents that are stored on the card.
v Network
may also fail at the time when it is most needed.
THE
NIGERIAN SITUATION
In Nigeria, the
elite urban dwellers who have continuous access to internet connection
use/depend on it for their access to news and other news content. This
dependency is taken advantage on by bloggers, and newspaper houses who have
their content online. They do this by exploiting Nigerain’s through
subscription fee or by posting substandard content online.
RECOMMENDATION
Knowing that
there is a correlation between the mass media and the mobile phone, (which is
now the seventh mass media channel) it will be wise for journalist not to
totally bank on it because of its many insufficiencies for now.
The journalist
should always be ready with various tools of information gathering (like midgets,
camera’s, pen and paper etc.) especially in developing countries like Nigeria
were power supply is epileptic and fake smart phones are pilfered into the
country which can result to its failure when you are in dire need of it.
REFRENCE
Mcquail,
D.(2007) Mass commu ication theory . London: sage. Tehrainain
Ahonen,
T.(200b) mobile as the seventh media
Asemah
E. (2011) selected mass media themes
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