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1、JournalofCommunication,December2004TheoryandResearchinMassCommunicationByJenningsBryantandDorinaMironWritingaboutthestateoftheartofmasscommunicationtheoryandresearchevokesvividimagesofthoseunfortunateon-sitereportersforTheWeatherChan-nelwhogetstuckdoingstand-upliveshot
2、srightafterthehurricanehassubsided,orthesnowhasstopped,orthefunnelcloudhasdisappeared,which,ofcourse,alwayshappenstheverymomentthedirectorswitchestotheremotefeed.Whathabituallyresultsisbeleagueredandbedraggledreporterswholookandsoundlikeblitheringidiotstryingtodescribe
3、andexplainsomethingthatnolongerexists.Likevolatilestormyweather,atsomelevelchangesinmasscommunicationtheoryandresearchoccuralmosttoorapidlyandunpredictablyforeventhebest-intentionedreporterstochronicleandexplainaccurately.Someverygoodreasonsforthesechallengestoprecised
4、escriptionsandexpla-nationsofmasscommunicationexist,andmanyofthemaretiedtochangesinthemediathatcontributecontentandcontexttotheprocesses,effects,systems,andinstitutionswestudy:Forexample,(a)allofthemediaofmasscommunicationareundergoingdramaticchangesinform,content,ands
5、ubstance(e.g.,Levins,1997),whichareexplainedonlypartiallybythenotionofconvergence;(b)newerformsofinteractivemedia,suchastheInternet,arealteringthetraditionalmasscommunicationmodelfromthatofcommunicationofone-to-manytocommuni-cationofmany-to-many(Li,1998);(c)mediaowners
6、hippatternsareshiftingdra-maticallyandsometimesruthlesslyinwaysthattendtodisregardtheentertain-ment,informational,educational,political,andsocialneedsofconsumersandthatpotentiallycausemajorproblemsfortheirhostsocieties(e.g.,McChesney,2004);(d)theviewingpatternsandhabit
7、sofaudiencesworldwidearechangingsorapidlyastobealmostmercurial(e.g.,considerthetransitionfromchildren’sbedroomstochildren’smediarooms;Rideout,Foehr,Roberts,&Brodie,1999);(e)theverynatureoftheprimaryunitinwhichmostmediaconsumptiontakesplace—thefamily—isundergoingremarka
8、blechangesinitsownrightthatmark-JenningsBryant(PhD,IndianaUniversity)isadistinguishedresearchprofessorintheCollegeofC
