The Explorer Islamabad: Journal of Social Sciences

ISSN: 2411-0132(E), 2411-5487(P)

Vol-1, Issue (11):409-412
www.theexplorerpak.org

MASS MEDIA INFLUENCE IN OUR SOCIETY: AN EVALUATION AT JHELUM CITY

Farhan Riaz1, Shazia Mehmood1, Zakir Hussain1, Muhammad Shahzad1, Hassan Abbas2
1
Department of Sociology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, 2Department of Sociology,
Bahuddin Zakria University, Multan
Corresponding Author:
Farhan Riaz Bhutta
PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi
farhanriaz8@gmail.com
Abstract: In the world of today, media has turn out to be as necessary as foodstuff and clothing. It has played
significant role in amplification of the society. Media is considered as "mirror" of the contemporary society, in fact, it is
the media which shapes our lives. In present study, the significant focus was to judge the most effective type of mass
media in our daily routine lives. The study was qualitative and quantitative in Nature. It was conducted at Abbas Pura
Jhehlum city. A sample of two hundred people was collected through simple random sampling technique. Then data
was analyzed through spss (version 14.0). According to findings, it was found that electronic media had great influence
in their daily routine life. The findings of the study may benefit the T.V administrations to reschedule their transmission
according to viewers desire.

Key Words: Effective Media, influence, social Problems

INTRODUCTION
Mass media extremely influence the views and
consciousness of the population about political,
economic and social life within the society. So
before long we can say that mass media and
awareness are highly integrated with each other
and it is a well-built agent of socialization of
individuals and groups like family and educational
institute.
Todays mass media radio, television, and the press
consist of an important element of contemporary
mans environment (Wells 1972). Modern mass
media is very contemporary phenomenon and are
changing fast. Todays youth is fully attuned to
television, while their parents grew up with radio,
and their grandparents may still marvel at the
novelty of the broadcast voice. This media
revolution is taking place in a simple generation,
and the entire globe may be on the threshold of
new media breakthrough in the age of satellites
and advanced electronics. For this reason the role
of the media and their impact on society must be
constantly updated.
Television as a major source of information about
the world outside their own homes and
neighborhood. It taught them human personality
types. Sex and occupational roles, and about ethnic
groups and social classes other than their own.
Children had little direct contact with the
occupational world, so they derived their

knowledge about many occupations from the mass

media (Nobel 1980).
Reported that more people use television that any
of the other media and its viewers includes all
social groups and classes. It is the most nearly
universal medium (Williams 1985).
Mass media was most important in attracting
awareness and interest. Friends and neighbors
were first in importance in the evaluation trial and
adoption stages. Rate of adoption was defined as
the relative speed in which an innovation is
measured by the length of time required for certain
percentage of members of a system to adopt an
innovation (Supe 1987).
The consequences of the roles the media play in
our lives. The media often tells us what should and
what should not be important to us socially,
culturally,
educationally,
politically
and
economically. The major events in the world about
which most of us have strong beliefs and attitudes,
undoubtedly have been brought to our awareness,
interpreted, and assigned value through media and
not through personal experience (Alexander 1990).
the phenomenal growth in mass media channels
have lead to an expansion of the roles it could play
in various areas apart from performing the function
of providing information, public opinion and social
attitudes, entertainment and brining about greater
social integration. In contemporary times, the
media plays an important role in providing
information through news reports and analysis,

409

which is beneficial in assessing political

performance. The mass media have are now
regarded as intervening influences in creating
political awareness and assessment of political
performance. The mass media have different
effects on rural and urban population depending
upon their literacy rates, exposure to media, level
of political awareness and interest in politics.
Mass media is a culture force, which not only
reflects the social reality, but also modifies it
according to the demand of the age. The contents
of the media serve as a model and source for
identification and gratification of certain
psychological needs. The part of the media popular
in any specific segmentation of the society conveys
that it is providing some psychological gratification
for the specific group (Seema 1992).
The status of media as the major social vehicle for
transformation and translation customs, tradition
and norms, the role of electronics media and print
media becomes extremely crucial in social decision
making. But the media including newspapers as
such cannot be solely blamed for not fulfilling its
role in creating social awareness regarding a gender
issue like dowry it remains one of its supreme
obligations in analysis of report revealed some
interesting facts about the issues covered in the
Pakistani press. A sample of six Pakistani print
publications showed that only 2.12% of the total
space was dedicated towards social problems like
environment, health and population (Shehzad
2003).
Social needs are defined in various ways by
different scholars. To some extent, a social need is
a need which one conceives in his own
environment: this may not be universalized to the
other groups of the society. For example,
employment, good food, health facilities, justice,
security etc are social needs, which became social
problems when remain unmet. Mass media
communication is more important in changing
cognition. The role of mass media may be mainly to
achieve a climate for modernization rather than to
provide specific details needed for adoption of
innovation. Audience for the electronic mass media
is larger than for the print media (Rogers 1969).
Mass media are those communication media by
which information, ideas, opinions and knowledge
are transmitted to large number of people in the
population at the same time and which have been
introduced since the development of mechanism
and electronic technologies (Selfe 1993).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research is the organized way to explore the real
facts that contribute in any sort of problem
pertaining in any society. This research was done to
dig up the role of electronic media which is creating
and making people aware of their problems in their
society. The aim was to over view the most
effective type of mass media and its role in this
regard. Different tools and techniques were used in
the collection of data. The study was conducted in
the locale of Abbas pura, the city area of Jhehlum
city. A sample of 200 people was gathered through
a sampling procedure normally known as simple
random sample. Bothe the gender was taken as
Sample and all were belonging to different spheres
of life. Different sort of literature was review and in
the spot light of that literature, a questionnaire was
designed. It was than pre tested in the field before
going and gathering the 200 sample data. After
collecting the required data than it was analyzed
through spss and below listed results were drawn.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The intention of the study to converse with the
respondents Major analyses are presented below:
Table. 1: Distribution of Respondents Regarding
Age.
Responses

Frequency

Percentage

Less than 17

28

14.0%

18-25

51

25.5%

26-33

39

19.5%

34-41

52

26.0%

42-49

27

13.5%

58 +

1.5%

Total

200

100.0

Table illustrates that there were 28 respondents

who were less than 17 and in the second category
of age the respondents were 51. In the third
category of age group 26-33, respondents were 39
and in the fourth category 34-41, people were 52.
27 respondents were in the age group of 42-49. In
the last level of maximum age group was +58, and
only 3 respondents were selected.
Table. 2: Distribution of Respondents Regarding
Gender and Marital Status.
Responses
Male
Female
Total
Marital Status
Married
Unmarried
Total

Frequency
169
31
200

Percentage
84.5%
15.0%
100

132
68
200

66.0%
34.0%
100

410

Responses

Frequency

Percentage

Govt. employee

19

9.5%

Business

121

60.5%

Private

29

14.5%

Unemployed

31

15.5%

Total

200

100.0

Table reflects that 9.5% respondents were having

Government job and the maximum number of
respondents were those who had their business,
they were 121 in numbers. 14.5% respondents
were having private jobs and 31 respondents were
jobless.
Table. 4: Distribution of Respondents Regarding
Education
Responses

Frequency

Percentage

Illiterate

52

26.0%

Middle

40

20.0%

Metric

24

12.0%

Intermediate

19

9.5%

Graduate

42

21.0%

Postgraduate /

23

11.5%

Above
Total

120

100

Table exposes that 52 respondents were illiterate

and their percentage was 26. Those who had
middle passed in education they were 40 and they
contribute 20% in this. Metric pass respondents 24
in numbers and they contributed in 12%. 9.5 %
respondents were intermediate level of education
and their number is education column is 19.
Graduate respondents were 42 in numbers and
their percentage was 21. Postgraduates or those
who have above qualification, they were 23 in
numbers and they their contribution in this column
is 11.5%.
Most of the respondents belong to middle class
family background, so that is why they were 52 in
numbers. The locale of this research also contains
the postgraduates or above qualified persons who
were selected in this research. The minimum
percentage showed us about the education level of
respondents who were just intermediate pass or
having the certification level of it.

were 169 out of 200 of sample and the frequency of

Table. 5: Cross Tabulation with Type Of Media &
Age Group.
Type of Mass
Media
Electronic Print
media
media
Less
than
17

% within Age

% within Age

28

71.4%

28.6%

100%

44

51

86.3%

13.7%

100%

36

39

92.3%

7.7%

100%

43

52

82.7%

17.3%

100%

19

27

29.6%

70.4%

100%

.0%

100.0%

100%

151

49

200

75.5%

24.5%

100%

26-33
% within Age
34-41
% within Age
42-49
% within Age
58 +
% within Age
Total
% within Age

Total

20

18-25

Age

Table explains that the total male respondents

Female were 31 which inputs 15.0% of overall
sample. Out of 200 respondents 132 were married
and 68 respondents were unmarried.
Table. 3: Distribution of Respondents Regarding
Their Occupation

Table proved that in the less than 17 category of

age group, 20 gave their answer in the favor of
electronic media and 8 said about print media. In
18-25, 44 respondents said electronic media and 7
said print media. In 26-33 category 36 respondents
vote for electronic media and only 3 gave answer
for print media. In 34-41 category 43 said electronic
media and 9 respondents said print media. In 4249 level of age group, 8 said about electronic media
and 19 said print media. In 58+ age group of
category, no one said about electronic media but
there were 3 in numbers for print media.
Table. 6: Distribution of Respondents Regarding
What is the Role of Media in Behavioral Change?
Responses

Frequency

Percentage

Positive

69

34.5%

Negative

114

57.0%

Neutral

17

8.5%

Total

200

100.0

Table demonstrate that the maximum percentage

of those who had given their opinion in negative,
they were 114 and 57% of the total sample. The
minimum percentage of respondents was 8.5 and
was 17 in number who gave the neutral answer
against this question. 69 respondents were said
that positively about this question and they were
34.5%.

411

Table. 7: Distribution of Respondents Regarding that

What People Think about Media.
Shows the reality?
Responses

Frequency

Percentage

Yes
No
Dont Know
Total

28
172
0
200

14.0%
86.0%
0%
100

Is responsible for the

aggressive attitude of People
Frequency
Percentage
124
63
13
200

In this table three different categories were

defined. The first category was asked about the
reality that media reflects. A big number of 172
respondents said that media did not show the
reality at all and the 28 respondents said yes which
media show the reality of life. Media is shaping the
lives of people, this can been seen in the second
category. 62% respondents gave their opinion that
media is responsible for the aggressive attitude of
people and 31% respondents said that no, media is
not responsible for it. And 6.5% response gave no
opinion about this question. Third category is about
the violence in people because of the media. 67%
respondents said that yes media is doing all this
sort of change in people. Though, 28% respondents
said that no, media is not contributing in it. The
respondents were said that they dont know about
this, they were 5%.
CONCLUSION
Through present research, it was found that
electronic media is very influential in the reshaping
of peoples life. It has great influence on daily
routine life of individual of the society. This
research found that according the respondents
perception about the media is very much wrong.
They said media is responsible for violence in
people attitude. Aggressiveness is the second one
bad thing that media is inserting in the mind of
individuals. It is clear now, print media is also
important but people have more interest in
electronic media rather in print media. It was found
through this research that people think that though
electronic media is very informative but this is also
destroying us morally. As they think media has
negative effect on their minds. It is concluded that
mass media especially electronic media has great
influence on the individuals minds and the society
as well where we live.
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1990 Terrorism and the Media. Maxwell
Macmillan Pergamon Publishing. U.S.A.

62.0%
31.5%
6.5%
100

Is responsible for the

violence in people
Frequency
Percentage
134
56
10
200

67.0%
28.0%
5.0%
100

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1980 Children in Front of Small Screen. Sage
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Two
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Step
Flow
Publications,

of
San

Publication Date: Dec-1-2015

2015The Explorer Islamabad Journal of Social Sciences-Pakistan

412