What Is Media Research? People like to spend their free time on mass media. Mass media includes both traditional and social media such as Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and many other sites. Any type of media used leaves an impact on various aspects of human life. This impact cannot be measured directly but various research methods can be used to measure these effects.
“Media Research in Pakistan is the study of the effects of different mass media on social, psychological and various physical aspects of human life”.
There are various methods to conduct media research.
- In-Depth Interviews
- Content Analysis
- Archival Research
- Focus Group
- Experimental Studies
SURVEY:
Surveys are done to find the reasons why a particular situation exists. Hypothesis or research questions are made by media researchers and then surveys are done to find answers to those questions. It is a quantitative method and its results can usually be generalized. Surveys can include both open-ended and close-ended questions.
Surveys are of two types
- Descriptive Surveys
- Analytical Surveys
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS:
In-depth interviews are done to understand or measure the media effects deeply. Detailed questions are asked of the participants. Those questions can be structured or unstructured. Then the answers given by the participants are analyzed to measure the effect of media on the participant. Usually, the results of in-depth interviews cannot be generalized.
CONTENT ANALYSIS:
Content analysis is a simple method. In the method of content analysis, an in-depth analysis of content is done. For following this method, the researcher first needs to define the media like Television, radio, or newspaper, and then he needs to define the media vehicle (program or article or news report) on which research is done. After that, the researcher needs to set the definitions so that the content can be characterized into different categories and finally, the analysis is done by using statistics for each category.
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH:
As the name suggests, archival research needs archival data to conduct research. The research is done by using old data. Old data can be taken from any source. Old newspapers, books, and magazines are usually available at public libraries. Older Television shows and programs can be downloaded from the official sites of the channel. Even older radio programs can be downloaded from their respective channels either free or by paying a small amount.
FOCUS GROUP:
In the Focus Group, a group of 6-12 individuals is made. These individuals are then asked the questions. Questions are usually asked by a moderator who moderates the discussion. The answers given by each individual are then analyzed to deuce results.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES:
In experimental studies, the experiments are done to study the effect of media on individuals and society.
It has many types like
- Field Observation
- Researcher Participation
- Laboratory Setting
Field Observation:
Infield observation, natural settings, or surroundings are kept the same. No changes are done in a natural setting. The researcher quietly observes the events happening in the setting without interfering.
Researcher Participation:
In this type, the natural setting remains the same but the researcher also actively participates in the events happening in that setting.
Laboratory Setting:
All the settings or the environment in which events are taking place are artificially created in a laboratory. The researcher then observes the effects of the media on its participants. This type of experimental setting is usually criticized for its artificial behaviour as it totally ignores the involvement of artefacts.