Society arises in , develop through , survives by communication , which means the transmission of messages and transactions. As a means of political communication, mass media have probably become of supreme importance as it effects not only individuals but also the way politics is conducted and its main activities organised. The mass media will affects the individuals knowledge about , and attachment to , the political system as a whole and this can happen over along period of time as the structure of media changes or it can happen more quickly by coverage of particular issues and people. Secondly the relationship between political system as a whole and its constituent institutions may be affected. The third effects is the relationship between the institutions themselves. Fourthly, the mass media is likely to affects the relation between individual and institutions as the case of support for a particular party or the attraction of individual to a leaders .
The media help to establish an order of priorities in society about its problems and objectives. They do this, not by initiating or determining, but publishing according to ‘’ an agreed scale of values’’ that is determined elsewhere, usually in the political system. The mass media have also important consequences for other social institutions (politics and education in particular, religion in some cases and, to a lesser degree, legal institutions and the military .
In short , the mass media do have important consequences for individual , for political institutions and political culture. But the question of the power of mass media in essence , involves the critical question: How effectively the mass media can and do achieve objectives over others at the will of those who direct, own or control them or who use them as channels for messages. The history of mass media shows clearly enough that such control is regarded as a valued form of property for those seeking political or economic power. Control over the mass media offers several important possibilities.
- The people in ways which can favour those with power and correlatively divert attention from the rival individuals or groups.
- The mass media can confer status and mobilisation, it can be a channel for persuasion and mobilisation.
- It can bring certain kinds of public into being and maintain them.
- The mass media is are a vehicle for offering psychic rewards and gratification. They can divert and amuse and they can flatter.
The mass communication is a valuable instrument in stretching power in a society. To conclude, mass media dominate the mental life of modern societies. The mass communications are mediated in complex ways and their effects on the audience depends on factors, such as class, social context, values , beliefs, emotional state, and even the time of day.
