China's Mass Media In The New Era Of Political Culture

"Mass Media" is a core concept in the modern society. Study on the functions of mass media in political culture remains with that of its political effects, which is an important part of study in political culture. Along with the deepening of China's reform and opening up, China is in the period of social transformation. The rapid development of information technology brings people to an era of mass media with the characteristics of globalization, internet and market. The sovereignty thus faces unprecedented challenges in developing as well as inheriting and passing on its political culture in such a global village. China's mass media in the new period plays an extremely important role in the forming and developing of its political attitudes, political values and political thought. As a result, it is of great importance and much significance to study on the functions of China's mass media in political culture. This thesis consisting of three parts investigates the functions of China's mass media in the new period in its political culture. The first part defines such basic concepts as China's mass media in the new period and functions in political culture and reviews and reorganizes the theories of the relationship between media and politics as well as the culture of mass media. Western scholars, Frankfurt School and Birmingham School in particular, have had a profound study of mass media's effects on popular culture. This part also introduces the study of media and politics or political culture of China's academia. The second part reviews the development of mass media, the interactions of China's mass media and political culture and the progress of China's mass media in the new period. This part expounds the effects on political culture of different media including print media like newspapers, magazines and books, audiovisual media like radio, television , and Net Media like the Internet and mobile messaging service, which foreshadows the analysis in the third part of this thesis. The third part analyses the functions of China's mass media in its political culture. China's mass media has such functions as forming and effecting political attitudes, establishing and reforming political values, leading political trends and developing political thought. In forming and effecting political attitudes, this thesis examines the relations of political cognition, political affect and political attitudes. In establishing and reforming political values, this thesis puts forward political values including liberty, equality, democracy and human rights and expounds those values with one or two typical cases. In leading political trends and developing political thought, this thesis highlights the functions of China's mass media in giving full scope to the central theme of our time while promoting nationality and advocating diversity. The original part of this thesis is that it detects the distinctive role of mass media by discussing its dynamic functions in political culture and examining the motivation and accomplishments of China's development in its political culture. This thesis tracks the changes of political attitudes, values and thought by analyzing the role of mass media. In China, Marxism as the country's mainstream is unshakable but we should adapt our mind to the changing situation and develop it in an unceasing changing political culture. China's mass media in the new period should have an ample space to give better play its functions in political culture in the socialist country ruled by law.