The Fourth Medium Of Political And Social Functions,

In fact, political socialization is the course of cultivation which targets at making the general political people with political culture of a certain social mainstream. Meanwhile, it is the course of maintaining or changing the political system. As main channel of politics travel, comparing with family, school, peer group comparison, the mass media has larger space and better result.Traditional mass media includes newspapers, radio and television. May 1998, the United Nations Committee on Information firstly use official use of the title of the "fourth media " to describe the emerging Internet on annual meeting. Since then, the Internet media appear on the media stage with the status of the "fourth media". With its unprecedented experience means of communication, the "fourth media" bring a revolutionary change and impact to the information dissemination industry. In recent years, the rapid development of the Internet produced an extensive and profound impact on the human political, economic, cultural and social fields. It has promoted political information's accesses and exchanges, expanded the channels of political participation for citizens, and speeded up the process of political democratization, thus the Internet became an important channel of political socialization. Its role and functions have not only limited to simple information dissemination process, but also involved in the course of Internalization of social individuals, as well as the formation of attitudes of the whole political system. Its function stretches into more and more invisible corners. Particularly in the field of political life, besides the transmission of political messages, the fourth media influenced the setting up of political agendas, achieved a multi-level political communication and more comprehensive political and public supervise. In the political communication, the function of political socialization of the fourth media had a wide range of play in the transmission of political culture, construction of modern political values, establishment of political attitudes, shaping of the political character and executing of the political education and training.We should not overlook that a lot of technical and regulatory issues hidden behind the advantage of the unique transmission mode of the fourth medium. For example, prominent information security risk; diverse information impact on political culture and political values; over random of comments and uncertainty of the public opinion increased the difficulty of grasping the direction of public opinion; the existence of the knowledge gap widened the difference between the publics' political attitudes. These negative factors have impeded the fourth media to play an effective political and social feature. Thus we should improve the technology, enhance the legal system, guide the moral development, and cultivate citizenship at the same time to reinforce the control of its function of political socialization.The dissertation focuses on the analysis of the political socialization function of the fourth media, use the theory models of relevant fields such as political science, mass communication, sociology, specifically the characteristics of the fourth media and its promoting effect of political socialization. On the base of analysis of existing problems and the fourth media management system obstacles, the dissertation discuss the corresponding policies and measures in order to supply proper choices of how to exert its political socialization function.