ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

An Analysis of Mass Media Consumption and Internet Usage Among Women in Karnataka

In contemporary era media is considered as one of the significant tools in society. Mass media are the technological instruments i.e print, radio, cinema, televisions and the internet reaches to the mass audience by providing infotainment and edutainment. Mass media materials speak to the most personal parts of individual’s lives and connect the user to the world. As a result, mass media industries are a major force in society. Mass communication’s power allows media consumers to share the materials they are reading and listening to with millions of people. Media literacy is defined as “the ability to apply critical thinking skills to the mass media, thereby becoming a more aware and responsible citizen—parent, voter, worker—in our media-driven society”. The National Leadership Conference on Media Literacy stated media literacy is “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate messages in a variety of forms”. The mass media’s social responsibility in society includes its ability to inform, educate, motivate, and mobilize the masses with regard to the political, social, economic and rural development issues. The objective of the study is to analyse the media literacy among women in Karnataka. The Survey method was adopted for the study. A questionnaire was prepared and the data was collected from 114 respondents. This study seeks to analyse the media habits and usage, programs, participation and impact of mass media.