Mass Media vs Oral Media

Community and Interactivity

• Oral Media: associated with small communities, face-to-face interactions, and a sense of immediacy, fostering a strong sense of community and direct engagement.
• Mass Media: targets larger, diverse audiences, but with limited direct interaction and a less pronounced sense of community.

Form of Content

• Oral Media: primarily spoken words, stories, and interpersonal exchanges, with possible non-verbal elements like gestures and expressions.
• Mass Media: content can take various forms, including text, audio, video, and multimedia, often professionally produced and polished.

Scale and Reach

• Oral Media: generally has a local or community focus, reaching a limited audience in specific settings.
• Mass Media: has the potential to reach a vast and diverse audience, spanning regions, countries, and even global audiences.

Technology Dependency

• Oral Media: relies on direct human communication without the need for sophisticated technology.
• Mass Media: involves the use of technology for broadcasting, printing, and digital distribution.

Recording and Preservation

• Oral Media: relies on memory, repetition, and oral traditions for the transmission of information, with no permanent record.
• Mass Media: allows for the creation of permanent records through various media channels, enabling information storage, archiving, and retrieval.

Professionalism and Production

• Oral Media: often informal, personal, and based on immediate needs, with a focus on direct communication.
• Mass Media: involves professional production, editorial standards, and a structured approach to content creation.

Names and Identification

• In Yoruba culture, names can indicate specific times, birth order, or circumstances of birth.
• Names can serve as connections to departed family members and function as a system of record-keeping.
• Examples of names and their meanings: Abosede, Obianuju, Obianibeli, Akin-, Ogun-.

Communication Functions of Rivers

• Cultural Identity and Heritage: Rivers hold cultural significance and are integral to the identity and heritage of many African communities.
• Symbolism and Metaphor: Rivers are used as symbols and metaphors to convey deeper meanings and messages.
• Spirituality and Rituals: Rivers serve as sacred spaces in African spirituality, and rituals associated with rivers play a significant role in communication with the divine.
• Oral Traditions and Storytelling: Rivers feature prominently in oral traditions and storytelling, acting as settings for myths, legends, and historical narratives.
• Trade and Economic Communication: Rivers served as major trade routes, facilitating economic communication and the exchange of goods and ideas.
• Community Gathering and Social Communication: Rivers often act as natural gathering spaces, fostering social communication and community interaction.
• Environmental Communication: The state and behavior of rivers can convey environmental messages, reflecting ecological conditions and the impact of human activities.

Town Announcers or Gongmen

• Traditional announcers of community news, decisions, instructions, laws, and other issues in rural African societies.
• Act as 'broadcasting stations' of modern times, conveying information to the whole community.
• Announcements cover everybody within the community and are the responsibility of the community.
• Town announcers are rewarded through barter and exempted from community labor.

The Communication Functions of Folklores

• Folklores are stories that teach lessons about human traits, meant for entertainment, but also used for education, especially in early life.
• They are vehicles for transmitting cultural information, instruction, socialization, and education.
• Folklores are used to promote development and acceptable behavior in society.
• They play a crucial role in the socialization of children in African communities, educating and inculcating traditional social values.
• Folklores serve as means of social control, reinforcing traditional values, such as honesty, integrity, hard work, and faithfulness.

This quiz compares and contrasts oral media and mass media, highlighting their differences in community building, interactivity, and content style.