ANALYZING MEDIA MESSAGES

Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research

Abstract

Communication, be it written, verbal or symbolic, is the product of various processes and influences, thus coveys certain meanings or understanding to its consumers. Analyzing such messages require a proper approach to decode these influences and implicit meanings. Media messages are analyzed using different approaches; quantitative and qualitative. The qualitative approach deals with the subjective analysis of the message i.e. how the message conveys certain meanings? Whereas, the quantitative approach asks for an objective analysis of the media messages i.e. it deals with the extent or frequency to which a certain meaning or ideology has been expressed in the content. Each approach requires a systematic and rigorous analysis of the media messages. The book under review deals with the latter approach.