CHAPTER l: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AND ITS METHODOLOGY Analysts of the mass media tend to agree that the organizational nature of mass communication has important consequences for the shaping of those messages which are distributed to large, dispersed audiences (see, for example, Wright, 1975, p. 8). Many scholars have commented, as well, upon the importance which mass produced, widely shared, message systems have for individuals and society. One especially persuasive perspective on the significance of mass communication has been articulated by Gerbner (1972) and is encapsulated in the following passage: