Mass Communication

**Mass communication** is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. In many imaginary worlds, mass communication is not present, but on Ijzeria, it is very much a part of public life.

## Spirit/Media Interference and its Effect on the Limits of Mass Media

Ijzeria is a world of magic and mysticism, and although this has shaped the world into a beautiful place of strange wonders, there are some aspects of the natural world which make specific advances in technology harder to achieve than in our own world.

**Spirit/Media interference** is a major phenomenon which encompasses several patterns of behaviour that spirits can show towards media technology.

1. **Nibbling.** Spirits are often attracted to electricity, and when gathered in sufficient numbers will cause power outages by draining the electricity through electro osmosis, or they will damage electrical equipment by actually chewing away at it or striking it.
2. **Confusion.** This is the most prevalent form of spirit/media interference, since it represents not just an interruption of service for the communication system, but also considerable suffering on the part of the spirit. Because spirits often get confused by moving images and high frequency broadcasts, these technologies aren't as popular around the world as they could be.
3. **Opposition.** The previous two forms of SMI come from spirits which are either unintelligent or under duress. A stable, healthy, intelligent spirit will not be confused by moving pictures, and isn't too likely to bite at wires. However, there are some intelligent spirits which simply do not agree with certain types of technology, and so they will work against it, or even destroy it. In these cases, most communities will simply go without, since spirits have rights too, and it's easier for humanoids to leave their homes than it is for spirits to leave their habitats.

### Spirit Confusion and its Causes

Spirits which wander throughout the physical world navigate using different senses than living organisms. Without a physical body, spirits cannot see using light or feel using nerve endings, and instead will view the world through things like detecting changes in spirit pressure and sensing chi signatures. Spirits have a variety of senses, each of which is roughly analogous to the five major senses realworld humans have, but while in the world of the living, these senses are less precise, and can lead to considerable confusion.

#### Spirits and Motion Picture

Spirits have demonstrated a clear inability to separate reality from fantasy when viewing motion pictures or videos. In many cases, spirits simply cannot see video at all, but for those that spirits that do see motion picture, they will perceive the onscreen action as reality. Unless a spirit is sentient, stable, and calm, that spirit will inevitably startle or panic at any video it is shown. Even films which do not depict violence or intense action may confuse or alarm a spirit, since the simple act of cutting from scene to scene will give a spirit the sensation of being "teleported". For this reason, outdoor video displays are often quite limited.

#### **Spirits and Recorded Music**

Spirits have shown a far greater understanding and appreciating for pre-recorded music. This is because music which is recorded in analogue format on pressed vinyl records sounds much more natural to a spirit than radio signal, and changing pitch and tone is something that occurs much more readily in nature compared to the shifting visuals of motion picture. Music and sound which is recorded through digital means has the same disruptive effects as film and radio when played, though the precise cause of this isn't currently confirmed.

#### Spirits and Radio Signal

Many spirits and even some organisms have been shown to "hear" radio signals. In particular, ethereal spirits can both hear and then talk back in radio frequency. This means that radio signals can be transmitted only within highly urbanised areas, otherwise, wild spirits will inevitably come across them and become confused. This can be anything from a spirit simply being irritated, to a spirit being enraged by all the voices it is hearing and becoming violent. Radio signals which occur in nature are usually created by lightning, or astronomical sources; both of these phenomena are very jarring to most spirits.

#### Spirits and Television Signal

Despite the fact that most television signal is simply "noise" information which is decoded by the television's receiver, some spirits have been known to sense television signal as though it were real. Even though this is the rarest form of spirit-media-interference, it is the most destructive when it does occur. For this reason, broadcast television is available only in very densely populated areas.

## Spirit/Media Interference Countermeasures

In many cases, population centres will simply forgo mass media in order to coexist with the local spirits. However in those areas which desire the modern conveniences of mass communication, there are alternatives.

* **Theatre over Television.** Even theatrical plays have been known to confuse spirits, but since time immemorial it has been part of many dramatic traditions that a theatre or staging area be made with a salt ring, and with other magical anti-spirit measures.
* **Cables, Lots of Cables.** Spirits can't be afraid of what they can't hear. Almost all radio and television signal which is transmitted from one city to another is done through electric cabling. By keeping the cables underground, it reduces the impact on local wildlife, and reduces the odds of any spirit interference.
* **Pre-Recorded Media.** Rather than over-the-air signals, most mass communication is actually transported as physical media. Vinyl music discs, film reels, and print literature are preferred media over digital storage and delivery.
* **Coexistence.** There are many Ijzerians who believe that these innovations are less important than the beauty of the natural world. The majority of world news is print, the majority of motion picture is cinema, and the majority of music is live. As much of every medium is kept as mechanical as reasonably possible; In some parts of the world for example, all television displays are mechanical.
* **Rejection.** Some people simply choose to push spirits completely out and away from their borders with little care for their wants or needs. Spirits can be encouraged to return to the spirit world through negotiation, or to disethereate *(pass to the spirit world unwillingly)* by force through exorcism.

## Journalism, News, and the Ijzerian Public Library

The System maintains publicly available archives, which are built into public libraries and city centres. It is considered normal, proper, and indeed mandatory, that every town have and maintain its own archives.

A major function of the public archive is that it employs journalists who will specialise in a particular scientific field which allows them to compile reports which affect the town's social and natural histories. These journalists will release public versions of their reports which are smaller and more easily digestible, usually in the form of print news, radio, or in some very rare cases, television.

## For-Profit News Media

For-profit news media does not exist, since news is freely available through the public archival system, and great effort is made to collect and disseminate this information as swiftly and responsibly as possible.

There are more prestigious media outlets than others however, since larger cities can afford television and radio licenses, and will naturally have much larger archives than those out in the country. If an individual journalist wants to "make it" by becoming an important and well-known reporter, they will journey to a larger city and try to ascend the ranks of their archive. A journalist may also achieve success by becoming a field reporter, though in most cases, going to a city is much less dangerous.