Attitude towards Mass Media and its role in promoting Environmental Consciousness: An Empirical Investigation

In: Media and public culture: proceedings of the Second International Seminar on Bhutan Studies. Thimphu, Centre for Bhutan Studies 2007, pp. 382-438 . ISBN 99936-14-41-6

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Abstract

The present study was based on a primary survey of the respondents in terms of appraising their attitude towards mass media and its relation to the level of environmental awareness.Till now, no direct studies have attempted to assess the relationship between mass media and environmental awareness and certainly no such attempt has been made in the context of Bhutan. Perhaps, there is an embedded understanding of the possible role of mass media in general to function as a medium of national development. Nevertheless, commercialization of various forms of mass media might conflict with the priority of interest and may fail to fulfill the original noble goal of the mass media. It assumes even greater interest, given the circumstances, where cable television and the Internet were ushered into the country in 1999, when its national medium and institutional capability concerning the legal and social acceptance of mass media were still in their embryonic stages. A decade later, as fluid as the culture is, the pervasive force of mass media is likely to expedite its evolution. Has the era of modern mass media introduced significant changes? What is the impact of mass media on people’s attitudes? What is its role in affecting attitudinal transition towards environmentalism? How could media play a fruitful role in promoting environmental awareness? Such questions become pertinent since, not only does mass media serve as a medium for socio-economic and psychological development, but it can also play a vital role in promoting cultural and environmental integrity.