Contemporary Mass Communication Topics for a Research Paper

Mass communications explores concepts and trends facing mass media markets. Students seeking ideas should be open to something of interest with a twist. You may start off considering common ideas such as advertising or broadcasting. Yet, in current society your content needs a unique focus that is different and unusual. You need to consider going outside of the box to find good topics. Your final option may come from brainstorming and process of elimination. Students can get inspired to come up with their own ideas with the following list of possible mass communications research paper topics.

  • Broadcasting. How has high definition television changed the way people view and receive information versus the old black and white television sets? If television is a great way to get others to learn about something new, why are more people watching less of it? How has radio changed in the last few decades; why does one frequency seem to promote or carry more news information than another? Has the quality of radio and television gone down over the years and why?
  • Internet. How does the internet impact news the way it happens in real time? Do more people use their mobile devices to access internet for news purposes? How do developing countries with limited funding make internet available to the less fortunate? How has internet helped businesses and companies make more money? How have shoppers able to save/spend more thanks to the internet?
  • Newspapers. Do people still read newspapers? Do people like to read digital versions better than the paper version? What happened to newspapers when the internet made it easier for people to get news and information? Can newspapers be more beneficial than social networking sites?
  • Advertising. What are common techniques people use to help promote products and services to large audiences? How does culture affect one’s ability to advertise something to the masses? How does one company advertise a product to different parts of the world?
  • Violence and tragedies and how they are communicated to the masses. Should television stations show in real time what happens when violent events unfold? What effect does such content leave on children or those with mental conditions?
  • Politics. How does television, radio and internet made a difference in how people vote for candidates? Can effects of mass communication help or hurt global economy?