George Herbert Mead's theory of mind, self, and society is synthesized in this paper, as is the extension of that basic theory by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The paper argues that Mead's functionalist perspective, while rich and internally consistent, is naive in that it lacks a theory of institutions, and it shows how Berger and Luckmann's addition of a theory of institutions to Mead's symbolic-interactionist perspective provides a foundation on which to erect a paradigm for the study of modern life and for the study of mass communication, a key institution in modern society. It notes that such a paradigm can explain the sociocultural world as a human construction that is powerfully disruptive and fragmenting at both societal and individual levels. The paper also suggests types of mass media study that might derive from such a paradigm, observing that the mass media might be examined as amplifiers of conflicting sets of messages from modern institutions or as cultural forms in themselves. It concludes that any investigation of the mass media must begin with the premise that media in the United States are driven by a profit motive and hence cannot serve to amplify the plight and the needs of all sectors of society, including, for example, the economically disadvantaged. (Author/GT)