Text 22 Mass Media

Mass media is the means of communication that reach large numbers of people in a short time, such as television, newspapers, magazines, and radio. The term public media has a similar meaning. The Media include print and electronic media. More recently, the Internet has been added to the list. All of these public media sources inform the general public of what is going on in the world today.

Electronic media and print media include:

• Radio and television

• Various types of discs/tapes

• Films, most often used for entertainment, but also for documentaries

• Publishing, mainly via books, magazines, newspapers

• Internet, which has many uses and presents both opportunities and challenges. Blogs and podcasts, such as news, music, pre-recorded speech and video

• Computer games

In fact in some ways the first mass produced product was the book. Before the emergence of broadcasting in 1920s there were two types of mass communication: newspapers and magazines. But Broadcasting has brought the difference, because you can reach a great amount of listeners and viewers at the same time. It doesn`t matter where you live, how old you are, are you rich or poor, black or white. Everybody is bombarded with the same messages at the same time. So broadcasting provides shared mass common experience more than any other media.

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video programs to a number of recipients ("listeners" or "viewers") that belong to a large group. This group may be the public in general, or a relatively large audience within the public. Broadcasting forms a very large segment of the mass media. When broadcasting is done via the Internet the term webcasting is often used. Broadcasting to a very narrow range of audience is called narrowcasting.

"Cross-media" means the idea of distributing the same message through different media channels. Cross-media publishing is the ability to publish in both print and on the web.

Toward the end of the 20th century, the advent of the World Wide Web marked the first era. The invention of the Internet has also allowed breaking news stories to reach around the globe within minutes. For the first time, anyone with a web site can address a global audience. The internet is quickly becoming the center of mass media. Everything is becoming accessible via the internet. Instead of picking up a newspaper, or watching the 10 o'clock news, people will log onto the internet to get the news they want, when they want it. Many workers listen to the radio through the internet while sitting at their desk. Games are played through the internet. Blogging has become a huge form of media, popular through the internet. Even the education system relies on the internet. Teachers can contact the entire class by sending one e-mail. They have web pages where students can get another copy of the class outline or assignments. Some classes even have class blogs where students must post weekly, and are graded on their contributions.

Publishing is the industry concerned with the production of literature or information– the activity of making information available for public view. In some cases, authors may be their own publishers. Traditionally, the term refers to the distribution of printed works such as books and newspapers. With the advent of digital information systems and the Internet, the scope of publishing has expanded to include websites, blogs and the like.

Non-mass or "personal" media (point-to-point and person-to-person communication) include: Speech, Gestures, Telephony, and Postal mail.

Through its various formats, the mass media can reach most people on earth. This is an incredible opportunity for communication and education among the peoples of the planet. Things are different now. The trend of people-oriented reporting is only on the rise as reporting news becomes more personal and more accurate. This element of intimate knowledge of the event or story being reported has dramatically changed the way we all view news stories. This is called the Social Media Revolution.

Questions:

1. What does electronic media and print media include?

2. What is broadcasting?

3. When is the term webcasting often used?

4. What is the difference between broadcasting and narrowcasting?

5. What are the main advantages of the Internet as a kind of Mass Media?

6. What does the term "Cross-media" mean?

7. What does the term Publishing” refer to?

8. What does the term "personal media” refer to?

9. What does the term Social Media Revolution imply?

10. What role does mass media play in your life?