The Internet is one of the key aspects of modern society. The World Wide Web has a huge impact on human life, because for him it is the main means of communication with the world around him. Today, the Network performs not only the function of communication, but also the function of mass information, which made it possible to single out a separate group called Internet media.
The media is associated with the third power. Recently, some experts are increasingly calling a relatively new branch of journalism, Internet media, the fourth power. However, this point of view gives rise to numerous disputes and disputes.
The very definition of the global network as mass media is ambiguous. It is supported by only specialists, because the Internet has the main characteristics of the media: general accessibility and mass dissemination of relevant and significant information. In this regard, the global network is far ahead of other communication channels.
However, others perceive this definition as erroneous. This opinion, first of all, arises from the lack of distinguishing features of print media: the frequency of release, circulation, distribution, a specific name. There are no such concepts on the Internet.
The “bifurcation” of the media
In journalistic theory, the following categories of media are distinguished:
- Printed publications;
- Broadcasting;
- TV.
This was before the advent of the Internet. With its emergence and rapid spread, another relevant category has been added to this list, because journalism has appreciated the possibilities and prospects of a global technological breakthrough. In view of the novelty and unique features of the global network, the media conditionally “split” into two groups.
All previously known types of mass dissemination of information are now called “traditional”. The Internet is the latest environment for the emergence and development of world ideas, ideologies, opinions, as well as modern Internet media. In his arsenal are other modernized tools for broadcasting news and conducting propaganda.
Internet media definition
What is the media on the global web? Internet media are sites or author’s projects with a relatively large audience of readers, the content of which is constantly updated and refers to a socially significant journalistic product. This definition fits almost every network resource.
However, the Internet is more likely to be seen as a platform through which other types of media can disseminate information. Therefore, do not assume that the entire Internet is the media. This is a multifaceted communication channel through which the audience learns about current events.
Information sites are often compared to the press and are given the characteristics of this traditional type. Of course, this is a big mistake, because the features of the Internet media are distinguished by their uniqueness.
If any printed publication with a permanent title and a circulation of more than 1,000 copies appears on store shelves more than once a year, such publication can be considered a mass media. What characteristics make it possible to classify Internet resources as mass media?
First, periodicity is replaced here by such a concept as the frequency of content updates. Each new issue of a printed publication indicates how often the given publication provides its readers with new information (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). Internet resources are updated much more frequently, for example, several times a day, as new information becomes available.
Secondly, the address of the site itself appears as a permanent name in the electronic Internet media. Their names help to navigate the variety of press, and you can go to a particular network resource by clicking on its link.
Thirdly, under the traditional concept of circulation in this case, it is worth considering the average number of site views per day. This number indicates the popularity of a particular Internet publication.
Fourthly, such a key concept for print media as “current number” in the case of the worldwide network is not applicable at all. There is no recent issue or issue in Internet publications, the information in them is updated randomly, without a specific schedule.
Varieties of Internet media
Types of Internet media are classified according to several criteria. First of all, two large groups are distinguished:
- network variants of traditional media variants;
- independent Internet resources.
Today, a huge number of traditional media have their own website. Current news on it can be completely duplicated, such pages are called “clones”. There are also “hybrids” on the web: the information on them is not identical to the source, it is modified and taught differently. Such media belong to the first group, since they are a kind of analogue of a certain print media, radio or TV channel.
As the web has evolved, more and more online resources have emerged that only exist on the Internet. This is the second type of Internet media.
Other classifications are also possible, for example:
- By thematic focus – online media can publish information of a political, economic, educational, analytical or entertainment nature;
- By type of audience – Internet publications can focus on the entire public or only on a certain group of people;
- By the frequency of updating information – different resources are updated at different frequencies;
In terms of content quality, sites either create their own, unique content, or collect and compile information from other sources.
