The oldest mass media institutions are newspapers, books, magazines, almanacs, and weeklies. The product leaving the press carries the original data in the form of alphabetic text. It can also be drawings, diagrams, posters, graphics, photographs. The reader can independently perceive this information, he does not need auxiliary technical means for this, such as radio, TV or computer. After reading this or that article, everyone can analyze it himself.
Printed publications are important repositories of information. With the help of printing, a person got the opportunity to express his most daring thoughts. Here it is appropriate to cite the myth of Ancient Greece about King Cadmus as an example. This lord managed to sow the dragon’s teeth.
Warriors with weapons appeared at the place of their sprouting. In this myth, a kind of allegory with the alphabet is carried out: the word is able to win accurately and quickly, like a weapon. Many political leaders have been able to expand their power through the printed word. It was the printed edition that made a person “civilized”.
To date, the press in terms of efficiency loses a little to the electronic mass media. This is due to the fact that it takes a lot of time to prepare print runs, numbers, and their delivery. “Real news” journalists consider “bad news”, that is, they need to be given a little negative mood. Therefore, the press can be considered a completely constructed thing.
Modern media
In the modern world, the media forms the opinion of society on a particular event. Sometimes mass media are entertainment rather than informational media. Today, the audience greatly influences the way information is presented, because everyone has the opportunity to express their vision of what is happening. Thanks to this, the feedback system is actively developing. Often, the mechanism of mass media is used by advertisers to distribute advertising messages. Sometimes cinema can also be attributed to the media.
Characteristic features of mass media
The main feature of the media is periodicity, news should be published at least once a day. The next distinguishing feature is mass character, they are designed for a large audience. Another important factor can be considered coercion, when one broadcaster has many listeners. Here are the main areas of activity of the mass media:
- periodic distribution of mass materials;
- issue of printed publications: magazines, bulletins, almanacs, newspapers;
- newsreel broadcasting;
- creation of radio and television programs;
- accumulation of books in libraries;
- creation of Internet blogs;
- release of small circulations;
- holding conferences, forums;
- issue of wall newspapers.
The position of the Internet in the media
Today, the Internet has become the most common source of information among the younger generation. Internet pages are full of the latest news in various fields of human activity, from the most remote corners of the planet. Internet media is the most modern and convenient mass media. What kind of sites you will not find here! This is very convenient, because at any time unverified information can be replaced.
The Internet is constantly improving, online media are changing, attracting an ever wider audience. Many traditional media have their own sites on the Internet, which include advertising.
“Fashion” for information
There is an opinion in the world that a leader is a person who owns information. Is it then possible to assume that each of us has the opportunity to become such a person? Far from it. And all because having information and taking note of what journalists write are two different things.
Unfortunately, today’s trends tend not to develop a once rare and unusual craft – journalism, but, on the contrary, to use this profession for selfish purposes.
By the way, writing various articles, shooting advertisements and other marketing videos, airing on the radio may not work at all in order to provide people with important information. Most often they exist so that a certain product is bought as much as possible. In fact, journalism can quite easily move away from the media to the sphere of propaganda and advertising. However, this is exactly what can now be observed very often.
Efficiency
The role of the media in modern society has reached a fairly high bar. No company, no politician, no entrepreneur becomes successful without the influence of the media. People’s trust is earned through numerous articles and broadcasts. The consciousness of almost every modern person is possessed by a certain force that makes one believe, vote, support one or another representative.
Indeed, the manifestation of the role of the media in modern society has greatly increased. Again, we see how journalism and mass media are becoming a way to “advise” as many audiences as possible to use this or that product.
