The Changing Nature Of Media
Media are the visual communication tools or sources utilized to transmit and publish information or data in the form of pictures, images, sounds or any form. In general, the term indicates elements of the mass communications media, including print media, television, photographic, film, publishing, music, visual arts, broadcasting, and the web. In colloquial use, media may also mean the visual language employed in communication, as in “verbal media,” ” textual media,” and “online media.” In more modern contexts, it usually refers to electronic (i.e., computer-based) media such as email, blogs, magazines, bookmarks, Web sites, videos, images, logos, and the like.
The Internet has provided new communication channels through which users can interact and share. For example, users can post messages on blogs; comment on a photo; upload and view media on websites such as YouTube; and chat in instant messaging systems. As social networking sites become more popular, people have taken to using social networking media to build and maintain friendships and relationships.
Historically, the term media referred to oral communication, such as spoken word, storytelling, poetry, and the written word. Social media emerged as an alternative to earlier forms of human communication channels. It grew out of the efforts of human beings to make social connections, such as interaction in groups, the exchange of information, and the formation of political institutions. In recent years, the scope of media has broadened, referring not only to the tools and methods of communication but also to the means by which information is communicated.
Media are categorized according to the medium that disseminates the information. Broad categories include television, radio, books, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. Many countries, particularly those with strong free speech guarantees, restrict the media activities of citizens under various legal interpretations. In countries with no such limitations, media play a key role in providing information and expressing opinion to the masses.
The impact of the term media has reached its apex in modern times. Engrained in the very fabric of modern society, it permeates all aspects of daily life. Large-scale changes in communication channels have affected newspapers, magazines, books, films, and Internet services in many ways. From being primarily publications that distributed information and news, today they have developed into online stores selling virtually everything under the sun.
The evolution of print media was triggered by the emergence of mass circulation, or the printing industry. As previously mentioned, printed materials were the first form of media. From the beginning, they were used for distribution, reproduction, news distribution, and distribution of pamphlets and leaflets. The advent of new technology – the printing press – prompted further developments in print media. Nowadays, newspapers, magazines, and books are primarily read as news sources. In this modern context, one can safely say that the term media is not limited to print media alone.