Essay on Mass Media Communications

The pervasiveness of the media in our everyday lives cannot be overstated. Media (short for
mediation and the plural of medium) can refer to any number of categorizations that are
collectively and most frequently understood to involve the dissemination of select information
(often from a singular or fixed source) to a large audience. The "mass media," then, typically
consist of various oligopolistic social institutions that are capable (through technological
advances) of broadcasting information to large segments of society and are designed to promote
information consistent with news, marketing, and advertising messages (all categorizations of
media) that collectively communicate the reproduction of cultural norms and values. Numerous
studies of the effects of mass media on society have yielded key insights on the level of
importance and social significance these media embody.
One of the first and most notable scholars to address how technological advances of media
affected social organization was Marshal McLuhan, whose critical study of popular culture
exposed the emergent notion of mass media as well as the resultant cultural and social changes
accompanying the introduction of the electronic medium; his classic works include
Understanding Media of 1964 and The Medium Is the Massage with Quentin Fiore in 1967. For
centuries, prior to the advent of electronic technologies, the media involved the circulation of
printed materials, most notably books and newspapers; 20th-century additions included audio
and visual communication technologies (e.g., radio, television, Internet). Few (if any) places in
the world have not been somehow directly affected by the media.
The initial ability to disseminate information to the masses is directly attributed to the
proliferation of print media, most notably the newspaper. Early newspapers first appeared in the
17th century, and despite advancements in media technologies, the daily print newspaper
continues to remain among the most popular mass communication media in the world.
Businesses and individuals discovered early on that news was indeed a profitable commodity,
and although newspapers often consist of news and general information, they are mostly filled
with advertisements. Political use of newspapers soon became widespread and filled socially
significant gaps among politicians, government officials, and the general citizenry. Information
presented in newspapers was not subject to much scrutiny, as the masses generally tend to rely
significantly on media presentations, thus fostering the capability for the creation of a social
reality and accompanying forms of social control.
Advent of the radio served as the primary catalyst for the creation of mass media. Radio
technology was first developed at the turn of the 20th century and, coupled with the application
of technological advances (e.g., vacuum tube, tube amplifiers), created what would become
known as the "radio broadcast." Early radio broadcasts can be traced back to the military,
particularly the U.S. Navy, who employed the technology strictly as a means of communication
(e.g., Morse code). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the phrase "the media"
first appeared in the United States during this time (e.g., circa 1920), its use frequently attributed
to the popularity of radio broadcasts. Throughout the 1930s in the United States, these broadcasts
increased dramatically in popularity, especially broadcasts that featured musical recordings.
However, the most notable increase in listeners occurred during the Second World War, when
more frequent news broadcasts informed the public about wartime events.
The most important development in mass media was television, its universal and widespread

appeal resting on its combined aural and visual capabilities. Although early television broadcasts
first appeared in the 1930s, the device would not become a staple of the modern American
household until the 1950s. Early telecasts featured all types of entertainment, and televised
newscasts soon become the dominant source of mass information in U.S. society. The primary
goal of television networks was to provide popular entertainment programming in an effort to
attract the largest audiences possible so as to increase revenues through advertisements. The
television as the dominant source of mass information crystallized the notion of mass media. Its
growth continues to be driven largely by technological advances; the most recent and influential
advance has been that of the Internet.
The ability to reach a global audience within seconds--thanks to the proliferation of mass media
via satellite technologies, global telecommunication networks, and the Internet--is among the
most recent and important technological developments. The Internet is a worldwide database
consisting of a networking infrastructure that allows for the immediate exchange of information
by a multiplicity of users. In the United States, the arrival of the Internet occurred sometime in
the early 1990s. The Internet was originally created as a digital storage space designed to
safeguard the containment of military information. It is among the more democratic forms of
mass media. Unrestrained by national boundaries or censorship, it thus transmits information
independently of statesanctioned organizations and commercial entities. Formal social control
agencies often decry the unregulated exchange of information on the Internet because of the
potential for fraud and other criminal activities. Attempts to control and regulate the Internet,
however, have been largely unsuccessful, and Internet commerce has proven more beneficial to
the economy than detrimental. It appears certain that U.S. adjustment to these technologies will
likely direct the future of these media.