A Brief Introduction toMEDIA

Media are basically the communication channels or tools utilized to deliver and store data or information. The word refers to diverse units of this mass communications media, including print media, broadcast media, publishing, theatre, music, photography, film, and broadcasting. In today’s era of information technology, multimedia are very effective. They are rapidly increasing in popularity across all sectors of our society. These days, any piece of information is easily accessible through the internet; therefore, the importance of media is increasing day by day.

A major part of media deals with the printed media. A vast collection of magazines and newspapers comprises the major part of the mass communication media. As for print media – the most dominant source of printed media is the newspaper. Other popular sources of print media include broadcast media (televisions, radios), music (radio and music channels), and films. These days, a number of websites dealing with various aspects of entertainment are also on the up and coming list of medias.

There is a considerable rise in the number of websites that deal with the field of entertainment, especially in the form of websites dealing with the arts, entertainment, literature, news, sports, and games. For instance, Facebook has more than 500 million users presently. And, this figure is growing exponentially. Therefore, it can be safely said that the reach and influence of media and mass communication have widened to a large extent.

On the other hand, there is an inclination to define the term media as the means of communication in the social context. It is evident from the widespread use of terms like social networking, blogging, and social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook. And, this has not decreased their scope and usage. They have become as important as the major newspapers, magazines, and other similar periodicals. As a result, newspapers and magazines are now no more restricted to any particular geographic location, unlike the radio, television, and cinema.

Another important term media is used frequently these days and that is PR. PR is an abbreviation for Public Relations and it refers to a concept that integrates advertising and publicity, which are a two-way communication channel between an organization and its clients or target audience. This concept was very important in ancient times when organizations or individuals had to communicate to the media for the benefit of their products or services. In fact, ancient civilizations like the Aztecs had devised several unique communication channels to promote or publicize their products or services.

Print media had a major role in promoting ancient civilizations. In addition to this, the advent of mass printing helped in the evolution of the print media as the medium of mass communication. The evolution of media may be traced back to the earliest forms of human communication like cave wall writings and animal sacrificial offerings. Other early forms of human communication include fire, spoken word, signs, images, sounds, and music.