Communication and passage of information is very important among people. Communication is essential for any development and accomplishments to be made. Dating from the ancient past humankind has always improved the means of communication. In the early time, sculpture and drawings were used to convey information to the public. The need to convey information faster and to a large group led to the invention of the print materials and since the mass media as a means of communication has continued to expound every other day. Mass media are differentiated media technologies that are targeted to reach a very large number of the audience by mass communication (Golding, 3). The technologies via which this communication take place differs. Broadcasting media such as radio, television, film and recorded music convey their information by electronic means. Print media requires tangible objects such as magazines, pamphlets, comics and newspapers which is the most common among the print media. Outdoor media is also another type of mass media. It requires billboards, placards and sign boards placed at a strategic point. The digital media is inclusive of all the other forms of media and it consists of the internet and the mobile.
In the early 20th century mass media revolved around print and broadcasting media with very minimal use of the internet. It is in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that digital means of communication took toll. Majority of the people now moved from the use of print and broadcasting media to the use of the internet and the mobile phones.
Mass media usage has increased steadily overtime, and as a result there has been more development of the mass media technologies. In the early days, the print media had gained roots all over the world, and people from the far flung areas also felt part of the larger community. Newspapers and magazines usage increased overtime, and this generated need to develop the mass media sector. The motion pictures followed by the radio were the new developments in the mass media. Also, this gained high popularity and soon there was a need to increase the mass media services to cater for the increased usage by the people. Sound recording, television, and video were also some of the developments made in the media sector. It is this gradual increase changes that saw the invention of the internet and the mobile phone (Noll 40).
The present level of media saturation was not there in the past, but with the recent development and growth in all nations mass media has gained a lot of popularity. At present, the most used forms of mass media are the mobile phone and internet. Celebrities and politicians gain their popularity from the media. Recent studies have also shown that people’s culture and economic status of countries are also affected by the mass media.
Internet and mobile usage has turned the world into a small village where people conduct their business overseas while still seated in their homes. People rely on the mass media for news from all over the world. There is now an increased reliance on mass media, and this has led to the improvement of the mass media. The increased popularity of mass media depicts a future where mass media will be at the core of everyday activity (Neuman 110), and thus require further improvements.
Works Cited
Golding, Peter. The Mass Media. London: Longman, 1974. Print
Neuman, W R. Media, Technology, and Society: Theories of Media Evolution. Ann Arbor: Digital Culture Books/University of Michigan Press, 2010. Print
Noll, A M. The Evolution of Media. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007. Print
