Major Developments In Mass Media Over The Last Century
Throughout the twentieth century, there has been considerable development in the mass media. It is important to note from the outset that during the start of the century print media was the major source of information and entertainment. As such, the media, mainly consisted of the newspapers and periodicals. Most people relied heavily on these sources of information to report on various events the world over. Consequently, radio became a dominant form of media during the 1940s, especially during the World War II and thereafter. As more people sought to know about the current events about war situations and the state of affairs of their families overseas, radio became more popular because it could convey news faster than the newspaper and periodicals. Television was developed a few years later and began to dominate the media industry because it incorporated the best of both print and radio, that is, sound and picture. Through the television, people could now see the motion pictures and hear the corresponding sound of what was actually happening in different parts of the world. During the early 1960s the space travel technologies were developed and communication satellites placed into orbit. These satellites provided a significant boost to the television media as they provided direct transmission of news reports from all over the world. The ability of the television to convey information from around the world gave this form of media an unprecedented power over the print media. Notably, television media became a precursor for marketing and the beginning of celebrity adulation (Curtis n. pag). Accordingly, towards the end of the century, there was the development of a new form of media widely known as the internet. The development of the internet made it possible to link information by using computer terminals. Within a short time, the internet allowed people from all over the world to access information, share opinions, and even buy and sell products through websites.
How Each Development Influenced American Culture
At the beginning of the twentieth century, when the dominant media was printed, Americans relied heavily on the newspapers and periodicals, and did not question the validity of the information they were receiving from these sources. However, when radio and television media were developed, people began to receive information from different sources, thereby starting to form different opinions regarding similar information coming from various sources. The continuous information regarding the socio-economic aspects such as exposure to music and different ways of narrating news stories began to shape the opinion and culture of Americans gradually. Such exposure to information also began to influence the everyday lives of Americans. Initially, the communication between Americans was oral and people relied on teachers and other more enlightened members of the society. Accordingly, there was reliance on the books, but the print media in the early twentieth century became more affordable and faster. This led to more dependence on newspapers and periodicals rather than specific members of the society such as preachers and teachers, as more middle-class Americans could read stories in the print media and make their own interpretations. In this regard, the print media played an important role in empowering the middle-class workers in America leading to the industrial revolution. The ease at which people could access information became even more prominent with the advent of radio and television leading to the entrenchment of the idea of instant communication within the American culture. Rather than writing and sending letters, which took considerable time for the communication to reach the intended target, people, including the government, began to deliver information faster through radio and television. Accordingly, television had considerable influence on the American population regarding aspects of body image and the standards of beauty. In this regard, television introduced what is widely regarded as the pop culture in America, a culture that perceives the thin body as ideal for a woman (Grabe 460). The influence of the pop culture in the American society is apparent to date as actors and musicians and other Americans struggle to conform to the ideals of beauty. On the other hand, the internet provided an even faster medium of communication as individuals could communicate with each other from different places in the world at the same time.
Media Convergence And Its Effects On Everyday Life
Media convergence refers to the merging of information through various types of media. An example of media convergence is the presence of newspaper in the internet thereby allowing people to use the internet to access and read newspapers. Another form of media convergence relates to what the media marketers often refer to as cross platform. This is a situation where a single corporation can own and manage different types of media. For instance, a corporation can own a radio station, a print media, a television station, and an online site for conveying news and other information. Such corporation uses few employees who generate the same information and news through all its media platforms. While media convergence enables a corporation to reach more print, radio, television, and internet audiences, it minimizes diverse opinions given the fact that all the information provided in the different media has the same message (Dupagne 237). Similar information in different media platforms causes people to hold similar opinions regarding the things that affect their everyday lives. For instance, similar information may cause people to have a similar fashion sense, thereby inhibiting diversity of opinion.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the unprecedented increase in the platforms through which people make use of the mass media has led to ethical concerns. Many people around the world know how to use the media platforms to communicate, but knowing how to communicate and being media literate is different. While communication is important, it is important for people to be able to create their own opinions by reading the information provided in media sources, sorting out the information, and sharing information that is well informed. The ability to determine what information is important and what one should not accept is what is referred to as media literacy. Ultimately, mass media is an important factor that has influenced considerable development of the American society, but is also has the power to influence bad cultures such as terrorism and identity theft. It is only through media literacy that the public can be able to stem bad influence on the members of the society.
Work Cited
Curtis, Anthony. “Mass media influence on society”. Mass Communication Department
Dupagne, Michel and Bruce Garrison. “The Meaning And Influence Of Convergence: A
Qualitative Case Study Of Newsroom Work At The Tampa News Center”. Journalism Studies 7(2), 2006.
Grabe, Shelly, Janet Hyde, and Monique Ward. “The Role Of The Media In Body Image
Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis Of Experimental And Correlational Studies”. Psychological Bulletin 134 (3), 2008, 460-76.
