When communication is intended to reach a large number of anonymous and diverse audiences with a strategy and purpose, mass communication happens. The channels or medium of mass communication are evolving and increasing year by year and its history may be as old as human existence. Tom-tom could be an ancient mass communication tool. The channels or media of mass communication include newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, film, sound recordings and the Internet. My colleagues Mitchell, J and Perry M have recently made a presentation on the evolution and future of Books and Internet respectively. The presentations covered the evolution, significance, place for the media in personal life and future perspective of the respective channels.
The invention of the written word is wonderful and it has paved the way for development of language, which led to another major invention i.e. printing press. The printing press enabled the mass communication to reach newer possibilities. People were able to write books and making the stories / knowledge timeless. Communication is vital for sustaining and spreading culture, sharing knowledge, entertaining, envisioning futures, and motivating action. Books enabled in preservation and propagation of culture and religion. The first book that was printed on the Gutenberg printing press was the Bible (Dominick, 2012). A distinct economy around the books also developed, there are countless publishers and authors around the world who made fortunes through books, J K Rowling creator of Harry Potter is one such example.
The greatest tool of present day mass communication is Internet. It was invented in the last decade of 20th century by Tim Berners Lee and others. Within a span of twenty years it has become an unavoidable part of human life. It is the breath of mass communication now. The message reaches faster to millions of people around the world faster than television or any other broadcasting media. The impact of the internet on Gen Y population is tremendous, for example “African Americans adults are the most active users of the mobile web, and their use is growing at a faster pace than mobile internet use among white or Hispanic adults” (Purcell, Smith, and Zickuhr 2013). The current hardware for the internet usage is notepads, tablets, smartphones, etc., that links to the net via wireless waves.
We are probably entering a communication revolution whose dimensions are yet not clear. It is quite mind boggling to see millions of people connecting to mass through social media such as Facebook, twitter, etc. It looks promising and exciting to watch new possibilities opening up and changing our lives. The information, entertainment and communication are merging into one entity. Working from home, learning from home, reaching distant people from home and helping others from home without moving from one’s dwelling place is the life style emerging. If such populations reach a critical mass, it is definitely going to have impact socially and economically. The hotels, travel, transportation, even tourism industries will have game changing scenarios, but Mass communication shall evolve into a new being.
REFERENCES
Dominick, J. R. (2012). The dynamics of mass communication: Media in transition (12th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Lenhart A., Purcell K., Smith A., Zickuhr K. (February 03, 2010). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use among Teens and Young Adults, Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx
