Masscomm Ind Ass.doc

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The Current Trends in Mass Media.

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Discuss the correct trends in communication with a reference to the internet, new media

and social media.

Communication is a very important essential tool or human beings. We need

communication on a daily basis to fulfill our needs and desires. Communication can be

defined as a form of interaction between individuals to exchange information from the

receiver to the sender. The communication aspect in our lives is important as we are social

creatures, and communication is a part of us. More than that, communication is also an

essential tool for our survival in the 21st century as everything around us, in terms of business

or other related matters deal with ninety percent communication. Hence communication is

definitely a very important key for all of us.

Mass on the other hand, is referring to anything which is vast or in a large number.

Looking at this, mass communication, refers to the forwarding of a message to a large

number of recipients. This is usually done in terms of marketing in today’s business world.

Methods of mass communication include newspaper advertising, television ads, as well as

billboard and internet blogs. It is basically a tool on how a large number of people can be

reached with the same message being delivered to all.

The media has an important role to play in mass communication. Media comes from

the word medium, which means it is center of two different things. A medium can be a

particular person between two different people, or an organization between two companies.

The word itself shows a tool or an object which is the communicating factor between two

parties. Thus, the word media which is derived from it is also a party which is in the middle

between something and another. The media in our world today is a party which is between

the people and the government. They report cases of politics, and other news which plays n

important factor in the lives of the people.

There are many different types of media. From the beginning until today, newspapers

still have the highest number of viewers and the primary source of news for many

individuals. The newspapers cover a large section of news locally and internationally ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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pertaining to education, politics, natural disasters, financial initiatives and etc. The newspaper

is still one of the strongest media nationwide and provides a large number of people with

their daily source of news.

Besides that, another form of media is magazines and books. Besides the main content

of the articles in the magazine or book, flipping through a magazine dating back twenty years

ago, one will find many other forms of advertisements on the front and back covers. During

the time of war and after, the most famous form of advertising were books and magazines.

The “Diary of Anne Frank” a popular book, was written on a diary and is still widely read

until today after it was officially published.

The television on the other hand, still a very important form of media, has increased in

number since it was first invented in the 1800’s. The television, which was first made for the

telecast of live plays and performances, has now become a very important form for

displaying advertisements. Thousands of companies flocked to television studios in the early

1900 to promote products from their company ranging from small cosmetic products to

services of all kinds. The television was one of the best medium of mass communication at its

time; it catered to large crowds who gathered to watch movies or dramas. The ads were

played in between movies, and the commercials attracted many people to buy products and

services which were listed in these commercials.

The radio is another form of media existing from early centuries. It accommodates with

the creation of the telephone. Both these objects work almost similarly, when one person

speaks of something, another receives it. Only difference in a radio, the person receiving,

doesn’t immediately response, he or she receives it, and ponders about it a few minutes,

before trying to call to pass an opinion. This is one of the many forms of advertising over the

internet. Usually topics will be spoken openly for discussions, and there will be a cue to call

for people who would like to pass an opinion. This will be reviewed by disc jockeys who

invite professionals or industry specialists to advice the public at large on topics pertaining to

social problems, political conflicts etc. Besides that, more than ever, usually ads which ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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require very few visual aids will be promoted via the radio. The most usual advertisements

currently playing on this form of media is marketing efforts for colleges and universities.

Before the invention of television though, families used to gather in front of the radio to listen

to songs or broadcastings. Today however, the most famous period for this form of

advertisements is usually during rush hours, when people are driving from point A to B.

Radios are not seen as the most wanted media, because of various other sources of media.

Nonetheless, the most famous programs on the radio are usually aired early mornings or after

office hours. This is when the majority of crowds are on their way in their cars either to work,

or back home.

Looking at all this, in the 21st century today, the most effective and powerful media is

the internet. The internet, World Wide Web, shows the world coverage of any news or

broadcasts relating to current issues. Not only that, people can obtain any sort of information

they require from the internet, be it from something of the past, or something streamed live.

The internet first began in 1962, however it was not known as “internet” at that point. It

was known as the ARPANET (Computer History Museum, 2006). The world’s first computer

cost tens of thousands of dollars, but it wasn’t still as good as the internet today (Computer

History Museum). Initially when it was introduced, phone lines were used to connect users at

a very disappointing speed. However, that soon changed as decades passed and the internet

became more efficient. Emails, and other forms of networks were introduced which made

people’s lives generally easier, and when Bill Gates introduced Microsoft office in the early

1990’s, the internet became an essential for every organization. Daily routines were made

easier, and it basically improved the lifestyles of human beings. Very quick after that, the

internet was introduced to many other countries around the world and colleges and

universities began utilizing it, and hence that is how it began to grow rapidly across around

the world (Computer History Museum). The biggest market of users it has for now is the

younger generation, as they grasp it quicker than generations before them.

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From here, the internet became more widely recognized, as people began using social

networking websites such as Friendster. In 2002, when Facebook was introduced by Mark

Zuckerberg, it became a very fast hit in a rather short span of time, making him the youngest

billionaire in human history. As time went on, more and more people began to do research

online, and the internet gave birth to many other new industries around the world. For

example, software engineers, and other forms of occupations were born as the internet

expanded across the world. Not only this, the internet also introduced many other online

services such as PayPal – where people can make payments easily online, Ebay, where

people can buy and sell thing online, and even online marketing, where Facebook and Google

makes their main profit from – Adwords. As time went on, the internet became a key

essential in every home.

The new media is a widely recognized media which has rapidly grown since the

internet. With the internet, there are many sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Friend

Finder, and etc (Mayfield, 2008). these websites are a social networking tool for about two

billion people worldwide. These people send and share information via these networking

websites, and some are spread virally between minutes. Cases such as politics, news

highlights of war, or any current situations or social and domestic violence is being passed

around for a whole community to know in the matter of minutes (Mayfield). This has indeed

made a remarkable change in the new media.

Google, a search engine which helps to connect millions of websites, has come with

many other applications which helps human beings on a daily basis, such as adwords,

googledocs, googleplus, google images and etc. Google alerts, is a sort of application which

enables a user to track down how many people have been searching for them over the

internet, or where a certain item has been searched for the most. Knowing which country has

had the most search results on a certain item, that particular country would be a good place to

invest on that item. This gives opportunity for businesses to be born in those countries, and

this is a form of advertising and marketing as well. Noting this, google has definitely ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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improved the media, likewise has social networks as well, it has elevated the networking and

marketing industry to a whole different level. If a person were to search for something on

facebook, the next time the person logs in, some articles relating to the searched item will

appear at the sides of the window. Same goes to Youtube and Yahoo search as well

(Mayfield, 2008). These sites have been major search sites ever since the internet has gone

viral, and hence, everyone uses these search engines to look up for any information. The

information which they look for will next time pop up as an icon beside their search engine

the next time they log in.

The social media is best known as a group of online media which share common

characteristics such as openness, conversation policies, a social community as well as

connectedness (Mayfield, 2008). People must be very opened about their feelings as to

document their every thought on a social networking media. They must also practice a

healthy conversation every now and then on the internet, as this will build good camaraderie

among peers. Moreover, this form of media also enables a community to communicate and

interact effectively, share common understandings etc. Likewise, people in this social medias

must always remain connected, as this is a very important key criteria to what a social

networking medium is. One must always remain connected as to allow them to always keep

in touch with the latest happenings (Mayfield).

There are many kinds of social media today. One of which already mentioned - social

networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Others are sites which involve people who

are good writers, blogs for example. These bloggers are people who can effectively deliver a

message of a thought or an opinion which they have across many regions of people

(Mayfield, 2008). There is a website known as Technorati, which measures the most popular

read blogs in the world. Other sites which are also known as social media, are wikis

(Mayfield). The most famous Wikipedia, enables users to edit information on them, acting as

a communal document or database. Podcast on the other hand, is a form of file sharing, or a

method to download audio and video files off the internet – the most famous at current time ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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being the Apple iTunes (Mayfield). Moreover, there are sites where individuals share and

discuss about common problems and interests – known as forums (Mayfield). Many forums

are available on the internet, and it revolved around specific interests and topics. These

forums are joined by hundreds of people all over the world, sharing the same interests and

knowledge, and they learn from various different cultures and spectrums through this. Flickr

and Instagram is another form of communication, where individuals share certain content on

interest. For example, some of them share pictures of a vacation, to store in memories, where

once on the internet, lasts forever. Microblogging, is a smaller scale of blogging (Mayfield).

The most key dominant leader in this field is definitely Twitter. There are many sort of social

media available today all on the internet. These media are very important for communication

purposes today, as the lifestyle of many people have change, and people are always on the

move. The lifestyle of many people is pertaining to news and documents which are

highlighted in these few social media.

A good way to think about social media is that all of this is actually just about human

beings (Mayfield, 2008)). This is basically revolving around idea sharing, collaborating

creative art, debates, finding companions, etc, something which we, human beings are made

for we are not made to be isolated and withdrawn from people (Mayfield). We are social

creatures, and hence socialization is the key element to our species and its survival

(Mayfield). These social networking media allows us to be ourselves. Moreover, people can

find like minded individuals, new business opportunities, and search for information,

inspiration and collaborations faster than ever before (Mayfield). And the speed, of which

new models and technologies emerge, is increasing by the second (Mayfield).

Social media is basically the new media of our time. The more traditional form of

media is the ones which still exist in many rural areas around the world today. Basically the

media has three main job functions, to inform, educate and to influence an opinion

(Nagasvare, 2012). The traditional media, including newspapers and radio broadcasts have

done a great job in doing so to rural places where electricity is still not supplied yet. These ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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places are still relying on traditional media for daily news and mainstream media

(Nagasvare). As much as the internet provides faster and accurate details, some places which

are unfortunate are still depending on this form of media, as this provides these residents with

the mainstream media coverage.

Communication via the traditional media is slower and time consuming compared to

the new media (Nagasvare, 2012). The traditional media, for example newspapers, are a form

of “yesterday’s news” or delayed news. People will not be able to receive news feedback on

seconds. On other hand, the internet provides people with immediate responses, and anyone

can know about anything in a few seconds. Besides that, when comparing postal letters, and

emails, there is a vast difference, postal letters in the form of hardcopies, are more prone to

physical disappearance, whereas emails can provide instant replies, and it is for free, postal

letter on the other hand must be paid for. Besides all that, the traditional form of media is not

as reliable as the internet, because reporters write for the daily news, and one person’s

opinion on the newspapers, is against thousand and millions of other users of the internet

(Nagasvare, 2012). More people can pass on their opinions, and people will be able to judge a

situation on all angles. Furthermore, the traditional media is narrower scoped as it deals with

only a few functions of the media, more of a one-way communication. The new media on the

other hand, practices a two-way communication with all of its participants. Everyone is free

to give out their own opinions, and this will give more feedback and information on a

situation.

Media convergence in basically the collaboration of the traditional and new media.

Both these forms of media when combined, creates the mass communication which exists

today. The rural places where there are no means for the new media, the traditional media

will take its place, and for the more fortunate places where there is an existence of the new

media, and there will be a collaboration of the traditional and new media. People may opt to

use the traditional media to spread daily news, and when people have a chance to read it, they

can pass out their opinions on the internet, where there will be feedback and suggestions on ACA-F-020(010611:01)

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the situation. The social networking websites can be monitored for a further understanding on

what plays in the mind of the people, hence the government will be able to keep track on

what individuals say on the new media, and spread news on the traditional media this is how

the media can converge.

In conclusion, the mass communication first started off as traditional media, which

involves postal letters, newspapers etc, to new media, which relates very highly to the

internet. There are many different types of media, however the two umbrellas which cover

these are the traditional and the new media. The media is the most influential tool in the 21st

century as it might strike wars and it can also bring peace. The idiom “the pen is mightier

than the sword” comes from the media worldwide. From the birth of the internet to the

creation of social media, there has been n increase in communication worldwide, as people

from all over the world can get connected with just a click of a button. It is because of the

existence of certain rural places with no existence of electricity or the internet, which is why

we must still have the traditional media, and cannot deny it. We have to sustain it until we

have a complete positive reason to eliminate it, and this is only if everyone has access to the

internet. Thus, there will also be a convergence of the traditional and new media in today’s

world as long as there is the existence of the rural and urban differences.

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References

Nagasvare. (2012). Traditional media. Retrieved from

http://www.aibd.org.my/node/1226

Mayfield, A. (2008) What is social media? California: iCrossing

Computer History Museum. (2006). Internet history. Retrieved from http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/

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