Media

(communication)

In mass communicat ion, media are t he communicat ion out let s or t ools used t o st ore and
deliver informat ion or dat a.[1][2] The t erm refers t o component s of t he mass media
communicat ions indust ry, such as print media, publishing, t he news media, phot ography,
cinema, broadcast ing (radio and t elevision), digit al media, and advert ising.[3]

The development of early writ ing and paper enabling longer-dist ance communicat ion syst ems
such as mail, including in t he Persian Empire (Chapar Khaneh and Angarium) and Roman Empire,
can be int erpret ed as early forms of media.[4] Writ ers such as Howard Rheingold have framed
early forms of human communicat ion, such as t he Lascaux cave paint ings and early writ ing, as
early forms of media.[5] Anot her framing of t he hist ory of media st art s wit h t he Chauvet Cave
paint ings and cont inues wit h ot her ways t o carry human communicat ion beyond t he short
range of voice: smoke signals, t rail markers, and sculpt ure.[6]

The Term media in it s modern applicat ion relat ing t o communicat ion channels was first used
by Canadian communicat ions t heorist Marshall McLuhan, who st at ed in Counterblast (1954):
"The media are not t oys; t hey should not be in t he hands of Mot her Goose and Pet er Pan
execut ives. They can be ent rust ed only t o new art ist s because t hey are art forms." By t he
mid-1960s, t he t erm had spread t o general use in Nort h America and t he Unit ed Kingdom. The
phrase mass media was, according t o H.L. Mencken, used as early as 1923 in t he Unit ed
St at es.[7][8]

The t erm medium (t he singular form of media ) is defined as "one of t he means or channels of
general communicat ion, informat ion, or ent ert ainment in societ y, as newspapers, radio, or
t elevision."[9]

Regulations

Social impact

Electronic media

Types of media effects on individuals

Cognitive

Cognit ion is t he abilit y t o acquire knowledge t hrough t hinking, remembering or reasoning. A

cognit ive media effect will t herefore occur when an individual consumes cont ent from media
such as t elevision, informat ion websit es, books, et c. In t his process, informat ion from t hese
media can be ret ained by t he viewer t hrough memorizat ion. By get t ing informat ion from t hese
different media, t he human mind can reform or t ranslat e t he informat ion int o what t hey want
i.e creat ing new meanings. All of t hese are t he cognit ive effect s on individuals/viewers.[38]

Beliefs

A belief is t he accept ance t hat somet hing is t rue or false. The media helps in shaping t he
mind t o believe t hings t hat may or may not be t rue. The media can always be used t o sway
one's beliefs and opinions t o way or anot her. Individuals get t o see different people and
event s happening all over t he world even wit hout being present . The t hings t hat are put in t he
media shapes t he percept ion of viewers. Things can be shown in a cert ain light t o make an
individual t hink one way or anot her. Things can be shown one way t o purposely dest roy one's
image or make an individual more fond of somet hing/someone. What ever is being served t o
t he viewers is what t hey receive (believe). For inst ance, even if someone may not have met a
popular public figure, t hey st ill might be able t o ident ify t hem by seeing t heir pict ures or
hearing t heir name.[38]

Affect

Affect represent s t he emot ions and moods an individual feels. The media can help people t o
forget t heir problems and dist ract an individual from t he real world by providing opport unit ies
t o manage t heir emot ions. These emot ions are fear, anger, laught er, sadness, enjoyment , and
lust . When emot ions like t hese come upon cert ain individuals, t hey will find a way t o calm
t hemselves down or dist ract t hemselves by wat ching t elevision or movies, playing video
games, and list ening t o music.[38] This effect can be relat ed t o cumulat ive effect s because it
can be a combinat ion of emot ions and feelings t hat are from t he individual's past or present
t hat creat e t his feeling of fear or anger t hat t hey manage by wat ching TV et c (McQuail 2010,
p. 460).[39]

Psychological

Psychological effect s are creat ed aut omat ically by t he body's response. When people wat ch
scary movies, t heir bodies react t o t he t ension creat ed by t he sound and t herefore t hey may
scream, jump from t he couch or flinch a lit t le.[38] This effect can also be called a condit ional
effect because t heir body is react ing t o t he sound and t herefore causing an effect which is
t heir react ion (McQuail 2010, p. 460).[39]

See also

Sources

References

Further reading

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