TYPES OF MEDIA

Media and other information providers play a central role in information and communication processes.
Nowadays, media become the common outlet of self-expression and creativity. Its huge influence spreads
speedily across the globe. The connection between technological advances and people’s connectivity created a
huge impact on the lives of today’s generation. In this lesson, it will cover all the above-mentioned concepts.

Media is the term we use to refer to different types of media that provide us with important information
and knowledge. Media has always been part of our society, even when people used paintings and writings to
share information. As time passed, people came up with different modes to provide news to the public. Based on
the type of medium, their role may be different, but they all exist to communicate to the audience and affect
their perceptions. Today, we don’t have to travel oceans or wait for a pigeon to get the latest news. The
commonly known types of media are print, broadcast and new media.

PRINT MEDIA

 Print media is consisting of paper and ink, reproduced in a printing process that is traditionally
mechanical.

Types of Print Media

 Newspapers - Printed and distributed on a daily or weekly basis. They include news related to sports,
politics, technology, science, local news, national news, international news, birth notices, as well as
entertainment news related to fashion, celebrities, and movies. Today’s parents grew up with this type of
printed media.

Examples:
The Manila Times
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Manila Bulletin
The Philippine Star
Ilocos Times

 Magazines – A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed

by advertising, purchased by readers, or both. Magazines are typically published weekly, biweekly,
monthly, bimonthly or quarterly, with a date on the cover that is later than the date it is actually
published. They are often printed in color on coated paper, and are bound with a soft cover. It contains
information about finance, food, lifestyle, fashion, sports, etc.

Examples:
Men’s Health
Women’s Health
Yes! Magazine
Forbes Magazine
Cosmopolitan

 Books - A book is a collection of paper, parchment or other material with a piece of text written on
them, bound together along one edge, usually within covers. Each side of a sheet is called a page and a
single sheet within a book may be called a leaf. A book is also a literary work or a main division of such
a work
 Books became part of the mass media after the printing process was invented. Now they are in the reach
of almost everyone and could cover any distance on the planet. Their topics are varied and their value
could be judged from the fact that most libraries in the world are due to books rather than other
published material.

When writing systems were invented in ancient civilizations, nearly everything that could be written
upon— stone, clay, tree bark, metal sheets—was used for writing. Alphabetic writing emerged in Egypt
around 1800 BC.
Focused on a particular topic or subject, giving the reader a chance to spread their knowledge about their
favorite topic.

 Brochures - A type of booklet that includes everything about one company – its products, services,
terms and conditions, contact details, address, etc. They are either distributed with the newspapers, or
hand over to people.

 Banners - Used to advertise a company’s services and products, hung on easilynoticed sights to attract
people’s attention.

 Flyers - Used mostly by small companies due to the low cost of advertising. They contain the basic
information about a company, their name, logo, service or product, and contact information, and they are
distributed in public areas.

BROADCAST MEDIA

 Broadcast media refer to media such as radio and television that reach target audiences using airwaves
as the transmission medium.

 This means to communicate or transmit a signal, a message, or content, such as audio or video
programming, to numerous recipients simultaneously over a communication network.

Types of Broadcast Media

 Television - The principal source of information and entertainment for people exposed to mass media. It
is believed to be the most authoritative, influential, exciting medium for reaching very large audience. It
combines visual images, sound, motion and color to achieve viewer’s empathy. It allows development of
creative and imaginative ad messages in a unique way. It is considered intrusive in nature as the
audience have no control over the nature and pace of advertisement.

 Radio - Is a premier mass medium for users and advertisers. It has a wide spread reach and delivers the
ad message to a large number of people across the length and breadth of a country. Commercial
broadcasting is undertaken in major cities even rural areas. It is one of the personal medium and offers
selectivity, cost efficiency and flexibility advantages over other media. Efficiency of radio ad depends
upon the precision of script, accompanying sounds and level of distortion.

NEW MEDIA

 Defines “new media” as “forms of communicating in the digital world, which includes publishing...
most significantly, over the Internet. It implies that the user obtains the material via desktop and laptop
computers, smartphones and tablets. Every company in the developed world is involved with new
media.” PC Magazine
  A term used to integrate the different technologies emerging on one digital platform to organize and
distribute content. Some examples are podcasts, augmented reality, video games, blogs, and wikis. There
are two common characteristics of new media: disseminating the information to several receivers which
is theoretically infinite, in customized ways, depending on the specification for endorsed categories.

MEDIA CONVERGENCE

 Media convergence refers to the merging of different equipment and tools for producing and distributing
news through digitization and computer networking. It allows media texts to be produced and distributed
on multiple media devices. This is also known as technological convergence. Media convergence is the
synergy of communication, computing, and content in the digital world. A smartphone that has a camera,
radio, web browser, video, etc. is an example of converged media.

 Media convergence is the co-existence of traditional and new media; the co-existence of print media,
broadcast media, the Internet, mobile phones, a well as others, allowing media content to flow across
various platforms creating a digital communication environment.

Information may be presented in variety of formats. They may appear in print, broadcast, new as well as
through media convergence. Each media type has its own characteristics as to how information is presented.
Developing literacy in the use of media and information will be of great benefit in determining the reliability,
accuracy, value, authority of the author and timeliness of the information.

MEDIA AND INFORMATION LANGUAGE

Media Language

 Media language denotes how media producers make meaning about a certain medium (advertisement,
TV show, film, etc.) they are producing and how they transfer that meaning to their target audience.
 It allows the audience to convey the meaning of the text through its signs and symbols. These signs and
symbols used in media text do not have a single meaning.
 It is expected that audiences have different interpretations and will use different meaning systems. In
interpreting these signs and symbols, audiences may interpret the media text denotatively or
connotatively.
  Denotative meaning is the literal meaning of the media text while connotative meaning refers to the
various interpretations that the text suggests to the audience which are often associated with their
culture, values, beliefs, etc. For example, the use of the nonverbal signal “thumbs up” may mean “Job
well done!” in western cultures but it is a rude gesture in some countries in the Middle East.

Media Codes and Conventions

 In interpreting the meaning of the media text, you have to be able to understand two of the most
significant aspects of media and information language – the codes and conventions. Media codes and
conventions are the very foundations of all the existing media. Media codes commonly have an
established meaning, denotation or connotation, to the target audience. Meanwhile, conventions refer to
the possible methods in which codes are organized in a product.

Types of Media Codes

There are three types of media codes: symbolic codes, technical codes, and written codes.

SYMBOLIC CODES

 Symbolic Codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see (ex. objects, setting, body language,
clothing, color, etc.).
 Symbolic codes include the language, dress or actions of characters, or iconic symbols that are easily
understood.
 Symbolic codes are audience-based. The meaning of the product is not based on the product itself but on
the interpretation of the audience. For example, a red rose may be used symbolically to convey romance,
or a clenched fist may be used to communicate anger. A film with a scene waving a white flag
symbolizes “retreat” or “surrender”. In reality, the audience who sees someone waving a white flag may
interpret it the same way.

WRITTEN CODES

 Written Codes refer to the use of language style and textual layout (headlines, captions, speech bubbles,
language style, etc.)
 Written codes are the formal written language used in creating a media product. It includes the printed
language (the text visible with the media frame which is the text you can see within the frame) and the
spoken language which includes the dialogues and even the lyrics of the song.

TECHNICAL CODES

 Technical codes refer to codes specific to a media form alone. The knowledge and connotations of
different camera angles and shots make sense when looking at films and photographs but mean nothing
outside those forms. The technical codes include camerawork (camera operation, positioning, and
movement for desired specific effects), editing (the process of selecting, operating, and ordering images
and sound), audio (expression and utilization of sounds), and lighting (the manipulation of light based
on the target mood).
  Technical Codes are the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story (ex. camera techniques,
framing, depth of fields, lighting and exposure, etc.). Technical codes include sound, camera angles,
types of shots and lighting. They may include, for example, ominous music to communicate danger in a
feature film, or high-angle camera shots to create a feeling of power in a photograph.

CONVENTIONS

Conventions refer to the recognized ways of using media codes. The types of conventions include form
conventions, story conventions, and genre conventions.

Types of conventions

 Form Conventions - are ways in which the types of media codes are expected to be arranged. For
instance, the title and main casts are expected to appear at the beginning of a movie while the credits are
expected to appear at the end. A number of television series usually begin with a short recap of the
previous episode and end with a preview of the next episode.

 Story Conventions - refer to the basic structures of narratives. Examples of story conventions involve
narrative structures, character constructions, and point of view. Genre conventions refer to the common
use of the elements of narratives such as the characters, settings, or themes in a certain type of media.

 Genre Conventions - can be formal or thematic and are usually linked to the expectations of the
audience.

Media Producers, Stakeholders, And Audience

 Aside from media language, media practitioners also look into other elements such as the producers,
the stakeholders, and the audience.

The media producers refer to the people who initiate, plan, and produce media texts. They need to have
the skill in assessing the media texts and a thorough understanding of the target product; and the processes that
go into creating the products.

Meanwhile, the stakeholders refer to people or organizations that share the same interests or intentions.

The audience, on the other hand, is a significant element in delivering media texts. All media texts are
made with a target audience in mind. Producers conduct an audience analysis before coming up with a media
text. Audience analysis is the process of looking into the demographics (age, gender, social status, etc.) and
psychology (values, beliefs, attitude) of the audience.

Producers also consider the reaction of the audience by looking into the following:

 Audience Engagement. This refers to the reaction of the audience to the media text. Different people
react in varied ways to the same text.
 Audience Expectations. This refers to the anticipation of the audience about the text. Producers may
satisfy or shatter the audience’s expectations.
 Audience Foreknowledge. This refers to the exact information (not expectations) which the audience
brings about the media output.
 Audience Identification. This refers to the connection built by the media text to the audience.
 Audience Placement. This refers to the strategies producers use to make the audience feel that the
media text is made specifically for them.
 Audience Research. This refers to the monitoring of the audience before, during, and after the
production of the media text.