Research Assignment Group Of Media Technologies: Mass Media (Essay Sample)

Mass Media
Name
Institution
Mass Media
The mass media is a group of media technologies of media technologies that are distributed to an audience through mass communication. These technologies through which this communication takes place involves a number of disseminating media.
These major developments includes: Fulfilment of many secondary roles in the society such as entertainment. In the 21st century, Americans could turn on their televisions and find a 24/7 music videos, nature documentaries, news channels and reality shows. Most of the population could acquire daily newspaper and newspaper subscriptions (Kammerl & Kramer, 2016). Besides, American citizens have resolved using taxi cabs such as the Uber and the same goes on in classrooms and other offices and institutions in the U.S.
Media also plays basic roles of education and information dissemination which is done in very many ways just like entertainment. In the 21st century, Mass media has enabled easy access of information globally over the internet. The online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia for example has articles on vast educational topics and subjects which has led to the rapid development and nourishment in the education and innovation sector since research materials are easily accessible on the internet.
Media has also played a major role in providing an open forum by which people could discuss and even debate freely on the various issues in the day to day life, editor’s letters could give the Americans a chance to air their vast opinions and grievances on the daily issues. These letters proved to be very key to the Americans. The Internet basically allowed everyone access online information at a very affordable cost.
The media can be used to monitor various institutions such as the government and businesses. The media are of different forms. Some are better than the other and are meant for a particular purpose say entertainment, others are meant for providing a forum for disseminating information. Speaking of the print media, books can last for very long and are able to contain vast amount information but are less fast and expensive to publish. Newspapers happen to affordable and easy to publish thus making them suitable for the quick acquisition of the daily news. Television enables to views to do more than just read or hear but to visualise the information or even a broadcast of live events from around the world.
Cultural Impacts of Mass Media in America
Mass media has grown rapidly during the past century and has continue to develop today. The sophistication of mass media has impacted differently on the American Cultural practices. The ways of sending information of the media are simple, easy and uncountable.
Long ago, the Americans used traditional and outdated communication forms such as verbal communication which meant that the communicating parties had to be within hearing range, the Americans relied greatly on storytellers to obtain knowledge and information. During that time, only the rich people in the society could afford to buy books which took a very long time to publish. In the 21st century, everything was electronic and computers were already in existence and affordable to the normal citizen. (Couldry, Livingstone & Markham, 2016). The digital period grew rapidly into the internet. Information became available to everyone since it was easily accessible over the internet at no extra cost and people could air their opinions to the whole world at no extra expense for as long they want. Social networks such as Facebook and twitter allowed communication between friends and family from all over the world.
Print media allowed the people to start reading and interpret the information on their own and stopped relying on storytellers since the very same content could be acquired from books. (Storksdieck, 2016). The introduction of printers led to the mass production of books hence making the books easily available and affordable by regular American citizens. (Tierney & Kan, 2016). Americans could send and receive information instantly rather than cases where a messenger was sent to deliver a message which involved travelling over very long distances. This has led to many America’s media distribution centres. The Television for instance enabled people to see the sent information. The invention of the camera brought a major development since the Americans could easily produce digital pictures which was easy and fast compared to drawing.
Media Convergence
Media convergence is a way of by which media devices such ...