Media
Media is the collective communication - outlets or tools used to store and deliver
information or data. It is either associated with communication media, or the
specialized mass media communication businesses such as print media and the
press, photography, advertising, cinema, broadcasting.
Origin and definition
The term "medium" (the singular form of "media") is defined as "one of
the means or channels of general communication in society, as newspapers,
radio, television etc."
The beginning of human communication through designed channels,
ancient cave paintings, drawn maps and writing.
The Persian Empire (centred on present-day Iran) played an important
role in the field of communication. It has the first real mail or postal
system, which is said to have been developed by the Persian emperor
Cyrus the Great (c. 550 BC).
The term media in its modern application relating to communication
channels is traced back to its first use as such by Canadian
communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, who stated in Counterblast
(1954): "The media are not toys; they should not be in the hands of
Mother Goose and Peter Pan executives. They can be entrusted only to
new artists, because they are art forms."
Electronic media
In the last century, a revolution in telecommunications has greatly altered
communication by providing new media for long distance communication. The
first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast occurred in 1906 and led to common
communication via analog and digital media:
1. Analog telecommunications include some radio systems, historical
telephony systems, and historical television broadcasts.
2. Digital telecommunications allow for computer-mediated communication,
telegraphy and computer networks.
The difference between analog and digital photography is that digital
photography is easier to edit and have a lot of choices after taking photos, but
analog photography is more simple and you have to accept the photo if you
don't like it.
Modern communication media now allow for intense long-distance
exchanges between larger numbers of people (many-to-many communication
via e-mail, Internet forums, and teleportation). On the other hand, many
traditional broadcast media and mass media favor one-to-many
communication (television, cinema, radio, newspaper, magazines, and also
social media).
Electronic media now comes in the forms of tablets, laptops, desktops, cell
phones, mp3 players, DVDs, game systems, radios, and television. The
meaning of electronic media, as it is known in various spheres, has changed
with the passage of time. Earlier, there was multimedia, once only a piece of
software (application software) used to play audio (sound) and video (visual
object with or without sound). Following this, it was CD (Compact Disc) and
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), then camera of 3G (third generation)
applications in the field.
In modern terms, the term "media" includes all the software which are used
in PC (computer) or laptop or mobile phone installed for better performance
of the system; today, however, hard discs (used to increase the installation
capacity of data) of computer are an example of electronic media. This type
of hard disc is becoming increasingly smaller in size.
The latest inclusion in the field is magnetic media (magnetic stripe) whose
application is common in the fastest growing information technology field.
Modern day IT media is commonly used in the banking sector and by the
Income Tax Department for the purpose of providing the easiest and fastest
possible services to consumers. The main features of these types of media are
prepared unrecorded (blank form), and data is normally stored at a later stage
as per the requirement of its user or consumer.
Print Media
The term 'print media' is used to describe the traditional or "old-fashioned".
Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of communication. It
includes newspapers, weeklies, magazines, monthlies, banners & graphics,
posters and other forms of printed material.
The contribution of print media in providing information and transfer of
knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of electronic media, the print
media has not lost its charm or relevance.
Print media has the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the
reader, with more in-depth reporting and analysis.
Magazines and newspapers are the dominant traditional print media used in
advertising. While digital media expansion has affected use of print, it
remains a viable way to advertise.
Primary strengths of print relative to digital include tangibility, an enduring
message and high credibility. Some people prefer to read media in print as
opposed to digital formats.
There are several tools used in Print Media and they are as follows:
1) Newspaper
2) Magazine
3) Journals
4) Newsletters
5) Flyers
6) Brochures/Pamphlets
7) Leaflets
8) Posters
