L-2 MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION

1.
FOLK MEDIA
The word ‘FOLK’ has been derived from a German word ‘volk’ which means the
people. Folk Media is the media of the people. Though closely linked, both folk
media and folklore are very different from each other.
"Folk Media" is a term used to denote "people's performances". It describes folk
dance, rural drama and musical variety of the village people which was transferred
from generation to generation. This term speaks of those performing arts which are
cultural symbols of a people. These performing arts pulsate with life and slowly
change through the flux of time. During the past five decades they have been
increasingly recognized as viable tools to impart even development messages, both
as live performances as also in a form integrated with electronic mass media.

Characteristics
 Folk media leaves great impact on society and is instrumental in bringing about
social change.
 Despite the fact that the modern media has reached almost every nook and
corner of the society, the folk media has retained its space and operates as a
powerful medium to influence the thoughts and attitudes of the masses and also
bring about change in the society.
 Folk media proves very useful in curbing superstition and spread of scientific
and progressive ideas among people. Since, folk media is popular among
masses it has power to persuade people.
 Behavioural changes are most easily brought about by personal interaction.
And traditional folk media are personal forms of communication, of
entertainment. These forms of art are a part of the way of life of a community
and provide acceptable means of bringing development issues into the
community on its own terms.
 Traditional folk media are playing a meaningful role in the affairs of
developing countries in Asia and Africa. Folk media come from the people and
have always served to entertain, to educate, to reinforce or to alter existing
ideas and attitudes. In view of their intimacy with the people at the local level,
folk media channels have proved to be powerful tools of communication in a
rural society.
 Conventionally the traditional folk performances have been theme-carriers,
usually carrying themes of morality. Among the rural performances the "flexible"
ones like the puppet and folk drama have shown their capacity to absorb any
modern message, and reflect it in terms that are easily understood by the village
masses.
 Several song types have handled vital contemporary themes like the green
revolution, scientific temperament, eradication of illiteracy and superstition,
family welfare, health and sanitation. The rural drama, with its stock characters,
has also carried across modern messages, without, in any way hurting the
community's traditional culture. When handled with care and consideration, the
sensitive folk media have proved themselves to be meaningful and effective
tools of communication for development. Folk culture in a society is seen in four
different forms; Oral tradition, Material culture and Performing arts. Among
these, the Oral tradition and the Performing arts appear to be the main media of
communication.

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  The folk arts have been used for moral, religious and sociopolitical purposes in
India right from ancient times. Rarely they have been resorted for pure
entertainment alone.
 Folk Dance The most popular form of traditional folk media is the folk dance.
Colourful, vibrant, melancholic, elegant, graceful, all these attributes form the
core of folk dances. They attract audience since the tunes are generally feet
tapping and very well-liked by the local crowd. Every geographical area differs
in the type of dances that it offers. For example, in India, Punjab has Bhangra
as their folk dance which is energetic and colourful for it is a dance of
celebration for them while down south in Tamil Nadu, one among their folk
dance is Mayil Attam (the peacock dance) which is elegant and is performed at
village get-togethers.

Folk Music
Folk music is yet another popular form of folk media. Music is governed by the
language, colloquial accent, and instruments used by the local people. Thus, each
territorial area has a distinct folk music of its own. Folk music is especially admired
since it does not require elaborate set ups or any preparation. Wherever a crowd
gathers, people begin to sing and others gradually join. Lyrics of folk music are pretty
striking since they echo the problems of the people with a satirical taunt to the
government and the officials.

Street Theatre
Indian folk theatre is a composite form of containing songs, music, dance, and
drama that seeks to fulfill all the intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic needs of its
spectators. It is more than entertainment, a complete emotional experience and
creates a state of receptivity in which messages can be most effectively transmitted.
Folk theatre has functioned as an instrument of social awareness, protest, and
change. Regional rural drama performance is known to be dependable and
persuasive change agents, acting as a bridge between different rural areas, and
between rural and urban areas. Street plays are short, direct, loud, and over
expressive since they are performed in places where there are huge crowds.

Puppetry
Puppetry is another form of folk media that is equally entertaining and informative.
Puppets come in four basic types- glove puppets, string puppets, rod puppets and
shadow puppets. Each type is found in a particular state like glove puppets are found
in Kerala, Odissa, and Tamil Nadu. Puppet shows follow a story, a popular legend or
a folk tale and end in a moral or social message. Children, adults, aged — all enjoy
puppet shows.

Testimonials
The 'Lavani' and 'Geegee' songs of North Karnataka were used as effective
channels of communication to motivate the masses to rise in revolt against the
British, in the times of Kittur Chennamma. In the 1940s, the Indian People's Theatre
Association (IPTA), the cultural front of the Communist Party of India, trained and
employed popular rural performers to carry to the villagers the messages of a
different set of economic theories.

Strengths
 They give expression to people's life style and values through the spoken word,
songs, plays and spontaneous choreography, and at another level, they act as
persuasive channels of communication.

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  There are many advantages of traditional folk media for the purpose of
informing and educating the rural illiterate. They are rich in variety, readily
available and economically viable. They are relished by men and women of
different age groups.
 They are themes-carriers by nature, not simply as vehicles of communication
but as games of recreating and sharing a common world of emotions, ideals
and dreams. Above all, Traditional folk media are in a 'face to face situation'
between the communicator and the receiver of the message, a situation which
energies discussion that may lead to conviction and motivation.
 In a developing country like India, traditional folk media have been reckoned as
successful mass-motivators. Since the country achieved independence,
selected folk media have been effectively harnessed for communication of new
"development messages". An integrated mass and traditional folk media
approach have paid dividends in communication.
 Mass media have extended the area of coverage of a folk performance,
while traditional folk media, with their inspiring colour and costume, dance and
music, have enriched the content of the mass media channels. Thus, traditional
folk media is much more than mere song and dance. They are a medium of
expression for the common man, and a way to vent out his feelings.

2.
PRINT MEDIA
 Print media are traditional mass media published on paper. Print media
represents the oldest and the most widespread type of mass media because as
opposed to electronic media it does not require an elaborate technical
infrastructure on the part of the user.
 It mainly comprises of newspapers and magazines. Newspapers are clearly
associated with information and show an emphasis on political issues and current
events. They are valued as a backbone of the democratic public sphere because
they enable comprehensive public discourse.
 News magazines also serve an information function, whereas most other
magazines are more committed to entertainment and leisure. These magazines
show a diverse spectrum ranging from lifestyle to special interest magazines.
 Today, the print media comprise newspapers, magazines, trade journals,
textbooks, posters, leaflets, direct mail literature, and the printed material and
graphics of various types shown on the wide and small screens. In addition, a
variety of mass circulate commercial items now roll out of the printing presses.
These include wrappers, calendars, packaging labels, postcards, street banners,
postal stamps, currency notes cheque books, stationery pads as also works of
great art. Much of educational and cultural systems, information and promotion
departments and government publishing depends on print today.
 The principal technological advances which have accounted for this
growth in the domain of the print media are computerization and automation in
typesetting, image manipulation of word processing, multi-color scanning,
processing and offset-printing.
 The emergences of radio, television and later online media have posed threats
and challenges to the print media. However, the print media have effectively
withstood these challenges. The broadcast and new media with all their
pervading presence have not caused the death of print media as predicted by
many scholars.

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 The print, broadcast and new media have complemented each other. However,
the onslaught of the digital media has lowered the circulation figures of
newspapers in the world except in the Asiatic region.

Origin
The history of modern media begins with the printed book – certainly a kind of
revolution, yet initially only a technical device for reproducing a range of texts the
same as, or similar to, what was already being extensively copied by hand.
 Only gradually does printing lead to a change in content – more secular, practical
and popular works (especially in the vernacular languages) as well as political
and religious pamphlets and tracts – which played a part in the transformation of
the medieval world. At an early date, laws and proclamations were also printed
by royal and other authorities. Thus, there occurred a revolution of society in
which printing played an inseparable part.
 The invention of movable type by Johannes Gutenberg, a German, around
1450s was a turning point in history. He designed, set the type and printed two
hundred copies of his famous forty-two-line Bible. Gutenberg’s innovation
touched off a communication revolution in the Western world and gradually in the
other parts of the world. The printing press spread and consequently more and
more books appeared in the language of the ordinary people.
 In India, printing came first to Goa in 1556. Actually, the press was to be
established in Ethiopia for the Christian missionaries. But the sudden death of the
Jesuit priest who was accompanying the press led to the press remaining in
India. This way, printing was introduced in India accidentally.
 After 22 years, in 1578, the second printing press was established by the
Christian missionaries at a village Punikael in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu
mainly to print religious books.
 The first non - missionary printing press - and the third in India - was established
in Bombay. in 1674.
 The first English newspaper, James Augustus Hicky's Bengal Gazette was
published in Calcutta in 1780. The first language book was the grammar of the
Bengali language.
 Although the first Bengali language newspaper appeared in 1816 for a short
while, the regular Indian-owned language newspapers were started by Raja Ram
Mohan Roy in 1822.

Types of Print Media

1. Newspapers
Newspapers are the most popular forms of print media. Newspapers can vary from
daily newspapers to weekly tabloids. Different types of newspaper cater to various
audiences. There are general newspapers, daily business newspapers to sports
newspapers. Similarly, there can be morning newspapers and afternoon/evening
newspapers.

2. Magazines
Weekly, bi-weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, half yearly publication come under
the category of magazines. Usually, magazine contains more detailed reports,
analysis, photographs and illustrations on quality paper. Unlike newspaper which has
a shelf life of 24 hours, a magazine can have a longer shelf life.

3. Books

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 Books of different genre offer wide variety of verbal content to its reader. It exists for
educational, instructional and entertainment purpose as well. The shift towards
digital content E-books has declined its growth but it still holds is position as a
disseminator of information among the public.

4. Newsletters
Newsletters also form an important part of print media. These target a specific group
of audience and give information on a product, service or institution.

5. Brochures
Brochures give detailed information about the product. These are mainly
distributed at events or even at the main outlet when a consumer needs to read in
detail about the product.

6. Posters
Posters are forms of outdoor advertising. The message in a poster has to be brief
and eye catching as it targets a person on the move. Apart from these media, direct
mail marketing, flyers, handbills/ leaflets, banner advertising, billboard advertising,
press releases etc are all the various types of print media.

Characteristics of Print Medium

 One of the chief characteristics of print media is that they offer extensive news
coverage and in-depth treatment of themes. They provide a larger variety of
coverage, through different kinds of writings.
 People can read newspapers and magazines wherever and whenever it is
convenient to them- at home, in transit, in office or back at home in the evening.
Once printed and circulated, no alterations can be made to the printed material,
which makes it necessary for the publishers to cross check facts and figures
before publishing.
 The print media have an added advantage; ease and convenience in using
them.
 The main weakness of the print media is that they can be read only by the
literates and their number is still small in our country. Reading material consumes
more time than viewing the same things through images, it thus become a
laborious and time-consuming effort. Often, the printed material is prepared
keeping in mind the average readers. Once printed it does not change as per the
needs of less literate sections of society.

3.
NEWS PAPER
A newspaper is regularly published (daily or weekly), printed on unbound newsprint
in broadsheet or tabloid sizes, and serves general interests or specific communities
with news, comments, features, photographs and advertisements.
In very simple terms the newspaper can be defined as a printed means of
conveying current information. In this sense, the first organized attempt at
bringing out newspapers was in ancient Rome. During the times of Julius Caesar
there were the acta diurna or daily announcements of the government and other

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activities, which were pasted in the capital's public places in the form of wall
newspapers.
As a medium of mass communication, newspaper's most notable contribution has
been as a purveyor of information. Books and magazines are purveyors of ideas.
Readers around the world depend on newspapers for information about important
events- near and far. Of course, in the earlier days it was the only major means of
information from around the world.
Now radio and television reach people with information much before the newspaper.
In fact, many people doubted if newspapers could fight off the challenge posed by
radio and television. both being immediate and more entertaining. Newspapers have
successfully fought off this challenge and are thriving. The reasons behind this are
many. First, newspapers offer detailed accounts, which is not often possible with
radio and television. The printed word carries a lot of credibility than the spoken
words of radio and TV. Also, while one has to wait for the new bulletins on radio and
TV, in case of newspapers, one can read any time one wants.
 Newspapers have been instrumental to a great extent in eradicating illiteracy.
It is perhaps played the most important role in creating, orienting and molding
public attitudes and opinions. The persuasive power of newspaper is so
strong that it is still used as a major medium for advertising- both commercial
and social.
 Newspapers have also played the watchdog function very effectively.
Newspapers have been most effective in holding governments accountable
to the governed. Today newspapers are no more family-owned or political
mouthpieces. They are now mouthpieces of business houses as most
newspapers are part of business conglomerates. Newspaper business has
come to a stage of monopoly in many countries.
 Newspapers vary in size from tabloid size to the regular broadsheet. They
range from eight pages to almost 100 pages. They also range from local
newspapers serving the needs of small communities to large multi-edition
papers catering to readers in many countries.
 Newspapers also vary in content from general newspapers covering all topics
to specific ones covering business, politics, finance, fashion, etc. Newspapers
have travelled a long way from being elitist and catering to the sophisticated
literates to being a mass medium reaching people of all classes.

Timeline
 The first newspaper in India was published on 29 January, 1780 by James
Augustus Hicky under the British Raj and its name was ‘The Bengal Gazette’.
It was also called as ‘Calcutta General Advertiser’. It was very small two sheet
weekly newspaper. And the paper was filled with lots of advertisements with
the name- The Calcutta General Advertiser.
 After few months of Hicky’s paper Messer B Messinck and Peter Read
brought out the ‘Indian Gazette’ in November 1780. Many other newspapers
were also started, namely Calcutta Gazette (1784), The Bengal Journal
(1785).
 R. William’s ‘Madras Gazette’ in 1795 and Humphrey’s ‘India Herald’ in 1796.
In Bombay first newspaper was ‘Bombay Herald’ in 1789‘, Bombay Courier’ in
1789 and ‘Bombay Gazette’ in 1791.
 Then some merchants of Calcutta in 1811 started ‘Calcutta Chronicle’ and the
editor was James Silk Buckingham. He had introduced a new approach to
Journalism in India. He initiated clear journalistic practices and covered the
problems of local people and their lives. Even he had started a movement
against the evil practice of ‘Sati’.

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  Then, Raja Ram Mohan Roy a social reformer recognized the power of
newspapers and started a Bengali newspaper ‘Sambad Kaumudi’ in 1822 and
a Persian paper ‘Mirat-ul-Akhbar’ in 1822.
 Fardaonji Murzban in 1822 started ‘Bombay Samachar’; he was a pioneer of
the Vernacular Press in Bombay.
 3 November, 1838 - The Times of India issued its first edition as The
Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
 In 1858, newspapers owned by Indians and British were divided and the
government passed the Vernacular Press Act.
 In 1861, the first edition of The Times of India was published by Robert
Knight. Up to 1947 this newspaper continued to support the causes of
Britishers. Now, more than 150 years of service Times of India has grown the
biggest English daily in the country.
 1868 - 'Amrit Bazaar Patrika' was started by two brothers, Shishir Kumar
Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh.This was the time when social reformers and
political leaders had started contributing to the field of journalism, including
C.Y. Chintamani, N. C. Kelkar, Ferozeshah Mehta were prominent.
 The Hindu" was started in the English language, which was mainly distributed
in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 1878.
 In newspapers, many changes took place after Independence. Even the
working style of journalists changed. After independence, most of the
newspapers brought into the hands of Indians. News agency services became
available on a regular basis with the Press Trust of India which was started in
1946.

During the British rule Indian newspaper came into existence and played an
important role in the country’s freedom struggle. Infact newspaper worked as
‘mouth pieces’ of the freedom struggle whether at the national and regional level.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak brought Kesari and Mahratta newspaper, Mahatma Gandhi
started Young India and Harijan. Jawaharlal Nehru started the National Herald. Now,
after Independence, Indian newspapers started playing the role of a ‘watchdog’ and
also have been playing the role of catalytic agent to hasten the process of social and
economic development in the country.
 From the trials of Tilak in 1897 and 1908, Mahatma Gandhi in 1922, Vernacular
Press Act of 1878, the Newspapers Incitement to offences Act of 1908, the Indian
Press Act 1931, the Press Objectionable Matter Act of 1951, the Newspaper
Price and Page Act of 1956 bear testimony of the suppressive and oppressive
measures taken against the Indian newspapers. However, all these suppressions
and oppression reached brutal heights during the 1975-77 Emergency regime of
Indira Gandhi. But later the conditions of Press changed and reached to its
zenith. Freedom of the press is a very important and also news-media, press
enjoys greater freedom in a democratic country. As of 31 March 2018, there were
over 100,000 publications registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India.
India has the second-largest newspaper market in the world, with daily
newspapers reporting a combined circulation of over 240 million copies as of
2018. Hindilanguage newspapers have by far the largest circulation, but there are
publications produced in each of the 22 scheduled languages of India and in
many of the other languages spoken throughout the country.

BROADSHEET vs TABLOID
In the world of print journalism, the two main formats for newspapers are broadsheet
and tabloid. Strictly speaking, these terms refer to the page sizes of such papers.

Broadsheet

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Broadsheet newspapers first appeared in 18th-century Britain after the government
began to tax newspapers based on their number of pages. That made large-format
papers with fewer pages cheaper to print than smaller ones with more pages. So, the
first point we should pay attention to is the size of the paper. A broadsheet is
normally 11-12 × 20 inches in size. The 'broadsheets' have a higher news content
compared to Tabloids.
These tend to have supplements - additional sections - with a more specialized focus
which can include magazines on culture, lifestyle and finance.
There are 6-8 columns across in a broadsheet. They are more standard form of
newspaper. News stories are more in depth in a broadsheet. A broadsheet is formal
in their writing style. A broadsheet is more conservative and traditional in their
approach.

Tabloid
The first point we should pay attention to in a tabloid also is the paper size. A tabloid
is smaller, measuring 11 × 17 inches in size.
Tabloids are more attractive in their approach. This is not to say that tabloids are
sensational, but they are certainly more colorful in their approach than broadsheets.
Since tabloids are smaller in size, it is natural for their stories to be shorter and
crisper than those in broadsheets that carry a story in a more in depth manner.
When it comes to language and its tone, tabloids seem to be more modern in
approach, though there are many who find its language full of slang.
A tabloid is more colloquial in their writing style. A tabloid carries more sensational
news items such as gossip about celebrities. However, there are tabloids that
distribute serious new items.
Example. Mumbai Mirror, Kaumudi Flash

Future of Newspapers
The newspapers of tomorrow could be paperless. People have been experimenting
with paperless newspapers for a long time now. Already Newspapers have started
with E-Papers, Online News portals, News Apps and have a big social media
presence. Another development of the future could be that the newspapers will be
customized. Following the 'theory of selectivity' or the reader's tendency to read only
what appeals to them, mass-oriented newspapers may not be published any more.
This is already happening with the possibility to customise the home screens of news
apps in Mobile Apps. All this can change the existing revenue models of the
newspapers.

4.
LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION
Communication has been classified into several types depending upon the social
groups in which it takes place and upon the technical devices used to facilitate it.
The types range from the intrapersonal and interpersonal to the group and mass
communication.

Intrapersonal Communication
Communication that takes place within an individual is called intrapersonal
communication. The individual functions here as the source and receiver. It is a
communicator's internal use of language or thought.
It includes our reflection, contemplation, meditation, our inner monologues and our
reflection upon ourselves. Our ability to talk to ourselves and think in words is a
major part of the human experience of consciousness.

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Conversing with the Divine may be termed trans-personal communication.

Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication describes any mode of communication, verbal or
nonverbal, between two or more people.
Interpersonal communication often occur between people who are interdependent
and have some knowledge of each other: for example, communication between a
son and his father, an employer and an employee, two sisters, a teacher and a
student, two lovers, two friends, and so on, but it can also be with people to whom
we have no connection with, conversations with a shop keeper, conversations in an
interview etc. Because of its immediacy, inter personal communication is
characterized by a strong feed back component.
It is considered the most effective type of communication because it is personal,
direct, intimate and allows maximum interaction in word, gesture and expression.
Although interpersonal communication is most often between pairs of individuals, it
can also be extended to include small intimate groups such as the family.
Interpersonal communication can take place in face-to-face settings, as well as
through platforms such as social media.
Communication between two people alone is also known as dyadic
communication.

Group Communication
Communication process involving many people with sharing a commonality is
described as group communication. Families, friendship circles, work teams,
committees, and sports teams are all examples of groups.
Groups, which are obviously bigger in size than interpersonal relationships but
smaller than crowds or organizations, typically have around five members (but can
be as large as twenty members). People come together in groups to accomplish a
set of goals and to work together to accomplish those goals. Crowds disperse once
the event that draws their attention is over, but a group remains intact.
Here, as the group grows in size communication tends to become more and more of
a monologue reducing participation compared to inter personal communication. The
degree of openness, therefore, depends on the size of the group, the place where it
meets and also the relationship of the members of the group to one another.
In group communication feedback are often given but it is more difficult to measure
and respond to as compared to inter personal relations. Groups are important
because they influence the way in which people experience and understand the
world.

Public Communication
Public communication occurs when a group becomes too large for all members to
contribute. A few addresses a public and the rest remains as audience.
One characteristic of public communication is an unequal amount of speaking.
Feedback is of a general tone and is nonexistent at times and even if it exists, it
mostly communicates attitude towards the speech or speaker, in terms of verbal
feedback, a few might give their remarks and the remaining members acts as an
audience.
The speaker would be either speaking to inform (informative, argumentative speech),
speaking to persuade, motivate or to take action (persuasive, argumentative,
controversial, policy speeches) or be speaking to entertain (funny, special occasion
speeches). Public speaking events, newspaper editorials and billboard
advertisements are a few forms of public communication.

Mass Communication

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 Mass Communication is the process of delivering information, ideas and attitudes to
a sizeable and diversified audience. This is done through the use of media
developed for that purpose namely newspapers, magazines, radio, television,
websites, social media networks.
The act of mass communication is much more complex than that of face to face
communication. It is addressed to masses, to an extremely large audience. The term
mass communication is still evolving especially in the context of the speedy changes
in media technology. The digital revolution can redefine the concept of mass
communication and its characteristics. A number of characteristics distinguish mass
communication from other types of communication namely intrapersonal,
interpersonal and group communication.

Characteristics:-

1. Mass medium:
An important characteristic of mass communication is the presence of mass media
like newspaper, radio, television, magazines, books, websites and social media
networks. The medium is capable of taking the same message around the world.

2. Anonymous:
The participants (senders and receivers) in the mass communication process are
usually unknown to each other. The messages are not usually directed to anyone in
particular.

3. Delayed feedback:
Feedback is the information that is sent back by the receiver to the source. In
interpersonal communication feedback is instant. But in mass communication
feedback is slow, with an exception to social media.

4. Gate keeping:
Mass communication implies a gate keeping function on the part of the
communicators such as reporters and editors. In their capacity as people who control
the flow of news they may limit, expand or reorganize information.

5. Limited sensory channels:

In a face to face communication process a person can see, hear, touch and even
smell the other person. But in mass communication, we may only be able to read,
hear and see and even these maybe limited depending on the way the mass
communicator decides.

6. Universal access:
Mass communication experience is a public one. Everyone has access to it. It
cannot be restricted to anyone on account of colour, race, sex and other differences.

7. Rapid:
Messages are sent to the audience as soon as they are received by the
communicators. News items and events can be broadcast to millions of people
worldwide instantly.

8. Mass audience:
The receivers of mass media are large. The number can vary from hundreds to
thousands and even to millions.

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9. Transient:
Mass communication experience is transient, lasting only for a short time. The
message is meant to be consumed at once and then it disappears. Numerous
messages and images come and go in fleeting seconds.

5.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA

AN INTRODUCTION
To communicate with one another is a compulsive urge of human beings.
Civilizations and cultures progress to the extent communications have made them
possible. Speech has a limited distance range. ' After speech, the next important
development was writing. It helped preservation of Ideas, of thoughts, of agreements
and their transmission from generation to generation. Until paper and printing were
invented, even writing could help only to a limited extent for communication between
far-flung communities and societies. Printing helped the multiplication of information
and knowledge and their easy availability to tens of thousands of people. Even
though paper and printing extended the range of communication, they could not
influence the rapidly of transmission.

Broadcast or storage media that take advantage of electronic technology is

called electronic media. Electronic media uses electronics or an
electromechanical audience to access the content. The modern era is called an
era of electronic media, because today’s society is knitted under the hub of
electronic media. They constitute a significant achievement of the past century which
have been perfecting the art of mass communication to convey information and
afford entertainment and education to a heterogeneous group known as, the public,
through various intricate and highly refined media and techniques. These are the
tools that extend our ability to talk to one another.
Conceptually, the electronic media are technological agencies and corporate
organizations engaged in the creation, selection, processing and distribution of
messages that are produced at speed and in quantities possible only with electronic
production methods. Electronic media, therefore, are the broadest common
currencies of public interaction in a society.

It was Marshall McLuhan who said that electronic technology is reshaping and
restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal
life. Extraordinary information explosions have dramatically shrunk time and distance
and have converted our world into a Global Village.

TIMELINE
The historians have regarded the nineteenth century as the age of remarkable
political, economic and social transformation, known as the industrial revolution and
the twentieth century is the age of the development of electronic media.
It was only from the middle of the last century that rapid transmission of
communications by electrical means became possible.
Telegraph helped the transmission of written messages, almost instantaneously, and
telephony from 1876 onwards facilitated the transmission of speech, enabling the
dissemination of information and knowledge very rapidly. Telegraphy and telephony
are, however, means of communication from one individual to another, and could be
said to be private means of communication. Millions only could know what was

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transmitted by telegraph or telephone when it was printed and distributed through
newspapers or otherwise.

By the beginning of the 1930s, almost all over the world radio broadcasting for
Information transmission over wide communities and areas had been established.
From then onwards we could say that the Information was becoming more and more
electronic-based. In the 1950s began the transmission of pictures along with voice
for broadcasting. Television increasingly caught on.
The black and white pictures were themselves a wonder, but television became an
arresting marvel with colour transmissions. It has become increasingly affordable by
more and more people because the transistors and the Integrated circuits made the
mass-produced radios as well as the television sets cheaper every decade. The
invention and increased availability of portable recording and replaying devices
enabled the capture of events as they were taking place and they're near
instantaneous broadcasting throughout the world. Communication satellites with the
capability of telephone and telex and television helped the worldwide instantaneous
transmission of news and views of events.

Audio and video cassette recording and their multiplication in million is enabling the
spread of instruction and training and entertainment and education.
Electronics, computers and telecommunication media are enabling the simultaneous
printing of newspapers from several centers. Electronic book publishing is another
rapidly growing activity. Personal computers, access databases over telecom media,
and print out a mass of information in whatever formats it is wanted. They are a great
aid for information storage, retrieval and processing.

While newspapers could be useful only a fraction of the 30 percent of the lettered
people in India, mass communication media like radio, television and Internet are the
most effective and economic means of mass information.

 1844- Samuel Morse granted patent for telegraph. First message, May 24:
“What hath God wrought?” Second message: “Have you any news?”
 1876- Invention of Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell
 1894- Invention of Radio by Guglielmo Marconi
 1920- Invention of TV by John Logie Baird
 1981: IBM Personal Computer is introduced
 1991: World Wide Web came into being by Sir Timothy John-Berners Lee
 2001: Instant Messaging Services

Functions of Electronic Media

Modern electronics have brought a greater change in the lives of common people.
This change at the basic level is influencing the society as a whole, which in turn is
bringing in mass culture. The phenomenon of mass culture refers to a whole range
of popular activities such as entertainment, spectacles, music, books, etc.

Harold Lasswell lists some major functions of electronic media in three categories.
They are information, consensus, entertainment and advertising.

Other than the above-mentioned four functions, educating masses is a significant

function. Media by giving information on health, hygiene, literacy etc. can improve
the standard or living of the people, above all, media performs the job of watchdog,
thereby giving publicity to national issues, draw the attention of the public and make
them keep vigil on political and social happenings

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Electronic Media and Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video content to a dispersed
audience via any electronic mass communications medium.
 Broadcasting is defined as the dissemination of message through
transmission over radio and television that provides for reception by the
public. The receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively small
subset; the point is that anyone with the appropriate receiving technology can
receive the signal.
 The field of broadcasting includes a wide range of practices, from relatively
private exchanges such as Amateur (ham) radio and Amateur Television (ATV)
and closed-circuit TV, to more general uses such as public radio, community
radio and commercial radio, public television, and commercial television.

Analogue and digital

Electronic Communication media can be either analogue, or digital in format, both
formats require ‘electricity’ to power their operation, a couple of examples of this
would be the difference between:
Radio transmission - which requires a great deal of ‘electricity’ to power broadcast
through a transmitter station, the nature of radio waves is essentially analogue,
amplitude and frequency govern their strength and carrier capacity. Network data
packets- Say we have a Podcast, which is also audio media but this is digital in
format. The information, data is carried in packets which have a structure that
enables this information to be broken up into ‘bytes’ and reassembled at their
destination by decoding software and hardware. The nature of this data, however is
‘digital’ it is made up from 0’s & 1’s combined into different variable patterns that
correspond to the original characteristics of the information. So, both kinds of media
carrying and distribution formats are ‘electronic’, but the types of carrying capacity
and how this is conveyed and received is vastly different.

Advantages of Electronic Media

 Electronic media is fast, these allows the exchange of ideas instantly.
 It has abolished distances and time in disseminating the information, events
and ideas.
 People's access to information has become easy, universal and cheap.
 It has contributed maximally to turning the world into a global village. That
means people easily access information about various parts of the world.
 Through electronic media, people access worldwide entertainment.
 It simplifies information by using easier language to communicate.
 They are environmentally friendly since these media are paperless.
 It allows the possibility of a cultural exchange and encourages people to
understand and appreciate other cultures in the world.
 Electronic media create awareness on different world-wide issues.
 Electronic communication allows the instant exchange of feedback.
 Electronic media gives multiple choices of content according to the liking of
the consumer.
 As a major news source, it is widely heard and accepted. It has massive,
immediate distribution.

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Disadvantages of Electronic Media
 Cost of development is high, especially when establishing studios.
 Electronic communication requires huge investment for infrastructural
development. Frequent change in technology also demands further
investment. External control of information flows has become more difficult.
 Some electronic media may misinform the public.
 Due to less information filter, electronic media tend to overlook important
issues.
 Some media conclusions on different topics are misleading.
 Electronic media may spread unnecessary information which may lead to
disputes and chaos.
 It may be fast, but the content may lack depth.
 In case of minimal news, some TVs and radios settle for negative approaches
to keep them going.

6.
RADIO
Radio is everywhere as its signals reach every nook and cranny. Radio is a different
medium. Physically it is different from any other media. It is a medium for ears not of
eyes. Programmes designed for radio are to be heard. Discovery of portable radio
transistors revolutionized the sector.
The Radio is recognized as an important milestone in the development of
communications. As a source of information, news, and entertainment, the role of
radio (together with television) is unrivalled, because it has the advantage of
providing access to all these at home. When radio reached people for the first time, it
was a centre of attraction to one and all. During this period, the influence of radio
was very much. Now also, rural parts of the country are under the influence of radio,
because television has not reached every corner of the country. The influence of
radio can be grouped under educative, entertaining and other special programmes.
The broadcasting of programmes is designed under regional and national, that
is, network programmes. It is an agreed opinion that radio plays an important role
in transmission of information on news and public issues. This medium has an
implication to strengthen democratic process. Since independence, the Government
of India is using this medium for educating people on political and social aspects.
Therefore, it is considered as an important tool of nation building. The attention of
the Government of India was increased on AIR, when it established a separate
Department of Information and Broadcasting.
India has an autonomous broadcasting system and therefore programmes aim to
propagate government policies and principles. With regard to entertainment, this
medium provides many channels of both foreign and different regional language
cultural programmes. These programmes generally command a large number of
listeners. The special programmes which help to spread information on history and
cultural heritage of the nation also commands a good number of audiences, which
indicates the influence of the radio on society. After the discovery, radio became the
most popular companion of radio consumers.

Characteristics:-

 Radio is a cost-effective medium

Radio sets are not at all a luxury now, unlike olden days, when radio sets were not
affordable for common people. Advancement of technology made radio production
and transmission less expensive. Unlike other media, production format is sound
which can be produced at a minimum rate.

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 Radio is a public medium
Radio can be accessed by any number of people simultaneously without much
technical paraphernalia.

 Radio is a blind medium

Radio is a blind medium. But this medium stimulates the imagination. The listener
tries to visualize the sound source in the mind of the listener. Any size pictures are
created corresponding to the emotional context of the speaker. Being an audio
medium, radio is accessible for visually challenged.

 Radio is accessible for illiterates

Literacy is not a prerequisite for listening to the radio. In developing and less
economically developed countries, it becomes a popular medium because of these
characteristics. Majority of the population in these countries are illiterate. They show
a special affinity towards radio as they can overcome the deficiency of illiteracy
through radio programs.

 Radio is a mobile medium

Specialty of a background medium is that it can be used while doing other jobs.
Radio listeners can enjoy radio programs while they are at work. Convergent media
environment helped radio to be more hands free. We can listen to radio while we are
moving, we can listen to radio while driving a car, jogging, walking or doing any job.

 Radio is a transient medium

Words uttered in radio have gone forever. It cannot be retaken. So the radio is
considered to be a highly transient medium.

 Radio needs less energy

Radio consumes very less energy. In that sense, it is an environment friendly
medium. Since radio sets can also be operated with batteries, it became popular in
remote villages where electricity is inaccessible.

 Radio is a speedy medium

Radio is the fastest medium as it requires less time for preparation and transmission.
Live broadcasting with a few equipments is possible in radio stations.

 Millions to hear
There is no patch of land and ocean surface untouched by the electromagnetic
signals. Immediate reach and wide network make radio more popular. Irrespective of
social, economic and cultural backgrounds everybody can enjoy radio programmes.
The range of audience varies from downtrodden to the elite.

 Infotainment
People use radio for different purposes like to attain news, to inform, for
entertainment, for education, to propagandize and to persuade are some of them. It
provides both informative and entertainment programs. So it is an infotainment
medium. Universal appeal infotainments with low cost and wide reach make radio a
real mass medium.

 Round Clock
Radio is a round clock activity. Radio casting adds millions of words every minute to
the air.

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 Easy operations.
Complex technicalities never become a hindrance in radio operations. It is a
medium which can be very easy to handle and operate. Minimum technical knowhow
is needed to switch on, to tune and to switch off the radio transistor.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF RADIO

Radio has played an important role in the communication industry and has also
revolutionized it. Once, it was considered to be the back-bone of the industry and
people used to tune to the frequencies and get the information from across the
world. Radio is an audio medium, so it does not require the listeners to be educated.
Even an illiterate can listen and understand the information. This way, radio has
made the whole communication process more effective and abstract.

SCOPE OF RADIO
 Cost-efficient
Radio is an affordable mass communication device. One need not invest much to
buy a radio. This is a boon for those, who cannot spend much because of limited
funds. Once a transistor radio is purchased, messages flow constantly and no cost is
involved for reception of messages.

 Easy to handle
The size of radio is not big, hence, can be accommodated easily at any place.

 Mobility
One can take radio with him, if he wishes to go somewhere. It is mobile medium of
communication. Radio does not require captivity. Listeners can receive messages
even when they are working.

 Does not require electricity

Radio can be operated using batteries. This was reason why it got wide acceptance
even in rural India, where there is limited electricity.

 Pan-Reach
Radio reaches virtually to everyone in many environments. Radio messages reaches
to illiterates, neo-literates and highly educated receivers simultaneously

 Greater reach
Radio has penetrated into society at almost every level. Almost every family in the
country has one radio set.

 Pulse of community
Radio is more local than global. People listen to the radio to find out what is
happening in their community such as special events, news, traffic updates, weather
reports, sport, entertainment etc.

 Cost of Production
The production cost of a radio program is pretty less than the production cost of
other media.

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LIMITATIONS OF RADIO
 No visuals
News stories accompanied by visuals are considered more credible. Radio lacks it. It
is also not suitable for visual art programmes like dance etc

 Information cannot be retrieved

We would not keep the record to radio programs. Although now-a-days this has
become possible to record radio programmes, but it is available with a small number
of audiences. One cannot go back and re-listen the message.

 Commercial
Radio programmes have lots of commercial in a row due to which the listeners loses
interest

 Possibility of Misinterpretation
in high It solely depends upon the intelligence and mindset of the listeners that how
they perceive the messages

 Cluttered Information
Sometimes the audiences listen to messages on radio and get confused. Listeners
need lot of imagination and therefore understanding of message depends largely on
the characteristics of the receivers

7.
TELEVISION
“People who never would have had access to important cultural events now with a
flick of a button may enjoy opera, concerts, dance and theatre performed by great
artists. They may take trips to faraway places or learn about many wonders of our
universe. They may watch historical landmarks when they happen; the moon walk,
successful and aborted space explorations, triumphal events or disastrous news
flashed from around the globe.”
This is how the advent of TV was looked up on. Television was invented by the
contributions of John Logie Baird, Philo Farnsworth, Charles Francis Jenkins
and Vladimir Kuzmich Zworykin. The first television with moving images was
invented in 1925.Television is an audio-visual medium of communication. It offers a
window to the outside world. Among all the mass media, television attracts the
largest number of viewers. It is the most popular and has the greatest potential. This
is because it is able to attract the audience of all age groups, literate and illiterate
and of all the strata of the society.

The UNESCO report on various aspects of communication and society provides

eight following functions of mass media:
 Dissemination of information
 Education
 Socialization
 Cultural Promotion
 Motivation
 Entertainment Promoting
 debates and discussion
 Integration

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Television, the electronic medium, performs all these functions effectively and with
perfection. It has overcome the barrier put up by illiteracy, which is the main hurdle
with the print media. It is recognized that there is an urgent need for mass education
and communication media for accelerating social change, creating awareness and
inculcating scientific temper among the masses.
Both reflecting and shaping cultural values, television has at times been criticized for
its alleged negative influences on children and young people and at other times
lauded for its ability to create a common experience for all its viewers. It commands
bigger influence on the perceptions, emotions and the outlook of the masses than
any other media.
The impact of television on the society is often compared with the effect of "water
dripping on a stone, steadily, imperceptibly eroding old values and attitudes in favour
of new ones. Television is associated with the Second Industrial Revolution of
advanced Western countries. Being an expensive tool, mainly entertainment (as it
began), it became a part of the affluent lifestyle and culture of the post-industrial
society. Television has become a worldwide phenomenon today. Today, as Internet
technology and satellite broadcasting change the way people watch television, the
medium continues to evolve, solidifying its position as one of the most important
inventions of the 20th century.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TELEVISION
 Attractive content: Television programmes are audio visual and attractive to
watch.
 Audio visual medium: Includes both sound and visuals.
 Domestic medium: We can watch television in the comfort of our home with
our family.
 Live medium: It is capable of being a live medium.
 Transitory medium: May be practically impossible to record every
programmes which appears on the television.
 Wide reach through satellite linkage: Satellite transmission makes it possible
to reach for a wide geographical area.
 Immediate reach: Television transmission is immediately available to viewers.
 Can communicate with illiterates and deaf people: People who are unable to
read, write or hear can watch television programmes.
 Facilitate live visual coverage: live visual coverage makes it more interesting.
 High receptivity of message content: Its visual appeal enables the viewers to
remember things well.
 Informs, entertains and educates: Television programmes gives information,
entertainment and also educates us.
 No time limitations: 24-hour programmes are available. High cost and
technology intensive: its cost is higher than the print media and radio. It is
technology intensive.

LIMITATIONS
 It lacks instant feedback. I
 it demands audience attention.
 It is a costly medium of communication.
 The production process is very lengthy.
 The production and transmission of programmes are costly.
 It makes people idle and the sedentary lifestyle creates health
problems for couch potatoes. TV is called chewing gum for the eyes.
 It is not portable.

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 TELEVISION IN INDIA
Television Broadcasting had a slow start in India where, initially it was regarded as
an expensive toy for a developing country. On 15th September 1959 the television
emerged in India. The first experimental transmission began in Delhi. The objective
of the first transmission was to analyse as to what can be achieved with this tool of
community development. The initial funding for the equipment came from the United
States. Within the range of 40 Kilometres of the transmitter 180 tele-clubs were set
up with the aid of Philips giving transmitters at a reduced cost. The television sets
were provided by UNESCO. The professional and engineering staff were provided
by the All India Radio. The Akashwani auditorium served as the studio from where
regular programmes were put on air. Television programmes for teachers were
started in 1961. In 1961 rural programmes like Krishi Darshan were started for the
framers of the 80 tele-clubs in Delhi and Haryana. The television services were
extended to Mumbai in 1972. By 1975 the services were further extended to the
cities of Calcutta, Chennai, Srinagar, Amritsar and Lucknow.

SATELLITE INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION EXPERIMENT (SITE- 1975-1976)

The usage of satellite technology in India started with world’s first techno-social
experiment, SITE. This experiment beamed satellite TV programmes for 4 hours
daily, based on education, health, family planning and agriculture to 2400 villages
scattered around six states in India. The satellite was loaned to ISRO by NASA for
one year. The UNESCO expert group along with the India Government observed the
utility of satellite TV for the national and educational development in the country. The
analysis suggested that such an experiment should be conducted for the betterment
of communication. In 1969, the Department of Atomic Energy of Indian Government
had entered into an agreement with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
to use the satellite for this objective. The main purpose of this agreement was to
confer a satellite free of cost for a year. SITE came into operation during the mid-
seventies. It was launched with the assistance of American satellite, ATS 6. The
SITE programme was terminated in July 1976 and NASA shifted its ATS6 satellite
away from India though it was extremely demanded by the villagers, Journalists and
others in the society. But the SITE experiment was considered as a failure. It was
observed that there was high viewership in the early months, but gradually it
deteriorated. This decline was the result of various glitches in developing suitable
programmes for television, poor electricity supply, hardware defects, poor
maintenance of TV sets and villagers more interested in agricultural and domestic
chores. Also, one year is considered a very short period to bring about a social
transformation. However, it is an important milestone in the development of TV.

DOORDARSHAN
Television was separated from All India Radio on 1976 April 1st and
constituted under a new body named as Doordarshan. It is one of the media
units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Regular
satellite link between Delhi and other transmitters were established to facilitate the
introduction of national programme. Doordarshan was established with the motive of
public service broadcasting. Its aim was to inform, educate and entertain the
masses.

The following are some of the major land marks in the history of Doordarshan: 1976
January 1: commercials on TV
1976 April 1: Doordarshan separated from All India Radio
1982 August 15: colour TV introduced
1984 July 15: First sponsored serial- Humlog

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1984 November 19: Second channel at Delhi
1986 August 9: First regional network
1993 April 1: Metro entertainment channel
1993 August 15: Five DD Satellite channels
1994 August 15: Major restructure- DD1 to DD-13. Relay station service from state
capitals.
1995 March 14: DD-India-International channel
1995 November 14: DD-3 Infotainment channel

Doordarshan has three –tier programme services- national, regional and local. The
national programmes include news, current affairs, cultural programs, sports, music,
dance, drama, serial and feature films. DD4-4 to DD-13 channels are the 10 regional
channels. The DD-NEWS is the channel of news and current affairs. Doordarshan
started to appear in color during Asian Games. The success of 9th Asian Games and
its live coverage by DD through satellite INSAT 1A led to the emergence of a new
concept of live coverage in the nation especially regarding the sports events. After
the accomplished reporting of Asian Games, DD also covered the NAM summit in
India.

POST LIBERALIZATION OF TELEVISION

The economic reforms of the 1991 by the government allowed private and foreign
broadcasters to engage in limited operations in India. Several foreign channels like
CNN, Star TV and domestic channels like Zee TV, Sun TV started satellite
broadcasts. The Cable TV industry witnessed a sharp ascent in the early 1990s. The
time shows the entry of foreign players like Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV Network in
1991, MTV and others. Sun TV (1991) was launched in 1992 as the first private
channel in South India. Five new channels like MTV, Star Plus, BBC, Prime Sports
and STAR channel formed its ground in the Indian market. Zee TV was the first
private owned Indian channel to broadcast over cable. By 2001-2003 international
channels like Cartoon Network, VHI, Disney and Toon Disney made quick impact in
the Indian market

8.
INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA
Internet is a global collection of interconnected networks of computers. It is made up
of millions of computers linked together around the world in such a way that
information can be sent from any computer to any other 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. These computers can be in homes, schools, universities, government
departments, or businesses small and large.
The Internet is often described as “a network of networks” because all the smaller
networks of organisations are linked together into one giant network called the
Internet. The Internet has revolutionised our society, our economy and our
technological systems. Over the past century, important technological developments
have created a global environment that is drawing the people of the world closer and
closer together. The Internet is at once a worldwide broadcasting capability, a
mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and
interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic
location. The Internet is unique among the mass media in allowing interpersonal
communication through e-mail and instant messaging; group communication through
listservs, newsgroups, and discussion boards; and mass communication through the
World Wide Web. The origin of Internet is traced to ARPANET, which was
sponsored by the United States Department of Defence Advanced Research Project
Agency (ARPA). The Department of defence, initially in 1969, started with four

20
computers and gradually grew in size with 213 computer connections by 1981. By
1996, it came to have an estimated 70 million users connected to it. The World Wide
Web was developed in 1989 by British physicist Tim Berners-Lee while he was
working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. His goal
was to produce a decentralized system for creating and sharing documents
anywhere in the world. The Web has three major components: the uniform resource
locator (URL), the hypertext transfer protocol (http), and the hypertext markup
language (HTML). Berners-Lee published the code for the World Wide Web on the
Internet in 1991 for anyone in the world to use at no cost.

INTERNET AND NEW MEDIA

New media most commonly refers to content available on-demand through the
Internet, accessible on any digital device, usually containing interactive user
feedback and creative participation. Common examples of new media include
websites such as online newspapers, blogs, or wikis, video games, and social
media. It can be anything from newspaper articles and blogs to music and podcasts
– that are delivered digitally. From a website or email to mobile phones and
streaming apps, any internet-related form of communication can be considered new
media.
A defining characteristic of new media is dialogue. New Media transmit content
through connection and conversation. It enables people around the world to share,
comment on, and discuss a wide variety of topics. Unlike any of past technologies,
New Media is grounded on an interactive community. Wikipedia, an online
encyclopedia, is an example, combining Internet accessible digital text, images and
video with web-links, creative participation of contributors, interactive feedback of
users and formation of a participant community of editors and donors for the benefit
of non-community readers.
Face book is an example of the social media model, in which most users are also
participants.

IMPACT OF INTERNET
It offers a variety of services which are used to create, browse, access, search,
view and communicate information on a diverse set of topics ranging from the results
of scientific experiments to discussions of recreational activities. The sources of
information available on the Internet are electronic journals, pre-prints, technical
reports, e-mail based information services, scientific data sets, etc. all these sources
constitute a vast amount of resources. The users of the Internet can utilize it.
The Internet serves many functions - as a virtual community, electronic
marketplace, and information source, employment portal for jobseekers, research
centre, discussion forum, and entertainment centre, among others.
The Internet brings together buyers and sellers and facilitates the flow of information,
making it a key driver of trade. Gradually, the Internet has become a necessity of life
that it is difficult to imagine life without it.
The Internet is affecting every sphere of our life, be it government, business,
education, agriculture, legal practice, entertainment, job opportunity, defence etc.
The Internet has become an indispensable and multipurpose tool. The Internet has
shaken up the world. They have made us dependent upon them. We expect them to
be present at every place: be it the reservation on online, searching jobs online.
One needs the basic computer skills to use the Internet. Hence, we can say that
Internet literacy is the need of today and voice of tomorrow to survive in the fast-
changing world.

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INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media platforms allow users to have conversations, share information and
create web content. There are many forms of social media, including blogs, micro-
blogs, wikis, social networking sites, photo-sharing sites, instant messaging, video-
sharing sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual worlds, and more. Billions of people around
the world use social media to share information and make connections.
On a personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family,
learn new things, develop your interests, and be entertained.
On a professional level, you can use social media to broaden your knowledge in a
particular field and build your professional network by connecting with other
professionals in your industry.
At the company level, social media allows you to have a conversation with your
audience, gain customer feedback, and elevate your brand.

 There are end number of social media platforms and some common
characteristics too all these are:
 Social media are interactive Web 2.0 based internet applications.
 User-generated content such as text posts or comments, digital photos or videos,
and data generated through all online interactions, is the lifeblood of social
media.
 Users create service-specific profiles for the website or app that are designed
and maintained by the social media organization.
 Social media facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting a
user's profile with those of other individuals or groups.

Research shows that the audience spends 22% of their time on social networks, thus
proving how popular social media platforms have become. This increase is because
of the widespread daily use of smartphones.
Social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore things,
advertise oneself and form friendships as well as the growth of ideas from the
creation of blogs, podcasts, videos, and gaming sites. Networked individuals create,
edit, and manage content in collaboration with other networked individuals. This way
they contribute to expanding knowledge. Social media may take the form of a variety
of tech-enabled activities. These activities include photo sharing, blogging, social
gaming, social networks, video sharing, business networks, virtual worlds, reviews
and much more. Even governments and politicians utilize social media to engage
with constituents and voters. Social media originated as a way to interact with friends
and family but was later adopted by businesses which wanted to take advantage of a
popular new communication method to reach out to customers. Globally, there are
more than 3 billion social media users.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA

1. The Impact of Social Media on Politics
It helps in rallying for good causes, awareness, social change, political awareness.
In comparison to other media, social media’s influence in political campaigns has
increased tremendously. Social networks play an increasingly important role in
electoral politics.
The New York Times reports that “The election of Donald J. Trump is perhaps the
starkest illustration yet that across the planet, social networks are helping to
fundamentally rewire human society.”
Because social media allows people to communicate with one another more freely,
they are helping to create surprisingly influential social organizations among once-
marginalized groups.

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2. The Impact of Social Media on Society
Almost a quarter of the world’s population is now on Face book. Because social
networks feed off interactions among people, they become more powerful as they
grow. Thanks to the internet, each person with marginal views can see that he’s not
alone.
The possibility to have a discourse is there in social media and when these people
find one another via social media, they can do things — create memes, publications
and entire online worlds that bolster their worldview, and then break into the
mainstream. Without social media, social, ethical, environmental and political ills
would have minimal visibility. Increased visibility of issues has shifted the balance of
power from the hands of a few to the masses.
Social media is also in the other hand slowly killing real activism and replacing
it with ‘slacktivism’. While social media activism brings an increased awareness
about societal issues, questions remain as to whether this awareness is translating
into real change. Some argue that social sharing has encouraged people to use
computers and mobile phones to express their concerns on social issues without
actually having to engage actively with campaigns in real life. Their support is limited
to pressing the ‘Like’ button or sharing content.

3. The Impact of Social Media on Commerce

The rise of social media means it’s unusual to find an organization that does not
reach its customers and prospects through one social media platform or another.
Companies see the importance of using social media to connect with customers and
build revenue. Businesses have realized they can use social media to generate
insights, stimulate demand, and create targeted product offerings. It also showed a
new cheap and efficient way of marketing of marketing.

SOCIAL MEDIA A BLESSING

 Rallying for good causes, awareness, social change, political awareness.
 Advantage on marketing for businesses.
 Meeting like-minded people, comradery.
 Low cost communication, low cost entertainment.

CONCENRS OVER SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT

 Content through algorithm
 Lack of Social media literacy
 Political manipulation- The 2016 American presidential election has well-
documented accounts of the impact of the ability to spread false information
through the platform. Such a phenomenon leverages the power of social media,
allowing anyone to reach an audience of millions with content that lacks oversight
or fact-checking. When a story that tied Hillary Clinton to a pedophilia and human
trafficking ring was widely shared on Face book. It turned out that this originated
with a single unsubstantiated post on a conspiracy forum and was then reposted
on thousands of other websites.
 Fake news - Social media has made it very easy to spread information quickly.
Because Face book and Twitter timelines move so quickly, viewers don’t often
verify what they’ve seen. A great deal of content is also spread through images
and memes, which may or may not be based on valid information. Of course,
many memes are created to be funny, cute or outrageous. Others, however, are
intended to influence our thinking. Even links to real articles can be misleading.

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 It’s safe to say that most people who see a headline and link never read the
whole article. Huffington Post recently published an interesting experiment that
highlights this problem. In the article Bernie Sanders Could Replace President
Trump with LittleKnown Loophole, Matt Masur illustrated the problem of people
sharing content that they didn’t bother to verify or, in many cases, even read. In
the second paragraph, Masur reveals that the claim of the headline is false.
Thousands of people, however, shared the article on social media without
reading that far.
 Lack of Privacy - Stalking, identity theft, personal attacks, and misuse of
information are some of the threats faced by the users of social media. Most of
the time, the users themselves are to blame as they end up sharing content that
should not be in the public eye. The confusion arises from a lack of
understanding of how the private and public elements of an online profile actually
work. Unfortunately, by the time private content is deleted, it’s usually too late
and can cause problems in people’s personal and professional lives.
 Cyber bullying
Data mining is a process used by companies to turn raw data into useful
information. By using software to look for patterns in large batches of data,
businesses can learn more about their customers to develop more effective
marketing strategies, increase sales and decrease costs, but this is also used for
political advantage.

9.
MEDIA ORGANISATIONS (pg.135-144)

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