Mass Media Development

From the 17th century to present, media has taken many forms and has evolved to reach every American in every corner of the country. It has been inadvertently responsible for such events as colonization, the American Revolution, and the Spanish American War. The reason media is so powerful today is because through its various avenues, the United States is constantly bombarded by information and advertisements trying to influence us and sway our opinions about issues in certain directions. Before we get too in depth on the subject, we should have a general definition of what ‘media’ is. To put it simply, according to the Oxford Dictionary it is: The main means of mass communication. (especially television, radio, newspaper, and the internet

With the advent of information technology, the ways different aspects of life work and operate have changed a great deal. Media has always had a great influence in molding the culture of a society. There was a point of time when television and radio were invented and when computer was invented and there was little connection between the two. Time then travelled fast then through the age of cassettes, records, VCDs, DVDs, flash drive and then the internet. Media also started to go satellite on a massive scale and there came a point of time when media and digital communication systems became closely integrated with one another, opening the dimensions to digital media.

During the mid-1900's, daily newspapers and magazines were important sources of information. In the 1940's, the radio supplied another source of media and broadcast to the masses. Individuals spent their evenings tuned into radio stations to listen to accounts of the ongoing war. During this era, daily newspapers were still accessible and still utilized by most people. In the 1950s, television was invented and subsequently became a primary media communications tool. The information broadcast through television was a combination of information from the radio and the daily newspaper. In 1962, satellites offered access to world news. From that point to now, Americans have expanded mass communication to include smart phones and the Internet, as new technology

There have been so many major developments in the evolution of mass media we now live in a day and age where we are constantly continuously connected. I have greatly always been fascinated by how much things have changed in just fifteen years. Fifteen years ago when I was sixteen and looking for a job. I would have to walk into an establishment and physically fill out a paper application and sometimes get an immediate interview. The other options were to use a news paper to look for jobs. Now just fifteen years later not even a century I can down load an application have my resume uploaded and apply for twenty jobs in a matter of minutes and receive call backs the same day it’s incredible. In the last century we have gone from the radio invention with just sound listening to movies, to black and white TV set, to color TV set to big flat screen TV that can go 3D.

The new era of technology led to major developments in the evolution of mass media, worldwide. In our society, we originally communicated orally before the Internet and wireless devices existed. Individuals relied on traditional forms of mass media, such as the television, radio, newspapers, and magazines, to attain knowledge of the outside world. Thereafter, the development of new forms mass media evolved, and we were introduced to the Internet and other wireless communication devices such as IPads and tablets, smart phones and social media sites. Regardless of the rise and fall in popularity of certain forms of mass media, the evolution of mass media influenced the American culture greatly.

Media is defined as any form of communication; however, the term is mainly used for television, radio, and the Internet. “Regardless of the form it takes, media holds the power to construct and reflect our own sense of identity, in both affirmative and detrimental ways” (199). In American society, the media makes many assumptions based on gender, race, and religion that directly affects how people in a society view each other.

In detail this paper will show how the media played an important role in the culture today. It will answer the questions What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media in the last century? It will also ask How did each development influence American culture? And What is ment by the term media convergence and how it affected everyday life?

Media surrounds us almost all the time no matter where we are in life. Growing up we have so many different television shows and different DVD programs that are supposed to help us learn and develop more skills. Now in our teenage years going into the young adult phase we are being swarmed with different ways to access the media that is around us. We have smartphones, tablets, computers, television, newspapers, and magazines that allow us the ability to know what is going on in the world around us. So many devices can now access the internet and connect us to friends, family, and other people we may not even know across the world.

Media has been used in many different forms over the past 2,000 years. It was used to sway public opinion and promote social change. "New media is very different from old media, in short, but has much in common with "really old" media" (Standage, Tom, Writing on the Wall,

Media has affected so many people and the “Digital Age.” The two biggest things that it has impacted are the economy and society. First, the economy is affected because there are many ways to buy and sell off the internet. Websites like Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay, and Etsy have made it easy to buy products. This is known as E Commerce. Businesses can run from their own phones. Now people don't have to go to the grocery store. Even though it takes away from the experience of seeing other products you may need.

The use of media has grown exponentially in the last century. Media can take many different forms like radio, newspapers, magazines, television, and websites. It is a form of communication. It

In the last century mass media has went from paper to digital, these major developments have influenced American culture in many ways.

In this globalization era, the internet or the virtual world has becoming more complicated and has the potential by showing more effective platform of various collaborative activities which includes academic and education purposes. The intention and the desire regarding the uses of internet world are all about the uses of the internet.

Media has always played a huge role in our society. For a long time media was one of the methods of controlling people and leisure. Nowadays media is one of the main part of our lives and our society, because

Mass media is a media intended for a large audience. It may take the form of broadcast media, as in the case of television and radio, or print media, like newspapers and magazines. Internet media can also attain mass media status, and many media outlets maintain a web presence to take advantage of the ready availability of Internet in many regions of the world. Some people also refer to it as the “mainstream media,” referencing the fact that it tends to stick to prominent stories which will be of interest to a general audience, sometimes ignoring controversial breaking news. Many people around the world rely on this form of media for news and entertainment, and globally, it is a huge industry.