The tools of mass communication that store, retrieve, and transfer information are referred to as media. The term "media" refers to all forms of communication, including broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet. Among other things, media is used to convey news, marketing messages, and entertainment. Televisions, laptops, mobile phones, billboards, newspapers, radio, the Internet, and iPads are just a few examples of media. The media has significantly altered society. Both bad and beneficial developments have occurred.
Media's Beneficial Effects on Society
The media has backed up education. There is a wealth of educational content available on the Internet. This is through things like e-books and e-libraries which provide referencing materials for scholars. The World Wide Web facilitates the storage of thousands of educational materials which are easily retrievable to anyone with internet connection. This had increased efficiency in education as compared to the past when one had to look for an actual library to access educational materials.
Media has enabled real time dissemination of information. There is very fast spreading of information especially with digital media. An event occurring anywhere in the world can be broadcasted to all corners of the world almost immediately (Pringle and Marshall 22). Social media has been a real game changer. People nowadays obtain the news and information through their phones almost instantly. Live events are also broadcasted using television and radio. In the past, it could take even days for information to spread over far-flung areas.
Businesses that have embraced the use of media as a marketing tool have gained the competitive advantage. For instance, businesses that advertise their products through television and radio can reach millions of consumers in a single advert. Likewise, companies have embraced social media as an essential advertising platform which has by far increased their profit margins. In the past, it was harder for businesses to do promotions effectively since the technology was not much developed.
Business operations have become more efficient by embracing the use of media. For instance, business meetings can be conducted via e-conferencing from different locations. This has led to saving of time and costs. In the past, people had to travel for long distances to attend meetings and incurred a lot of costs. Businesses can increase their profit margins by inculcating international transactions which are enabled by e-commerce. Through this, businesses have been able to fetch more profits than in the past.
Negative Effects of Media on the Society
Media exposes harmful content to minors. The internet is an open source of all kinds of information. Cell phones with internet connection are easily accessible to children, and they can easily access adult content. Exposure to the pornographic material to children has led to moral decay in the society. Before the coming of digital media, such content was harder to access.
Media has negatively affected how people socialize. Research shows that adults and teenagers spend a significant amount of their time in social media. The time that children would spend playing and socializing with their friends is now spent on their phones. Many parents also spend a lot of time using phones and television and too little time with their children.
Media in Relation to Religion, Myths, and Rituals
Media has changed the way people worship. With advancement in media technology, religious services are now televised. Some people opt to follow the church service from the comfort of their homes which is facilitated by media.
There is an increase in usage of cell phones, tablets, and iPads in churches which replaces religious books. People prefer using the religious books apps in their gadgets instead of the hardcopy. Religious interactions are also nowadays conducted via social media platforms (Pringle and Marshall 108).
The phenomena that were being interpreted by myths in the previous generations are being explained by media anew. To this end, media has debunked several traditional myths that lack scientific explanations. Media has helped to communicate modern theories and scientific discoveries (Hildebrand 34). During the past times, people used to believe in mythical explanations about how things came to be. In the current generation, people don’t believe in fictions and mythical explanations of things.
Rituals are practices performed in a sequential manner, especially in traditional cultures. The modern generations rarely perform rituals. This may be because media has reduced people’s physical interactions since rituals are performed communally. People now depend on social media as their preferred platform for interaction. Rituals have also lost meaning to the current generation since they lack scientific proof to back them. People rely on media as a source of accurate information.
Comparison on how Young People and Adults Interacting with the Media
Young people interact with the media more often compared to adults. Research shows that the youth in the current generation cannot stay for thirty consecutive minutes without checking their phones. The youths’ phones are mostly used with the internet connection to visit social sites. The adults’ phones are mostly used for communication purposes.
Media is important to both the young people and adults. Young people prefer entertainment programs like music and dances. Adults prefer in most cases viewing informative programs like news and documentaries (Russell and Goodman 72).
Young people are more explorative with the use of media than adults. They are quick to investigate new technology and try out new social media platforms. Adults, on the other hand, are less enthusiastic about trying new social media platforms. This may be because they grew up in a time when the use of digital media was not advanced.
Conclusion
Media has brought a big difference between the past and the current generation. It has affected the behavior of people in many ways both positive and negative. Media is constantly improving as technology improves. The future generation will be spending more of their time in the media compared to the current generation.
Works Cited
Hildebrand, Julia M. "Modal Media: Connecting Media Ecology and Mobilities Research". Media, Culture & Society (2017): 016344371770734. Web.
Pringle, Hamish, and Jim Marshall. Spending Advertising Money in the Digital Age. London: Kogan Page, 2012. Print.
Russell, Wendy Thomas, and Sarah Goodman. Media. New York: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2010. Print.
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