Media (communication)

Media (communication)

In communications, media (singular medium) are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data. It is often referred to as synonymous with mass media or news media, but may refer to a single medium used to communicate any data for any purpose.[1][2][3]

Contents

Evolution

The word medium comes from the Latin word medius (middle).

The beginning of human communication through artificial channels, i.e. not vocalization or gestures, dates back to ancient cave paintings, drawn maps, and writing.[4]

The Persian Empire (centred around present-day Iran) played an important role in the field of communication. It devised what might be described as the first real mail or postal system, which is said to have been developed by the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great (c. 550 BC) after his conquest of Media. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is well documented, and the service was (later) called angariae, a term that in time turned to indicate a tax system. The Old Testament (Esther, VIII) makes mention of this system: Ahasuerus, king of Medes, used couriers for communicating his decisions.

The word communication is derived from the Latin root communicare. This was due to the Roman Empire also devising what might be described as a mail or postal system, in order to centralize control of the empire from Rome. This allowed for personal letters and for Rome to gather knowledge about events in its many widespread provinces. More advanced postal systems later appeared in the Islamic Caliphate and the Mongol Empire during the Middle Ages.

The adoption of a dominant communication medium is important enough that historians have folded civilization into "ages" according to the medium most widely used. A book titled "Five Epochs of Civilization" by William McGaughey (Thistlerose, 2000) divides history into the following stages: Ideographic writing produced the first civilization; alphabetic writing, the second; printing, the third; electronic recording and broadcasting, the fourth; and computer communication, the fifth. The media affects what people think about themselves and how they perceive people as well. What we think about self image and what others should look like comes from the media.

While it could be argued that these "Epochs" are just a historian's construction, digital and computer communication shows concrete evidence of changing the way humans organize. The latest trend in communication, termed smartmobbing, involves ad-hoc organization through mobile devices, allowing for effective many-to-many communication and social networking.

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 analogue and digital media:

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 facebook). Electronic media is becoming more and more famous everyday with more electronic devices that are being made.

Social impact

Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. Today, children are encouraged to use media tools in school and are expected to have a general understanding of the various technologies available. The internet is arguably one of the most effective tools in media for communication. Tools such as e-mail, MSN, Facebook etc., have brought people closer together and created new online communities. However, some may argue that certain types of media can hinder face-to-face communication and therefore can result in complications like identity fraud.

In a large consumer-driven society, electronic media (such as television) and print media (such as newspapers) are important for distributing advertisement media. More technologically advanced societies have access to goods and services through newer media than less technologically advanced societies.

Media, through media and communications psychology, has helped to connect diverse people from far and near geographical location. It has also helped in the aspect of on- line/ internet business and other activities that has an on-line version. All media intended to affect human behavior is initiatied through communication and the intended behavior is coached in psychology. Therefore, understanding media and communications psychology is fundamental in understanding the social and individual effects of media. The expanding field of media and communications psychology combines these established disciplines in a new way.

Timing change based on innovation and efficiency may not have a direct correlation with technology. The information revolution is based on modern advancements. During the 19th century, the information "boom" rapidly advanced because of postal systems, increase in newspaper accessibility, as well as schools "modernizing". These advancements were made due to the increase of people becoming literate and educated.[citation needed] The methodology of communication although has changed and dispersed in numerous directions based on the source of its sociocultural impact.

See also

References

  1. ^ American Psychological Association (APA): media. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media
  2. ^ Chicago Manual Style (CMS): media. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media (accessed: February 24, 2008)
  3. ^ Modern Language Association (MLA): "media." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 24 Feb. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media.
  4. ^ word

Further reading

  • McQuail, Denis (2000) McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory (fourth edition), Sage, London, pp. 16–34. MAS
  • Biagi, S. (2004). Media Impact. Wadsworth Pub Co, 7th edition.
  • Caron, A. H. and Caronia, L. (2007). Moving cultures: mobile communication in everyday life. McGill-Queen's University Press.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jerusalem Media & Communication Centre — The Jerusalem Media Communication Centre is a Palestinian organization which provides information about events in the West Bank and in Gaza to journalists and researchers.[1] References ^ About JMCC by JMCC External links Official Web …   Wikipedia

  • Communication theory — is a field of information and mathematics that studies the technical process of information[1] and the human process of human communication.[2] Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins …   Wikipedia

  • COMMUNICATION — AVANT d’être caractérisée par son histoire, qui va s’accélérant à la fois dans le monde humain et dans la conception que l’homme se fait du monde humain et non humain, c’est par sa nature que la communication est caractérisée. Elle désigne… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Media monitoring — is the activity of monitoring the output of the print, online and broadcast media.[citation needed] It can be conducted for a variety of reasons, including political, commercial, scientific, and so on. Contents 1 In Business 2 In Social Sciences …   Wikipedia

  • Média — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Media. Le terme média désigne dans l acception la plus courante tout moyen de diffusion ou naturel (comme le langage, l écriture, l affiche) ou technique (comme la radio, la télévision, le cinéma, Internet),… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Media transparency — This article is about transparency in communications. For investigative website, see MediaTransparency. The inside of the media tent and the climate camp in Heathow. 10 workstations, with live satellite up link and powered from renewables. Media… …   Wikipedia

  • Media — For help playing audio and video files in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Media help. For references to Wikipedia in the media, see Wikipedia:Wikipedia in the media. For questions regarding Wikipedia, please visit the Wikimedia Foundation press room or …   Wikipedia

  • Media naturalness theory — was developed by Ned Kock. This theory is sometimes referred to as the psychobiological model[1], or compensatory adaptation theory[2]. It has been used to understand human behavior toward technology in various contexts, such as: education[3],… …   Wikipedia

  • Media studies — is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media . Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from …   Wikipedia

  • COMMUNICATION - Communication de masse — Par communication de masse, on entend l’ensemble des techniques contemporaines qui permettent à un acteur social de s’adresser à un public extrêmement nombreux. Les principaux moyens de communication de masse ou mass media sont la presse,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”