Media and its Many Forms

By: Johnny

In this day and age when we think of “media”, the first things that usually come to mind are the technological types such as the internet and television. In reality, the forms in which media is communicated is very widespread, ranging from print media, to broadcast media, to the Internet. It’s surprising to know just how many ways people can learn information through the media, and how they’re so subtly integrated in our everyday lives.

Before technology struck and took over the world as we know it, media information, believe it or not, was still being communicated with the public in the form of print. Print media, which includes newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters etc., is the oldest and most influential form of media. Even with the more modern forms of media becoming as popular as they’ve gotten, print media and especially newspapers will always have a place in people's lives. The New York Times is often called the newspaper of record, with people saying, if it’s not in the New York Times, it’s not important. This could be taken a number of different ways, but I think it’s safe to say print media is the most trusted form of media information.

Broadcast media, which includes radio and television, is the most widely used source in the U.S. for getting news information (Sparknotes, “The Media”). Although fewer people rely on the radio as their primary news source nowadays, people did heavily rely on it before the arrival of television in the 1950s.

The last and most contemporary source for media information is the internet. The slow transformation it’s made into the news and media information market has led people to rely on its online sources instead of traditional print or broadcast media. Internet websites, such as CNN and NBC, have incorporated their print and broadcasting outlets into the internet and can now provide text, audio, and video information to their users. The versatility and customizability the internet has is the main reason it’s become so popular.

I think it’s safe to say there are many different forms in which media information can be delivered to the public, and in hindsight, the information is all generally the same. The internet is merely expanding on all the other types of media resources and technological advancements have brought more options to the table.

Works Cited

“Types of Media” Spark Notes. Sparknotes.com <http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/american-government/the-media/section1.rhtml>

Angela Oswalt Morelli , MSW, edited by Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. “Types of Media” Community Counseling Services Inc. Communitycounselingservices.org <http://www.communitycounselingservices.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=37582&cn=66>

https://www.reference.com/technology/different-types-media-8855c5ffeb12da10