Mass media | Solutional Web Design Antwerp

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Mass media refers to various forms of communication that reach a large audience simultaneously. This includes traditional forms like print media (books, newspapers, magazines), recordings, cinema, radio, and television^[1], as well as modern digital platforms like the internet^[2] and mobile phones. Each form of mass media uses unique content types and utilizes specific business models, creative artists, and technicians for production and distribution. It's worth noting that there's ongoing debate about whether video games should be considered a form of mass media. Mass media is characterized by its one-to-many communication model, allowing for broad dissemination of information or products. A key distinction of mass media is that it separates the production and reception of information, reaching audiences who are often distant in time and space from the producers.

Terms definitions

1. ↑ television. Television is a technology that transmits visual and audio images. The term comes from Ancient Greek and Latin, meaning "far sight. First used in 1900 by Constantin Perskyi, it was known as 'telephote' and 'televista' in early proposals. Television evolved from the mechanical scanning of images, with the Nipkow disk, patented in 1884, playing a crucial role. Initially, TV signals were transmitted through terrestrial broadcasting, but now include coaxial cable, optical fiber, satellite systems, and the internet. Television sets have internal electronic circuits, including a tuner for receiving signals. Without a tuner, it's a video monitor. Color broadcasting was introduced in the mid-1960s, and now, there are smart TVs with internet connectivity. Today, 79% of households worldwide own a television, with major manufacturers producing smart TVs.

2. ↑ internet. The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use standardized communication protocols, primarily the TCP/IP, to link devices worldwide. Originating from the term 'internetted' used in 1849, the term 'Internet' was later used by the US War Department in 1945. Its development began with computer scientists creating time-sharing systems in the 1960s and further progressed with the establishment of ARPANET in 1969. The Internet is self-governed, without a central authority, and its principal name spaces are administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It has significantly transformed traditional communication media and has grown exponentially over the years, with internet users increasing 20% to 50% annually. In 2019, over half of the world population used the Internet. The Internet protocol suite, which includes TCP/IP and four conceptual layers, guides internet packets to their destinations. Essential services like email and Internet telephony operate on the Internet. The World Wide Web, a global collection of interconnected documents, is a key component of the Internet.

Mass media (Wikipedia)

Mass media includes the various arrays of media That reach a large audience via mass communication.

Copy of a newspaper (*El Universo*), an example of mass media

Broadcast media transmits information electronically via media such as movies, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises both Internet and mobile mass communication. Internet media comprises such services as email, social media sites, websites, and Internet-based radio and television. Many other mass media outlets have an additional presence on the web, by such means as linking to or running TV ads online, or distributing QR codes in outdoor or print media to direct mobile users to a website. In this way, they can use the easy accessibility and outreach capabilities the Internet affords, as thereby easily broadcast information throughout many different regions of the world simultaneously and cost-efficiently. Outdoor media transmits information via such media as augmented reality (AR) advertising; billboards; blimps; flying billboards (signs in tow of airplanes); placards or kiosks placed inside and outside buses, commercial buildings, shops, sports stadiums, subway cars, or trains; signs; or skywriting. Print media transmits information via physical objects, such as books, comics, magazines, newspapers, or pamphlets. Event organizing and public speaking can also be considered forms of mass media.

Egyptian movie star Salah Zulfikar on the cover of Al-Kawakeb magazine, March 1961, an example of mass media

The organizations that control these technologies, such as movie studios, publishing companies, and radio and television stations, are also known as the mass media.^{[need quotation to verify]}

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