Historical Evolution and Development of the Various Mass Media

Throughout history there have been several factors that contributed to the historical evolution and development of the various mass media in the United States. Print, broadcast, and electronic media have changed drastically since man was first introduced to them. The speed of these changes are occurring more rapidly now, altering the different forms of media along with it. Though these changes have brought forth many benefits, a few negative impacts have been brought along as well. Print media has been used by people to spread information for centuries, dating all the way back to 59 B.
C. by Julius Caesar. Caesar created the “newspaper” to tell the public about important events. During this time news was written on large white boards, which were located in places where people would usually go. Later the Chinese created the first hand-written newspapers. In 1447, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Gutenberg’s creation made the exchange of people’s ideas much easier. Newspapers did not start having publications on a regular basis until the beginning of the 17th century. Print media completely transformed after the creation of the telegraph in 1844.
Then finally in the 19th century, newspapers have became the primary source of news. Since the introduction of broadcast media in the 1900’s, print media has had to reevaluate their position as an information provider. Broadcasting media started with wireless telegraphy which was dots and dashes carried by radio transmissions. Audio broadcasting services that traveled through radio waves sent from a transmitter to an antenna became very popular quickly. People all across the world tuned into their radios regularly to hear current events.

Television eventually began to take the place of radio in the 1950’s. During the cold war, shortwave broadcasting played an important role in keeping people informed. FM radio changed younger Americans interest in radio in the 1970’s. Many stations would play entire record albums instead of just the top songs. In the 2000’s digital radio and satellite broadcasting became extremely popular. Electronic media is a form of media that uses electronics or electromechanical energy in order for its viewer to receive the content.
Electronic media sources most commonly used by most people are audio and video recordings, multimedia and slide presentations, disk, and online content. The newest and most common form of electric media is in the form of digital media. The rise in electronic media can be dated back to the 1960’s. In 1968, the U. S. Department of Defense created a network to where different computers could communicate with one another. A student at the University of Minnesota developed the internet years later. The Web included images, audio and video features, and hypertext links.
People can gain unlimited sources of information whenever and whenever through the internet. In the early 1990’s local and national newspapers became based online. By the early 2000’s most magazines were even located online. Now, electronic media has almost completely taken the place of print media. In my opinion, broadcast media tends to have a uniting influence and it also niches audiences based on demographic consumer needs. People begin to feel a connection with the individuals they watch on television or regularly hear on the radio.
This connection makes that or those particular individuals opinion have as huge impact on most of their viewers. MSNBC is known for being more democratic in nature, using social networks as an outlet to promote its cultural hegemony. Broadcasting medias such as MSNBC, Fox News, and PBS are visibly more diversity exemplified as opposed to other stations. They focus on politics and are mainly just concerned with showing their belief in a positive light, while putting a negative spin on other beliefs. Americans should be concerned about this, because it influences people on terms that may not be truthful.
Strategies media professionals from different industries have historically used to adapt to societal and technical changes include changing from print media to being online based, business developing pages on social networks, and interacting with its viewers. Certain changes have been made by the different forms of media in order to keep up with the latest trends in technology. I believe in the future, print media will be extinct and electronic media will be the main and maybe even only form of media.
When attempting to prosper in the American marketplace, media professionals face the challenges of keeping up with the growing requirement for owners of content to arrange multi-format content in order to fully maximize new forms of digital technology. Legal challenges media professionals face include privacy, advertising, agreement terms, security concerns, and ensuring people with disabilities are able to access their content. In conclusion, several events have had to take place in order for our several medias to be where they are today.
This paper displayed some of the influences broadcasting and print media had on people. Print media has been used to spread information to people since the B. C. years. Digital media had virtually taken the place of print media, causing a drastic decrease in actual newspapers making them and magazines mainly online based. Electronic media continues to dominate all other forms of media and appears to grow even more powerful throughout the years.
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