Effects of Mass Media

Over the last century mass media has evolved and transformed into many different forms; from books and magazines to television and the Internet. Through the ages mass communication has been broken down into eras, such as; oral, written, print, electronic, and digital. The past one hundred years the main forms of mass communication have been through the print, electronic, and digital eras. In the early 20th century the main forms of mass media were books, newspapers, magazines, and radio. One major development toward the evolution of mass media during this time was in 1912 that lives on the Titanic were saved by onboard wireless operators. In the early 1920s electricity and microphones were introduced. Another event was the first commercial advertisement in 1922. The year 1927 held a few steps toward the evolution of mass media. Congress issues radio licenses, sound comes to movies, and the first TV transmission by Farnsworth. By the 1940s a new form of mass media was introduced, digital technology. Another huge milestone in 1940 was the development of Audiotapes by Germany. The 1950s was a great decade for the transformation of mass media. In 1950 rock and roll emerges, an audience rating system was developed by Nielson Market Research Company, and 3-D movies start to become available. RCA debuts transistor radio by 1952. In 1960, Cassettes are introduced in a new format, Telstar satellite relays telephone and TV signals, and ARPAnet research has begun for the Internet. By the end of the 1970s, e-mail and microprocessor are developed, and video is now available on VHS. In 1980, fiber-optic cable is used to transmit information, CNN premieres, and hypertext enables users to link web pages together. From 1981 to 1983 MTV launches and compact discs (CD’s) are introduced in the new format. At this point mass media has now ventured into all eras of communication; oral, written, print, electronic, and digital. But it does not slow down or stop. The 1990s were promising years in the development of the electronic and digital eras. Talk radio becomes a popular format, web browsers make the Internet easier to navigate, DVD’s are introduced and practically replace VHS, and blogger software is released. Not to be outdone, the 21st century proves to be even more impressive with the digital and electronic eras. Instant messenger services grow, Microsoft takes its gaming capability online with Xbox Live, MP3 is now available, and satellite radio is now an option. By the end of this decade broadband is in 60% of American homes, e-books are available to be downloaded and read on a Kindle or any other e-book reader, Apple launches iPad, and 80% of American adults are online. Each step toward evolution with mass media for the past century has had an effect on American culture as well as culture having an effect on the development of mass media. In the 1920s radio and newspaper were the main forms of mass media used. However, by the Great Depression in the 1930s people began to lose trust in those outlets. One of outcomes of this distrust was television. The 1940s were harder times as America was in World War II at which time Germany develops audiotapes. By the 1950s television is on the rise, and its main audience is teenagers. While trying to attract teenagers, rock and roll is born. As television is becoming more and more dominant with mass media, America finds itself in a “space race” with other countries. One outcome to this is the Telstar satellite that relays telephone and TV signals. In the 1970s as America is in the Vietnam War, television is overrun by politics, race, class, and prejudice. Making the new VCR an outlet to escape and watch things other than what was on the television. As the digital age expands, the availability of different outlets to receive mass media has grown tremendously. The development of smart devices and accessibility to the Internet make it easier to have the media at hand at any moment. As life in America becomes increasingly busy, people want to see and use mass media on their own time and convenience. Media convergence allows this to happen, by merging all outlets of media through various digital media platforms. This has affected everyday life by making mass media more accessible to everyone. With the use of many electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, mass media is now at anyone’s fingertips. Making the public more informed. The last century has proven to be a great evolution and transformation of mass media. America has gone from just having newspapers and radio broadcasts to television and the Internet. Mass media has grown and will continue to grow through the digital era. The audience has gone from a very few, to reaching practically everyone, thanks to portable electronic devices. It will be interesting to see where it will be taken next.

References
Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009). Media and Culture. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/DownloadList.aspx?assetMetaId=d05df25e-99c7-4897-bef7-9deb8c25188e&assetDataId=bda37baa-3eea-42b7-8ebf-bc6971d49dc1