Developments in the Last Century Essay

In detail this paper will show how the media played an important role in the culture today. It will answer the questions What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media in the last century? It will also ask How did each development influence American culture? And What is ment by the term media convergence and how it affected everyday life? How we conceive mass media comes in different ways such as: television (24 -hour news channels,) (hoarders to fashion models,) (music videos, nature documentaries, and reality shows). With videos on demand provided by the local cable company plus online streaming or down loading. Media literacy on one hand, is the growth of the internet as the primary information source exposes the public to increased levels of text, thereby increasing the level of literacy. What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media in the last century? The three major developments in the last century were (print, electrical, and digital). In terms of print media books are durable and contain a large amount of information. Books are expensive to produce. As for newspapers they are cheaper and can be made quickly. In the 1800 hundreds the newspaper faced a new threat called penny press. These papers were cheaper than the regular newspapers. The penny press also printed more of murder and scandal rather than of the political news of the day. Another form of mass media is the radio. Radio was not that expensive less than television and more available. Radio gave the people the opportunity to listen to a live event at the same time. Specifically the radio was made for advertising. Radio accessed a large audience. Radio also made listening in the privacy of one’s own home to be pleasure seeking and curious. With radio one can listen to a story and imagine in one’s own head how the story plays out, thus creating imagination. Television is another form of mass media. The television was invented in 1923. Broadcast television was the most dominant form of mass media. By 1946 more than 17,000 televisions existed. There were at the time only three major networks, they controlled more than 90% of the news programs. By the 1960s television televised the conflict of the Vietnam war. The telegraph is part of the mass media seen also. Any part of information received via radio, television, newspaper, and Internet have been considered to be mass media. In today’s society more people tend to receive their news and other information via the Internet. How did each development influence American culture? Each development influenced the American culture in many ways. The way we receive the news is very different today. Newspapers came a long way from just black and white to color. Before anything what we had was newspaper that is how one would get the facts regarding what is going on in the world. With newspaper they do not get to see the vast aura of colors as television. The newspaper made people want to read what was written. For the television world was more in tuned to today’s society. Television has the visual aspect and as for the news per say the electronic media has come full circle from radio to television. For print people did not have to rely on teachers, preachers, or story tellers. They were allowed to read what was published and interpret it how they seen it. The telegraph led to radio, fax machine, and phones. Instant communication is how print and electrical mass media influenced America. They are able to put more information out there along with visual aspects . What is ment by the term media convergence and how it affected everyday life? Media convergence is the merging of all the technology together. A merger of mass media. It affects us in many ways such as fax machines and e-mail. We as humans no longer have to hand write a letter any more when we have e-mail. We went from writing letters by hand to typing them on a type writer to writing an e-mail on computers to texting on phones. With the simple click of a button the letter is sent through millions of power lines to get to the person it is intended for. Media convergence is a link between old and new technologies. They come together to share the same tasks and resources. There are five kinds of convergences they are Economic, Organic, Cultural, Global, and Technological. a) Economic involves such things as internet, phone, and cable regarding the provider one chose for these services. b) Organic occurs when one can stream video listen to music and text a friend all at the same time. c) Cultural occurs when a person turns a book into a movie, film, and even toys such as Spiderman. d) Global occurs when the process of geographically distance cultures influencing one another despite the distance that physically separates them. e) Technological occurs when the merging of technologies come together, such as the ability to watch television shows online on sites like crackle. Conclusion In conclusion the media has changed in many ways, such as how one receives the news and communicates with one another. We have gone from the telegraph to radio, television, phones, and computers regarding how we receive information. It is completely up to the individual how one use the various forms of media technologies out there today. However, a few things have stayed the same major media companies own popular media content sites such as Hulu, and YouTube and control access to a great deal of online information. Perhaps the standards for literacy will shift to an emphasis on simplicity and directness.