INFLUENCE OF THE MASS MEDIA ON THE AMERICAN CULTURE
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According to Coleman, mass media is a means one uses to communicate with the general public. Mass media include but not limited to television, the radio, magazines, newspapers, and one of the greatest man’s inventions- the Internet. The newspaper is the first mass media platform. The mass media has developed drastically over the last Century.
The discovery of the use of electromagnetic waves to transmit wireless signals by Marconi led to the invention of the radio. The Marconi Telegraph Company was able to communicate with White Star Lines and send an SOS call to other ships that the Titanic had struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912. This discovery later led to the invention of different communication media such as the telephone and the satellites.
The first invention of the early 1900s is the television. In 1925, John Logie Baird invented the television. This invention influenced how Americans viewed the world. People could now visualize innovations from radios. The world happenings were brought to life, including political activities, presidential gatherings, and war outbreaks. The television experience created strong family bonds as families gathered together to watch the daily news. Cable television grew steadily for many years to a point where several channels were introduced. The tv also influenced discoveries such as films for entertainment. Soon, the need to regularize stations that a company can own arose. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was established in 1927 for this purpose.
Later in the early 1960s, the Internet was entirely invented. Owing to the idea of a wireless world network in the 1900s, this invention was already anticipated. It was J.C.R Licklider who popularized the concept of an intergalactic network of computers (Andrews, 2019). The packet switching concept, a method of transmitting electronic data was then actualized shortly thereafter. A Computer Scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, later invented the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is an information system that allows documents to be linked to other materials using a hyperlink that popularized the Internet.
The Internet brought excitement among individuals. Americans started to realize a world beyond their knowledge. Internet made the world a global village. Communication was possible between people in different continents as long as there was an internet service provider. Distances didn’t matter. Information was made available for anyone who needed it through the Internet. Innovations, discoveries, and other inventions were publicized through the Internet. What made the Internet an even better creation was the fact that it was not affected by time. Television stations viewed a specific program at one particular time. The Internet’s ample cloud storage made events and information available at any time. Later, websites and applications such as email and other social media platforms were established for communication at the beginning of the 21st Century.
Terry Flew (2017), in his article, defines media convergence as a phenomenon involving the interconnection of information and communication technologies, computer networks, and media content. It resulted from the popularization of the Internet. It is the wonder that makes breaking news available to everyone worldwide in seconds. It allows for the emergence of new content in industries, services, and work practices. Digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops give access to media content to billions of people globally. The combinational use of text, images, video, podcasts, hyperlinks, and other relevant resources has helped to improve several sectors such as communication, education, health, entertainment, and business. This implementation has been made possible by the creation of a cross-media platform.
The social media platform makes good use of media convergence to enable individuals to engage in a conversation. Current social media platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, blogs for bloggers, Twitter, and Snapchat, which provide visual-based communication. New information spreads fast worldwide, and everyone is welcome to comment. Mass convergence has made learning enjoyable, more transparent, and harder to forget.
Mass convergence, however, has led to the development of an addicted population. The millennials have become addicted to the Internet upon discovering its abilities. Most teenagers spend their time conversing with strangers online, sharing photos and videos instead of studying. The availability of pornographic films has trapped youngsters and adults alike. It is the exciting experience of mass convergence that has captured people’s attention. Individuals rely on the World Wide Web to provide answers instead of thinking for themselves first. Fewer people are interested in what books have to offer. After all, what’s the use when you can have both textual and visual representations of the same?
In conclusion, we should be mindful not to lose sight of the end goal, which is to improve human life, not to destroy it. A little moderation is necessary to keep people on track. More inventions are yet to come, and we should be prepared more than ever only to use them for our benefit.
Reference List
Steven Coleman (2015, August 25).What is Mass Media? – Definition, Types, Influence & Examples. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-mass-media-definition-types-influence-examples.html
Melissa Jacobs (2015).The Impact of Television on News Media. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-impact-of-television-on-news-media
Andrew Evans, (October 28, 2019). Who invented the Internet? Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-internet
Flew Terry, (August 17, 2017) Media Convergence. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/media-convergence