Mass Media

1.0 Introduction

Mass media, a term defined as a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience. The term mass media was first coined back in the 1920s in the advent of radio networks, mass circulation newspapers and magazines; although mass media was present centuries before the term become common. Before the invention of television, the mass media in which commonly referring to newspapers and radios, was mainly a platform of news and information to the public. Today, however, mass media has become much more than that, it has become a necessity in our daily lives. We are very much dependent on mass media not only as a source of news and information, but also as a source of entertainment and leisure. We are able to, not only update ourselves with news from around the world, but also watch the latest movie, listen to the latest music and songs and also reach out to the rest of the world through Internet. And with the rise of the Internet, mass media has a whole new meaning to our daily lives. We are no longer confined by the limits of mainstream mass media (televisions, radio and newspaper), which sometimes being dubbed as containing media bias. However, even with the seemingly borderless world of the Internet, there are of course, always its cons or negativity, in which we shall discuss in detail later.

Without a doubt, mass media has portrayed a certain degree of importance in our lives. And in the borderless world or global village that we are currently living in, mass media has played an integral role in our daily lives and routine. How many times do we turn on the radio and television in search of entertaining programmes to enrich our otherwise, dull life? How often do we read the newspaper in search of the latest news and happenings in our country or other nations? How often do we log on to the Internet searching for information to help us in doing our assignments? Without knowing, we are actually doing the above mentioned actions so often that it has become a habit. The relevance of all these questions is to proof that mass media, has indeed become part of our lives. However, as important as it is, are we really aware of the impact or influence that the mass media has had in our lives? As we are so indulged in the value of information and entertainment that mass media has brought into our lives, perhaps we did not study in detail about the actual