MASS MEDIA, CHARACTERISTICS OF PRINT MEDIA
9.0. Objective of the lesson :
The objective of this lesson is to assist you in
- Understanding mass media
- Understanding the characteristics of print media
Structure of the lesson :
- Introduction
- Print Media
- Characteristics of Print Media
- Print Media Vs Digital Media
- Print Media Vs the Internet
- Summary
- Technical Terms
- Model Questions
- Refernce Books
Mass Media
Messages of mass media discourse invade people’s lives on day-to-day basis. Hardly anyone can imagine existence without media. People discuss the outputs of media wherever they are, including their home, school, work, a street, shops, or pubs.
Realising this, Bilton in his Introductory Socilogy says:
Interestingly, the most powerful contemporary media span the public and the private. Television radio and newspapers bring the outside world into our homes. The times of programmes also help set the routine of life within the home and their content provides us with something to talk about around the dinner table-that is if we are not eating in front of the TV!
Besides, people have become information and entertainment dependant on media. Media shape their conception of reality. When introducing media discourse, Inglis provides a general definition of a medium: “Amedium is what transforms experience into knowledge. Media provide the signs which give meaning to the events of everyday life”. Developing this idea of the 1990s one can argue that reality is not only medi- ated and transmitted into people’s homes but it is also replaced by images people receive from media. In case of television news, a genre in the discourse of which the real world is replaced by a mediated one, the size of information flow beats the importance of information, and the concepts of space and time lose their meanings in the sphere of globalised mediation.
Thus, the relativisation of these basic categories cooperates on the creation of the new element of tele- vised, computerised, or video reality. ‘Virtual’ reality replaces ‘real’ reality.
Tunstall adds a further insight into mediaconsumption. He maintain that the consumption of media outputs is implemented in one of the three forms. Either in a primary form in which the perception of media output is asexclusive and focused activity (for instance people sit and watch TV), or in a econdary form when viewing, listening, or reading is accompanied by other activity (for example writing homework with radio on). Finally, the tertiary from is achieved and the least intensiverelationship of audience ember to con- sumption activity is observed (TV set on in another room).
Eco in the essay entitled The Multiplication of the Media writes: The mass media are genealogical be- cause, in them, every new invention sets off a chain reaction of inventions, produces a sort of common language. They have no memory because, when the chain of imitations has been produced, no one can remember who started it and the head of the clan is confused with the latest great grandson. Furthermore, the media learn; and thus the spaceships of Star Wars, shamelessly descended from Kubrick’s, are more complex and plausible than their ancestor and now the ancestor seems to be their imitato. In the same text he continues with an attempt to define what a mass medium is, describing a kind of non-imaginary situation for this purpose. In a TV broadcast the camera focuses on young people wearing polo shirts with an alligator on their purpose. In a TV broadcast the camera focuses on young people wearing polo shirts with an alligator on their chest part. The alligator represents the company that produces the polo shirts and the same company advertises them in a newspaper. People having watched the broadcast buy the shirts because they have the young look of those who wear them in the broadcast. There are several answers to the question what the mass medium is. The author suggests that it is the first newspaper advertisement, the polo shirt, the TV broadcast or all together functioning as a multipled media channel. Apparently, the debate may continue about other elements of the communication (for example the sender of the message, the ideology, and others).
The definitions of mass media vary in different sources. One of them, provided by Loriner & Scannell seems to be covering both media themselves and the complex of relations they are involved in:
The Mass Media:
- Are a distinct set of activities (creating media content).
- Involve particular technological configurations (television, radio, videotext, newspapers, books);
- Are associated with formally constituted institutions or media outlets (systems, stations, publica tions and so on);
- Operate according to certain laws, rules and understandings (professional codes and practices, audience and social expectations and habits);
- Are produced by persons occupying certain roles (owners, regulators, producers, distributors, advertisers, audience members);
- Convey information, entertainment, images and symbols to a mass
Further, for Inglis the four institutions create essential conditions for defining the modern state: capitalist enterprise, control of the means of violence, managerial system of production and hyper extensive surveil- lance and information channels. It appears useful to mention that the term ‘mass’ in collocations of ‘mass media’, ‘mass culture’, or ‘mass audience’ survives both denotation and connotation variations of usage and interpretation in the course of time. the original understanding of mass as everyone, an amount in which individuals is irrelevant has changed into groups of producers and consumers towards whom individual products are oriented.
Media, society, individuals
A considerable number of sources repeatedly conclude that every modern society is occupied by media, and media are linked to the life of society being strongly influenced by its happenings.
The dominant communication media being used since 1950s are those combining electronic and print media (television, radio, video, books magazines, newspapers) with telephone and computer communica- tion.
The public communication system that mass media belong to are the essential part of cultural communi- cation industry. Media shape people’s conception of reality and society can use them as an important instrument of social control. The process of globalisation enables mediation of global culture and its impact on national or local cultures. Vice versa, it empowers an enrichment of the global culture with elements of national or local ones is the world. The globalised media give people a possibility to travel around the world, gain the knowledge and information from foreign countries without leaving their homes.
New media elements have strong impact on overall communication in modern societies. The media have freedom to create meaning and opinion; therefore there is a hidden danger in it (for instance problem of media violence, erotica and pornography in broadcasting, invasion of privacy by tabloid press, orantisocial
computer games). For instance, Orwell in the novel 1984 describes the telescreens as the most efficient form of control over the members of the society through both the survelliance and propaganda. Also, the media are the areas where all major changes within society are either directly or indirectly reflected in many ways. Through the mediated discourses people establish their knowledge of the community, society and the world. The media channel is the one via which an interaction between an individual, society and the world is transmitted by both the lingual and non-lingual codes. It is implemented within the social, political and cultural context of a society that imposes its values, rules, historical background and other factors upon the mediated interaction. This interaction has its specific features and functions.
Function of mass media
The functions of mass media are divided into two subcategories, firstly general functions of media, includ- ing informative, educational and entertaining ones, and secondly functions for individual. They both have undergone the process of development and in fact this process continues with every new either invented or improved medium form.
McQuail suggests the typology of functions of media for individuals:
I Information.
- finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world
- seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices
- satisfying curiosity and general interest
- learning, self-education
- gaining a sense of security through
II Personal identity.
- finding reinforcement for personal values
- finding models of behaviour
- identifying with valued other (in the media)
- gaining insight into one’s
III Integration and social interaction.
- gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy
- identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging
- finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
- having a substitute for real-life companionship
- helping to carry out social roles
- enabling one to connect with family, friends and
IV Entertainment.
- escaping, or being diverted, form problems
- relaxing
- getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
- filling time
- emotional release
The complexity of the nature of mass media involves features linking it to state, society, culture, market and industry which can also include political dimension and norms, processes of production and distribu- tion, its content within the social context, operation in the public sphere, audiences, institutions, laws under which they operate, norms, means of control, management, and many other.
Book
A book is a collection of sheets of paper, parchment or other material with a piece of text written on them,
bound together along one edge within covers. A book is also a literary work or a main division of such a work. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book.
In library and information science, a book is called a monograph to distinguish it from serial publications such as magazines, journals or newspapers.
Publishers may produce low-cost, pre-proof editions known as galleys or ‘bound proofs’ for promotional purposes, such as generating reviews in advance of publication. Galleys are usually made as cheaply as possible, since they are not intended for sale.
A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile, a bibliophilist, or a philibiblist, or, more informally, a bookworm.
A book may be studied by students in the form of a book report. It may also be covered by a professional writer as a book review to introduce a new book. Some belong to a book club.
Magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers.
Magazines are typically published weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonth or quarterly, with a date on the cover that is in advance of the date it is actually published. They are often printed in color on coated paper, and are bound with a soft cover.
Magazines fall into two broad categories: consumer magazines and business magazines. In practice, magazines are a subset of periodicals, distinct from those periodicals produced by scientific, artistic, academic or special interest publishers which are subscription-only, more expensive, narrowly limited in circulation, and often have little or no advertising.
Magazines can be classified as:
- General interest magazines (e.g. Frontline, India Today, The Week, etc)
- Special interest magazines (women’s, sports, business, scuba diving, etc)
Newspaper
A newspaper is a publication containing news and information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly. The first printed newspaper was published in 1605, and the form has thrived even in the face of competition from technologies such as radio and television. Recent developments on the Internet are posing major threats to its business model, however. Paid circulation is declining in most countries, and advertising revenue, which makes up the bulk of a newspaper’s income, is shifting from print to online; some commentators, nevertheless, point out that historically new media such as radio and television did not entirely supplant existing media.
The oldest from of media still has much to offer in a converging world. Most importantly, it is used to support the other three types of media. Almost all televeision or radio news programs are written first, and then read aloud to the audience. Print is also the most Internet-friendly form of content because it requires significantly less loading time than audio or video clips. Print is truly the building block of converged media. In addition, print stories usually provide the most detailed accounts of events because they are not con- strained by time, like television or radio segments. Print is also believed to be the most credible form of media. Studies have shown that it is the main source of news for the educated public. Finally, print publica- tions have the most loyal audiences, who are more likely to visit a converged website than television viewers or radio listeners.
Print media-newspapers, magazines, and newsletters-are another avenue to reach large groups. Standing columns in newspapers and magazines can communicate issues on a regular basis. An advantage of print media is that it lasts, it can be reread, clipped out, copied, and passed on. A disadvantage is that, unlike
radio and television, it cannot convey a host’s personality or the interaction between someone suffering from a mental disorder and a psychiatrist. Production costs are today negligible if desktop publishing is used.
Print also has some powerful advantages. First among them is that compared to today’s computers, books are utterly “user-friendly”; we may sometimes be tempted to fling a book across the room, but never because we can’t figure out how it works. Using computers and navigating the Web, on the other hand, can be an inefficient, anxiety-ridden experiences. Another issue is expense. Although the price of technol- ogy continues to descend as power increases, current low-end computers cost ten to fifteen times as much as textbooks.
Books are more convenient than computers. They are easier to carry around and “set up” than laptops. And they are reliable – we needn’t fear that someday we’ll open our book to find that the pages are blank, or worse yet, that the book has devolved back into a pile of moist wood chips because a power line somewhere got struck by lightning.
Finally, books are presently more reliable archives than the Web. The Web is dynamic, susceptible to continual change, and at present we don’t know what the life of digital archives will be. The static nature of print, which can be a liability, can also be a virtue. Once you have a book, you have it for a long time.
Advantage of Print Media
Non-digital media are available to everyone. Public libraries, museums, art galleries. Most people can afford a newspaper now and again.
Offers communication methods that are reliable because they are tried and tested.
Non-digital media are familiar. They perhaps even offer a certain comfort – e.g. curling up in bed with a favourite book. Print media is mobile and for the written word, is still the most easily readable format.
Offers communication methods that are reliable because they are tried and tested.
Non-digital media are familiar. They perhaps even offer a certain comfort- e.g. curling up in bed with a favourite book. Print media is mobile and for the written word, is still the most easily readable format.
In education, face-to-face tuition encourage sociability in a classroom situations. Children share the experience of development towards adulthood. Robot teachers like in Asimov’s short story The Fun They Had would perhaps be less able to integrate people into society.
Analogue signals allow for infinite variation in waveform wheras digital formats work in finite numbers. Computers operate in binary – electrical pulses, on and off, zero and one, existence and non-existence. This binary structure could be seen as opposed to the organic nature of life.
Many DJs prefer records to digital CDs and develop the skill of using their own ears to mix together beats. The DJ’s ability to pick up on the ‘vibe’ of a crowd and put together sounds to make the evening go with a swing is something that has not yet been rivalled by digital technology.
35mm film is still widely regarded in the film industry as producing a superior quality image to all digital formats. In stills photography the developer’s art is in danger of being lost because digital formats offer practically instant capture and development.
Disadvantages of Print Media
Communication channels can be slower. In terms of speed, e-mail far surpasses ‘snail mail’ Many ana- logue recording and storage formats are of a lower quality. In terms of transfer and reproduction, digital formats offer unrivalled quality.
Analogue methods are becoming out of date. Perhaps it would be better to walk with the digital dinosaurs than the non-digital dodos
Is a hardcopy really ‘safer’ than a digital copy? Digital copies can be backed-up as many times are you like and communicated and stored all over the globe.
While film is still the preferred format of Hollywood, digital video has made massive advances over the last few years. Various software filters, some of which can be applied after filming in post-production, enable high-quality digital video to simulate the properties of film. In a few years the two formats may be indistin- guishable to the end-user. Digital video may even surpass film.
Digital video offers huge cost reductions to film makers. For a low-average budget movie, the savings would be immense. Film rolls cost big bucks but digitakl tapes are relatively cheap and can be re-used without loss of quality. With film, before you can see your rushes, you have to develop the reels. Video offers instant playback. With film an entire lighting crew often needs to be employed to ensure that the film gets enough exposure.
Many of the criticisms levelled at digital media are at technical weaknesses in current digital technology. It may only be a matter of time before these weaknesses are ironed out
One consequence the new technology has already produced is an awareness of the limits traditional print has imposed on publishers. There are several. First, printed materials require long development periods, but once published they are static and quickly outdated. Second, in attempting to be all things to all teachers and reach the broadest possible audience, authors and editors may create large, unwidely texts, from which professors must excerpt what they need. At the K-12 level, the challenge is to prepare materi- als for nationwide consumption while accomodating different localities, who may use different frameworks for teaching reading or math or whose preferences for coverage may differ starkly on varied topics.
A third limitation of print is that if can only present information in a two-dimensional format. Audience learn better through auditory, kinesthetic, or other means, Because the Web offers such a rich variety of visual and auditory display, it can accomodate students who have “other ways of knowing,”. A related issue is that print alone is not well suited to helping students move back and forth between concrete and abstract thinking. By presenting a broader array of learning options, websites and other media can potentially improve students grasp of concepts and their interrelationships.
A fourth limitation is the lack of interactivity. For many years, publishers have tried to mitigate some of the other limitations of print by using it in tandem with broadcast television or videotapes, but these combina- tions lack real interactive capability. The Web is uniquely able to remedy this shortcoming by allowing links to additional sites and encouraging electronic communications with faculty and other learners for discus- sion and clarification.
For readers, the major problem with print media is that it doesn’t address all of the ways they want to get information. They still like to read magazines, but increasing numbers of people like e-mail newslatters, blogs, RSS feeds, Web sites, and even special events or conferences. And they’ll give permission (!) to accept these communications vehicles.
For advertisers, the major problem with print media is that it’s difficult to measure. Despite research showing that people do indeed read print publications, advertisers often fail to feel much of a sales kick when they unleash campaigns, finding it hard to justify the expenditures.
Simply put, publishers have not adjusted their products and costs in line with the way people obtain information today, or the way marketers divvy up budgets. While many print media companies still have 80 percent or more of their costs tied up in print publications, research suggests that the typical American only gets 50 percent of information from traditional media. Most publishers get more than two-thirds of their revenue from advertising, when the latest surveys have found that marketers now spend nearly two-thirds of their money on “below-the-line” marketing.
The Present Seenario
Lower consumption of print media – newspapers are fighting an invasion of increase consumption of alternative media.
Success of smaller sizes – magazines are also reacting to the counsumption changes and changing sizes, becoming smaller. Even news magazines do not carrying breaking news any longer, but cover subjects that influence the lives of human beings – like health and so on. In Europe, a new niche in women’s magazines is dedicated to shopping, which are really edited ‘catalogues’.
Unexplored markets and niches – there is a huge opportunity for low price magazines. Magazines will also grow in unexplored niche circulations.
The future of magazines
Print media will use their sites online more and more. In 20 years, people will probably not be reading their newspapers on paper. People will get their news online and ebooks will dominate over paper. It will also be possible to watch TV, movies, and use your ebook as a computer.
A portable, friendly electronic reading device will soon be available. Younger readers will be using elec- tronic devices more and more – alarmingly, book sales are going down in Japan. Chances are, younger people will spend a lot less time while paper. The pace of technological innovation has been faster than we could imagine. Everyday we loose paper readers.
Printed paper will still exist in the future, but much less than today. Good photography, colour and black and white, beautiful illustrations and sophisticated layouts and fine typography will still be printed in the future. And maybe the magazine of the future will be a luxury purchase, to be enjoyed page by page.
Or be very inexpensive to cater for low income readers who do not have ready access to technology. Editing and publishing will continue, and printing on paper will continue – but with a different set of chal- lenges.
Challenges for printers, publishers and editors
Competition for the printing industry domestic printers, tablet (regarded as the newspaper of the future manipulated to show movies, etc), e-ink. Publishers will need business models with print and online subscriptions packages. Editors should worry with all the new media formats and fierce competition from an even more massive invasion of entertainment. The positive news for the print industry is that maga- zines will be around for some time, and change will be slow. People are getting used to searching for their needs on the web to meet their needs. Can magazines do this in the future?
In the future, readers will choose what they want to read online; readers will get a magazine with only what they want to read; readers will be able to buy a combination of print and online. They will choose what they want to read in print and will get news and services in print.
The rise of the “My gazine” to enable choice and cut through the insame clutter of the communications media and growing entertainment options, should be available to consumers to ensure continued reader support.
It will present an economic challenge to editors. What to expect – the issues of the future : Publishers and editors will have to urgently consider the following in the future: A friendly reading electronic device will become a reality. The definition of what stays in print and what goes online will be an intensely debated issue driven by consumer needs. A greater need for editorial quality!
Developments of Information technology has revolutionised the process of editing and production of newspapers more than a decade ago. As a result, paper has virtually disappeared from the scene creating the concept of print without paper. The process has begun with on-line journalism utilising the Internet.
Individual computer screens are replacing news print. Web sites are replacing newspapers. The revolution in technology brought about by Internet which is changing the print media even faster than the introduction of computers.
Today millions of people world wide are turning to Internet for searching and put knowledge to work. One does not have to wait for the next Television bulletin or for the newspaper next morning. All one has to do is log on to the net and get the latest news, views and much more information including and opportunity to
comment on it and make his or her views known to others. Publishers, television channels and all those involved in the news business in the world-wide are realising the importance of Internet as a new medium for disseminating information instantaneously to information seekers across the globe. In the past two years or so, the on-line media scene has virtually exploded and is reaching new heights with every major news event happening.
Though India has got commercial access to Internet in the media of 1995 when VSNL introduced it, it is not lagging behind other countries. Particularly the Indian Print media which has kept pace with the rest of the world in on-line publishing, despite the slow Internet take-off in the country. Several Indian newspapers and magazines went on-line, almost simultaneously with their Asian swell as European counter parts. As many as 60 are available on Internet and the number is growing (Vide Table-1). And today some of the Indian newspaper sites are among the best that are available on the net. So far Indian news sites are being designed for foreign viewers mainly overseas Indians. Since number of Internet connections is low. Consequently on-line journalism has not affected newspaper readership. But in course of time more and more people will have access to computers and Internet. Then on-line journalism is likely to gradually replace print journalism.
The growing tensions between avid bloggers and professional journalists in the form of newspaper editors takes on an interesting new dimension when put against the recent Gartner Group survey of print publish- ing executives conducted this fall. According to a Mediapost story, “…only 27% of print publishers believe they will see an increase in online advertising revenue in the next five years, compared to 33% who see no change and 17% who see the business as evenly split five years from now, finds a survey of 423 newspa- per and magazine executives released Wednesday by GartnerG2. Nearly a quarter of the executive (23%) simply did not know what future of online might be.”
Of course, the real question for these print folks is where’s the revenue? Or, do they have services and content they could be making more money? Or, why aren’t they doing a more effective job at this?
It seems like the print sector – some part thereof – has been asking this same question since 1999, even as Consuming Reports, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, Google, and others have made subscription and advertising models work.
As traditional news outlets like newspapers magazines and TV stations grapple with moving online, they must cultivate key audiences including 35-to 44-year-olds, who are the biggest consumers of online sources a study shows, Some 24 percent of this demographic, which includes members of Generation X and Baby Boomers, get their news online.
Meanwhile, only 19 percent of these same consumers read newspapers, accoding to a report from Jupiter Research. Contrast that with people over 55. Some 41 percent of them read newspapers intensively. The audience for online news is often separate and distinct from the audience that consumers news in print or on television, and the web audience isn’t satisfied with news that’s merely recycled from a paper or a broadcast.
This explains in part why many major newspapers and magazines aren’t boosting traffic to their web sites to offset losses in circulation as much as they would like, the report said. They are increasingly competing with blogs, portals, and news aggregators that distribute information in a more informal, conversational, and engaging way, the report said.
“The issue that hangs like a cloud for everybody in this area is ? How can I do this without harming my traditional media property?” said Barry Parr, Jupiter media analyst and author of the report. “That’s a hard question.” The Internet has created new habits and consumption patterns as audience migrate to the web.
However, print still has its share of loyal fans, primarily the older and more affluent cross-sections of society. People read newspapers out of habit and because its form currently makes it more practical to read on a plane, say, than it would be to surf the Net. But that may change as technologies change.
And younger people don’t have the same habits as older people. Some 13 percent of 18-to 24-year-olds get their information from online sources. Of the same group, only 2 percent are serious newspaper readers, the report said. Meanwhil, 8 percent of them are keen magazine readers. In the 25-to34 age bracket, 22 percent look for news online while only 10 percent read the newspaper extensively.
The Internet has clearly created new habits and consumption patterns. And if print media companies want to do more than just survive on the web, they need to figure out how to expand their audience, the report said. Between 1970 and 1990, daily newspaper circulation was flat, according to trade journal Editor & Publisher. Since 1990, it has been declining, despite increases in population.
The majority of the public, about 40 percent, still gets news from local television. That fact has likely helped the web sites of cable television outfits. In the online world, cable TV has emerged as the leader, with 30 percent of consumers getting their news from new cable TV news sites, such as CNN.com and MSNBC.com.
The second-most visited sites for news are the portals like Yahoo, who control 17 percent of the audience. Lower on the list are newspapers and magazines as they struggle to figure out the right strategy to grow both the web property and the traditional component.
News sites that are successful offer customization and interactive features. In other words, are they addressing online readers who are not reading print media. What is required is that sites need to be more interactive and more open.
Online news readership is growing. The audience for web news grew 7 percent this year through Novem- ber over last year, surpassing the growth in Internet users. They grew only 6 percent, according to data from comscore Media Metrix.
The top sites for news are MSNBC.com and Yahoo with more than 26 million users, according to the report. Meanwhile, the fastest growing aggregating news site is Google News, run by the search giant Google. It boasts annual growth in unique visitors nearly 50 percent. Even the fatest-growing newspaper sites such as USA Today have growth of only about half that rate.
Indeed, traditional media has a lot of work to do on the web, the report says. Most local print media and TV news stations are reaching only one-quarter to one-third of their potential audience, Jupiter said. And it’ll stay that way unless traditional media companies begin to exploit the web’s interactivity and other possibili- ties.
Among the changes news outlets must make include allowing more linking from the outside, being respon- sive to blogs, and opening up their archives. What’s more, old-line media outfits will have to make their information available in formats beyond the Internet browser. To do this, they’ll have to understand how to make their news available via assorted protocols and standards on a wide variety of devices.
Messages of mass media discourse invade peoples’ lives on day-to-day basis. Hardly anyone can imagine existence without media. People discuss the outputs of media wherever they are, including their home, school, work, a street, shops, or pubs.
Besides, people have become information and entertainment dependant on media. Media shape their conception of reality. A considerable number of sources repeatedly conclude that every modern society is occupied by media, and media are linked to the life of society being strongly influenced by its happenings. The dominant communication media being used since 1950s are those combining electronic and print media (television, radio, video, books, magazines, newspapers) with telephone and computer communica- tion. New media elements have strong impact on overall communication in modern societies. The media have freedom to create meaning and opinion; therefore there is a hidden danger in it (for instance problem of media violence, erotica and pornography in broadcasting, invasion of privacy by tabloid press, or antisocial computer games).
A book is a collection of sheets of paper, parchment or other material with a piece of text written on them, bound together along one edge within covers. A book is also a literary work or a main division of such a work. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book. A magazine is a periodical pbulication
containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. A newspaper is a publication containing news and information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly.
The oldest form of media still has much to offer in a converging world. Most importantly, it is used to support the other three types of media. Almost all television or radio news programs are written first, and then read aloud to the audience. Print is also the most Internet-friendly form of content because it requires significantly less loading time than audio or video clips. Print is truly the building block of converged media. In addition, print stories usually provide the most detailed accounts of events because they are not con- strained by time, like television or radio segments. Print is also believed to be the most credible form of media. Studies have shown that it is the main source of news for the educated public. Finally, print publica- tions have the most loyal audiences, who are more likely to visit a converged website than television viewers or radio listeners.
Some advantages of print media are that they are available to everyone. Most people can afford print media. Print media is more reliable because they are tried and tested. They are familiar. They offer a certain comfort. Print media is mobile and for the written word, is still the most easily readable format. Many DJs prefer records to digital CDs and develop the skill of using their own ears to mix together beats. The DJ’s ability to pick up on the ‘vibe’ of a crowd and put together sounds to make the evening go with a swing is something that has not yet been rivalled by digital technology.
Print media is more user friendly, conveinient and reliable. Disadvantages of print media include : slow- ness, Quality could be low. Cannot compare with digital media in terms of transfer and reproduction. Lower consumption of print media – newspapers are fighting an invasion of increased consumption of alternative media.
Print media will use their sites online more and more. In 20 years, people will probably not be reading their newspapers on paper. People will get their news online and ebooks will dominate over paper. It will also be possible to watch TV, movies, and use your ebook as a computer.
A portable, friendly electronic reading devices will soon be available. Younger readers will be using elec- tronic devices more and more – alarmingly, book sales are going down in Japan. Chances are, younger people will spend a lot less time with paper. The pace of technological innovation has been faster than we could imagine. Everyday we loose paper readers.
Mass Media : Media that can reach a; arge number of audience at the same time. Eg. Newspapers, television, etc.
Print Media : Media that uses written ext, e.g., newspapers, magazines, books, etc.
Digital Media : Media that uses digital signals to transmit information, e.g., computers.
Audio-Visual Media : Media that uses visuals like videl and pictures along with audio to communicate messages.
On-Line : On the Internet
News Sites : Web sites on the Internet that are dedicated to providing news.
Bloggers : People who own their own websites and pst their opinions on them. An example of personal journalism.
Web : A collection of web pages on the Internet.
- Briefly describe mass media and various components of mass
- What do you mean by print media?
- What are the characterisites of print media?
- Explain the advantages and disadvantages of print media vis-s-vis electronic
- What is the future of print media?
