Evolution+of+American+mass+media

**Contents** 1. Introduction 2. Evolution of American mass media 2.1. Media transmission 2.2. Media technology  References

**Introduction**  Mass media is a relatively new idea in human culture. Mass Media incorporates all those mediums through which information is distributed to the masses. Today, mass media is generally categorised into 7 branches. These "[|seven mass media]", in order of their introduction are:



Each mass media has its own content types, its own creative artists and technicians, and its own business model. The sixth and seventh media, internet and mobile, are often called collectively as [|digital media]; and the fourth and fifth, radio and TV, as [|broadcast media].

**History of American Mass Media**
The first newspaper called //Public Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestic// was published in America in 1690. The mass production steam press was introduced in the late 1820s. Although the first magazines appeared very early - //The American Magazine// by Andrew Bradford and Benjamin Franklin's //General Magazine and Historical Chronicle// appeared in 1741 - it was not until the last half of the 19th century that magazines began to stabilize.

Gradually, during the period post-Second World War, radio, television and video were introduced. The audio-visual facilities became very popular as they provided information and entertainment. Of late, it is the Internet which has become the latest and most popular of the mass media. Here, information has been generated through various websites and search engines. One can play games, listen to radio while working and chat with friends and relatives, irrespective of location. It also gives information on various topics such as literature, politics, science, sports, fashion, movies, education, career, jobs etc. similar to other [|types of mass media]. Thus, due to the progress of science and technology, history of media has evolved and reached the present-day world of internet, cellular phones, blogs, podcast and RSS feeds.

The evolution of mass media is closely interrelated with the development of **media transmission** and **media technology**.

Media transmission
**Word of mouth** was the primary form of communication before print. This limited the information being transferred between people to that of immediacy and importance. This usually meant that the information only dealt with local or political issues. The advent and spread of print material like newspapers, handbills, books, and magazines accomplished many things. First it increased the demand for literacy. In fact printed mass media is probably the most significant factor in the high level of literacy in the United States. Because the country is so large and spread out information needs to be transmitted, and if it is being transmitted in print form, people have to know how to read to receive the information and they have to learn to write to transmit their acknowledge and response back. Speed of transmission and distance of transmission was the next residence of development. These advancements changed the type of information people were wanting and receiving. Now information being transmitted dealt with national and eventually international news and information. With this ease other less urgent information could also be transmitted like fashion, art, culture, and entertainment.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Mass Media technology
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Mass media technology** is always advancing. Becoming faster, more accessible, and more interactive. In the future all media will be accessible in **a hand held device**. News, entertainment, and educational materials will be delivered to this device via wireless Internet systems. **Electronic media** will more than likely replace **print media** and newsprint will only exist in museums and electronic files.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">**References:**
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">[]
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> Bhattacharyya, Ajanta. [|"History of Mass Media"]. Buzzle.com . Retrieved November 26, 2011.
 * 3) <span class="citation book" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Pace, Geoffrey L. (1997). [|"The Origins of Mass Media in the United States"]. In Wells, Allen & Hakenen, Ernest A.. //Mass media & society//. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 10. [|ISBN] [|9781567502886].