Effects of mass media in written communication

Effects of mass media in written communication

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Introduction

Technology advanced has led to vast developed channels of communication. Mass media has benefited in a great way from technological advancement. Information is now easily communicated to many people all over the world. Mass media is the technology that aims at getting to mass audience. Mass media involves the common means of communication that is used in broadcasting information. The commonly used platforms are television, radio, internet, magazines and newspapers. The public relies on mass media to acquire information regarding political, social issues, entertainment and news of all kinds (Serin & Tankard, 2011). However, written communication has been affected negatively in that it is slowly running into extinction. Many people no longer read newspapers and magazines, they get information from the mass media. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of mass media to the written communication.

Effects of Mass media communication

Mass media has been developed from technological development. Before its development, people acquired information from written communication. Centuries ago information was only communicated widely through written documents like books. Many people relied on the journalists and other writer to write newspapers that would provide the information. It was difficult to get vast information due to transportation challenges to people as well as for the journalists to acquire the information so that they may broad cast it to the people. Later on radio was invented that would serve a better purpose for broadcasting than newspapers.

Communication has been very beneficial in ensuring that information gets to a very large number of people. Through mass media we are able to acquire information all over the world (Schramm, 2012). The journalists from all over the world have access to the information thus it becomes easy for them to broadcast. Additionally, the people tend to access information easily and at any time of the day. For instance use of the internet enables people to acquire information from all parts of the world at any time. This is an improvement from the written channel of communication where people get information on daily basis with limitation in that one has to travel or transportation has to be done to ensure that people have access to information.

Mass media ensure that communication is done as first as the news are received. It is a very fast method of sending and receiving information. There are developed channels like the satellites that allows the journalists to receive information as it happens all over the world. From these technological advancements information is broadcasted each and every minute thus making communication fast and reliable. When comparing to written communication, there has been incomparable advantage on the speed at which information gets to the public. This is the reason why many people in the current generation are preferring the mass media in sending and receiving information.

Mass media gives more details of communication compared to written mode of communication. When using mass media information is more detailed compared to written mode of communication where the journalist need to write down so much information on limited space (Schramm, 2012). For instance, when using television or the internet to acquire information, the information is well detailed with videos and pictures to help in understanding. The information is also available to those people who are not able to read like the children and the illiterate. Mass media caters for everyone who can be able to view and listen despite the inability to read complex things. This allows that all people are able to acquire the information.

Mass media has also led to negative impacts to communication. One of the negative effects is that mass media channels of communication are very expensive for all people to afford. From research many of the low class people have no access to information just because they cannot afford the new technologically developed modes of communication (Serin & Tankard, 2011). All these channels of communication requires that the area has to have electricity for them to operate where you find that many rural areas especially in undeveloped countries have no power. This is a limitation that these people will not be informed.

Mass media tools requires skills and expertise to operate. Despite having bought the technologically developed channels of communication, there is an additional requirement of expertise to operate them. This is because these are machineries that require some skills to operate. Another challenge arise that these machineries require security in that they can be stone. Electronics are easily stolen thus when one has some electronic machines there is need to ensure that there is security to protect them from theft (Williams, 2009). When compared with a written document, it is a great disadvantage in that written documents for communication purposes faces no security risk.

Mass media has led to immorality among the youth in the society. Mass media provides all forms of information including different modes of entertainment. Some modes of communication like the internet provides all kinds of information which is mostly abused by people watching some unethical programs. Such cases have reduced the value of morality in the society. Children of tender age has also been exposed to programs and movies which are not of their age levels. This has led to many social problems like drug abuse, pornography watching, and laziness among other problems.

Conclusion

Mass media have been very influential in mass communication. There have been both positive and negative effects of mass media to communication. The positive impacts are that communication have been very fast, reaching to huge numbers of people and very detailed (Curran & Gurevitich, 2015). The negative effects are that mass media is expensive, require skills to operate and that it has led to immorality among the youths. From the research, I can conclude that mass media have been very effective and it should be emphasized in spreading the information throughout the world. However, there is need for input for the government to ensure basic amenities to all people like electricity and basic computer expertise to all people. Additionally, parents need to monitor what kind of information is accessible to their children.

References

Curran, J. P., & Gurevitich, M., (2015). Mass media and communication

Serin, W., & Tankard, J., (2011). Communication theories: origins, methods and uses in the mass media.

Schramm W. (2012). Mass media and national development: the role of information in the developing countries

Williams K., (2009). Understanding media theory