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Media (communication)
Media are the communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data.[1][2] The term refers to
components of the mass media communications industry, such as print media, publishing, the news media,
photography, cinema, broadcasting (radio and television), and advertising.[3]
The development of early writing and paper enabled longer-distance communication systems such as mail, including
in the Persian Empire (Chapar Khaneh and Angarium) and Roman Empire, which can be interpreted as early forms of
media.[4] Writers such as Howard Rheingold have framed early forms of human communication as early forms of
media, such as the Lascaux cave paintings and early writing.[5] Another framing of the history of media starts with the
Chauvet Cave paintings and continues with other ways to carry human communication beyond the short range of
voice: smoke signals, trail markers, and sculpture.[6]
The term media in its modern application relating to communication channels was first used by Canadian
communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, who stated in Counterblast (1954): "The media are not toys; they should
not be in the hands of Mother Goose and Peter Pan executives. They can be entrusted only to new artists, because they
are art forms." By the mid-1960s, the term had spread to general use in North America and the United Kingdom. The
phrase "mass media" was, according to H.L. Mencken, used as early as 1923 in the United States.[7]
The term "medium" (the singular form of "media") is defined as "one of the means or channels of general
communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or television."[8]
Contents
Regulations
Government regulations
Licensing
Government endorsed appointments
Internet regulation
Self-regulation
At the regional level
International organizations and NGOs
Private sector
Fact-checking and news literacy
Social impact
Electronic media
Games as a medium for communication
See also
Sources
References
Further reading
Regulations
The role of regulatory authorities (license broadcaster institutions, content providers, platforms) and the resistance to
political and commercial interference in the autonomy of the media sector are both considered as significant
components of media independence. In order to ensure media independence, regulatory authorities should be placed
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outside of governments' directives. this can be measured through legislation, agency statutes and rules.[9]
Government regulations
Licensing
The process of issuing licenses in many regions still lacks transparency and is considered to follow procedures that are
obscure and concealing. In many countries, regulatory authorities stand accused of political bias in favor of the
government and ruling party, whereby some prospective broadcasters have been denied licenses or threatened with the
withdrawal of licenses. In many countries, diversity of content and views have diminished as monopolies, fostered
directly or indirectly by States.[9] This not only impacts on competition but leads to a concentration of power with
potentially excessive influence on public opinion.[10] Buckley et al. cite failure to renew or retain licenses for editorially
critical media; folding the regulator into government ministries or reducing its competences and mandates for action;
and lack of due process in the adoption of regulatory decisions, among others, as examples in which these regulators
are formally compliant with sets of legal requirements on independence, but their main task in reality is seen to be that
of enforcing political agendas.[11]
Government endorsed appointments
State control is also evident in the increasing politicization of regulatory bodies operationalized through transfers and
appointments of party-aligned individuals to senior positions in regulatory authorities.
Internet regulation
Governments worldwide have sought to extend regulation to internet companies, whether connectivity providers or
application service providers, and whether domestically or foreign-based. The impact on journalistic content can be
severe, as internet companies can err too much on the side of caution and take down news reports, including
algorithmically, while offering inadequate opportunities for redress to the affected news producers.[9]
Self-regulation
At the regional level
In Western Europe, self-regulation provides an alternative to state regulatory authorities. In such contexts, newspapers
have historically been free of licensing and regulation, and there has been repeated pressure for them to self-regulate
or at least to have in-house ombudsmen. However, it has often been difficult to establish meaningful self-regulatory
entities.
In many cases, self-regulations exists in the shadow of state regulation, and is conscious of the possibility of state
intervention. In many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, self-regulatory structures seems to be lacking or have
not historically been perceived as efficient and effective.[12]
The rise of satellite delivered channels, delivered directly to viewers, or through cable or online systems, renders much
larger the sphere of unregulated programing. There are, however, varying efforts to regulate the access of programmers
to satellite transponders in parts of the Western Europe and North American region, the Arab region and in Asia and
the Pacific. The Arab Satellite Broadcasting Charter was an example of efforts to bring formal standards and some
regulatory authority to bear on what is transmitted, but it appears to not have been implemented.[13]
International organizations and NGOs
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Self-regulation is expressed as a preferential system by journalists but also as a support for media freedom and
development organizations by intergovernmental organizations such as UNESCO and non-governmental
organizations. There has been a continued trend of establishing self-regulatory bodies, such as press councils, in
conflict and post-conflict situations.
Major internet companies have responded to pressure by governments and the public by elaborating self-regulatory
and complaints systems at the individual company level, using principles they have developed under the framework of
the Global Network Initiative. The Global Network Initiative has grown to include several large telecom companies
alongside internet companies such as Google, Facebook and others, as well as civil society organizations and
academics.[14]
The European Commission’s 2013 publication, ICT Technology Sector Guide on Implementing the United Nations
Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, impacts on the presence of independent journalism by defining the
limits of what should or should not be carried and prioritized in the most popular digital spaces.[15]
Private sector
Public pressure on technology giants
has motivated the development of new
strategies aimed not only at identifying
‘fake news’, but also at eliminating
some of the structural causes of their
emergence and proliferation. Facebook
has created new buttons for users to
report content they believe is false,
following previous strategies aimed at
countering hate speech and
harassment online. These changes
Ranking Digital Rights indicator reflect broader transformations
scores for policy transparency in
occurring among tech giants to
regard to their terms of service
increase their transparency. As
enforcement (which impact upon
content or account restrictions) indicated by the Ranking Digital
Ranking Digital Rights indicator
Rights Corporate Accountability Index,
scores for policy transparency in
most large internet companies have regards to third-party requests
reportedly become relatively more forthcoming in terms of their policies about for content or account restriction
transparency in regard to third party requests to remove or access content,
especially in the case of requests from governments.[16][17] At the same time,
however, the study signaled a number of companies that have become more opaque when it comes to disclosing how
they enforce their own terms of service, in restricting certain types of content and account.[17]
Fact-checking and news literacy
In addition to responding to pressure for more clearly defined self-regulatory mechanisms, and galvanized by the
debates over so-called ‘fake news’, internet companies such as Facebook have launched campaigns to educate users
about how to more easily distinguish between ‘fake news’ and real news sources. Ahead of the United Kingdom
national election in 2017, for example, Facebook published a series of advertisements in newspapers with ‘Tips for
Spotting False News’ which suggested 10 things that might signal whether a story is genuine or not.[18] There have also
been broader initiatives bringing together a variety of donors and actors to promote fact-checking and news literacy,
such as the News Integrity Initiative at the City University of New York’s School of Journalism. This 14 million USD
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investment by groups including the Ford Foundation and Facebook was launched in 2017 so its full impact remains to
be seen. It will, however, complement the offerings of other networks such as the International Fact-Checking Network
launched by the Poynter Institute in 2015 which seeks to outline the parameters of the field.[19]
Social impact
Media technology has made viewing increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. Children today are
encouraged to use media tools in school and are expected to have a general understanding of the various technologies
available. The internet is arguably one of the most effective tools in media for communication tools such as e-mail,
Skype, and Facebook have brought people closer together and created new online communities. However, some may
argue that certain types of media can hinder face-to-face. Therefore, it is an important source of communication.
In a large consumer-driven society, electronic media (such as television) and print media (such as newspapers) are
important for distributing advertisement media. More technologically advanced societies have access to goods and
services through newer media than less technologically advanced societies. In addition to this "advertising" role, media
is nowadays a tool to share knowledge all around the world. Analysing the evolution of medium within the society,
Popkin[20] assesses the important role of media, by building connection between politics, culture and economic life
and the society: for instance periodical newspaper has been an opportunity to first advertise and second to be up-to-
date with current foreign affairs or the nation economic situation. In the mean time, Willinsky[21] was promoting the
role of modern technology as a way to come across cultural, gender, national barriers. He saw in internet an
opportunity to establish a fair and equal system of knowledge: as internet may be accessible to anyone, any published
information may be read and consulted by anyone. Therefore, internet is a sustainable solution to overcome the "gap"
between developed and developing countries as both will get a chance to learn from each other. Canagarajah[22] is
addressing the issue of unbalanced relations between the North and South countries, asserting that Western countries
tend to impose their own ideas on developing countries. Therefore, internet is way to re-establish balance, by for
instance enhance publication of newspaper, academic journal from developing countries. Christen[23] is the one who
created a system that provide access to knowledge and protect people's customs and culture. Indeed, in some
traditional societies, some genders cannot have access to a certain type of knowledge therefore respecting these
customs limit the scope of dissemination but still allow the diffusion of knowledge. Within this process of
dissemination, media would play a role of "intermediaries", that is say translation an academic research into a
journalistic format, accessible by lay audience ( Levin[24]). Consequently, media is a modern form of communication
aiming at spreading knowledge within the whole world, regardless any form of discrimination.
Media, through media and communications psychology, has helped to connect diverse people from far and near
geographical location. It has also helped in the aspect of on-line or Internet businesses and other activities that have an
on-line version. All media intended to affect human behavior is initiated through communication and the intended
behavior is couched in psychology. Therefore, understanding media and communications psychology is fundamental in
understanding the social and individual effects of media. The expanding field of media and communications
psychology combines these established disciplines in a new way.
Timing change based on innovation and efficiency may not have a direct correlation with technology. The information
revolution is based on modern advancements. During the 19th century, the information "boom" rapidly advanced
because of postal systems, increase in newspaper accessibility, as well as schools "modernizing". These advancements
were made due to the increase of people becoming literate and educated. The methodology of communication although
has changed and dispersed in numerous directions based on the source of its sociocultural impact. Biases in the media
that affects religious or ethnic minorities takes the form of racism in the media and religious bias in the media.
Electronic media
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In the last century, a revolution in telecommunications has greatly altered communication by providing new media for
long distance communication. The first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast occurred in 1906 and led to common
communication via analog and digital media:
Analog telecommunications include some radio systems, historical telephony systems, and historical television
broadcasts.
Digital telecommunications allow for computer-mediated communication, telegraphy, and computer networks.
Modern communication media now allow for intense long-distance exchanges between larger numbers of people
(many-to-many communication via e-mail, Internet forums, and teleportation). On the other hand, many traditional
broadcast media and mass media favor one-to-many communication (television, cinema, radio, newspaper, magazines,
and also social media).
Electronic media usage is growing, although concern has arisen that it distracts youth from face-to-face contact with
friends and family. Research on the social engagement effect is mixed. One study by Wellman found that "33% of
Internet users said that the Internet had improved their connections to friends 'a lot', and 23% said it had increased the
quality of their communication with family members by a similar amount. Young people in particular took advantage
of the social side of the Internet. Nearly half (49%) of the 18- to 29-year-olds said that the Internet had improved their
connections to friends a lot. On the other hand, 19% of employed Internet users said that the Internet had increased
the amount of time they spent working in home".[25]
Electronic media now comes in the forms of tablets, laptops, desktops, cell phones, mp3 players, DVDs, game systems,
radios, and television. Technology has spiked to record highs within the last decade, thus changing the dynamic of
communication. The spike in electronic media really started to grow in 2007 when the release of the first iPhone came
out.[26] The meaning of electronic media, as it is known in various spheres, has changed with the passage of time. The
term media has achieved a broader meaning nowadays as compared to that given it a decade ago. Earlier, there was
multimedia, once only a piece of software (application software) used to play audio (sound) and video (visual object
with or without sound). Following this, it was CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), then camera of 3G
(third generation) applications in the field.
In modern terms, the term "media" includes all the software which are used in PC (computer) or laptop or mobile
phone installed for normal or better performance of the system; today, however, hard discs (used to increase the
installation capacity of data) of computer are an example of electronic media. This type of hard disc is becoming
increasingly smaller in size.
The latest inclusion in the field is magnetic media (magnetic stripe) whose application is common in the fastest
growing information technology field. Modern day IT media is commonly used in the banking sector and by the
Income Tax Department for the purpose of providing the easiest and fastest possible services to consumers. In this
magnetic strip, account information linking to all the data relating to a particular consumer is stored. The main
features of these types of media are prepared unrecorded (blank form), and data is normally stored at a later stage as
per the requirement of its user or consumer.
Games as a medium for communication
Games are a medium used to transfer messages. Apart from the usual graphic, auditory and narrative elements in
video games, the game mechanics make it unique in the media field. Following Marshal McLuhan's quote "the medium
is the message", Earnest Adams and Joris Dormans make a point in their book Game Mechanics: Advanced Game
Design that:[27]
“To use a game to communicate, you don’t just produce a clever signal to convey your message. Instead,
you construct a machine—the game’s mechanics—that produces the signal for you.”
— Marshal Mcluhan
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The players interact with the game and infer the message by observing the game's output. The game mechanics can
discriminate against particular actions while encouraging others, thus leading the players to conclude that a certain
behavior is more likely to produce the desired outcomes. Although this is commonly and successfully used for
entertainment purposes it can also be used as a tool for public relations – for example as advergaming.}
Gamification has been used to communicate in other areas as well. The game design video lessons show Extra Credits
has criticized China's Sesame Credit for gamifying the act of "being an obedient citizen".[28] Using tools that are
commonly used in games can incentivize a specific behavior to increase one's credit.
See also
Distributed presence
Media manipulation
Media psychology
Media and gender
Sources
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY SA 3.0 IGO License statement (http://
www.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?catno=261065&set=005B363F1B_1_338&gp=1&lin=1&ll=1): World Trends in
Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018 (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/
002610/261065e.pdf), 202, UNESCO. To learn how to add open license text to Wikipedia articles, please see this how-
to page. For information on reusing text from Wikipedia, please see the terms of use.
References
1. "What is media? definition and meaning" (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html).
BusinessDictionary.com.
2. Cory Janssen. "What is Communication Media? - Definition from Techopedia" (http://www.techopedia.com/definitio
n/14462/communication-media). Techopedia.com.
3. Martin Lister; Jon Dovey; Seth Giddings; Iain Grant; Kieran Kelly. New Media: A Critical Introduction (http://www.p
hilol.msu.ru/~discours/images/stories/speckurs/New_media.pdf) (PDF) (2nd ed.).
4. Dunston, Bryan (2002). "Postal system" (https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/postal-system/).
The Chicago School of Media Theory. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
5. Livingstone, Sonia M.; Lievrouw, Leah A. (2009). New Media: A Critical Introduction (https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=gMx-AMRg3A0C&pg=PA52&dq=%22media%22+%22cave+paintings%22+history&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahU
KEwjGlLHhgsTgAhVtUt8KHVcGDIgQ6AEIQTAE#v=onepage&q&f=false). Taylor & Francis. pp. 52–53.
ISBN 9780415431606.
6. Lule, Jack (2012). Globalization and Media: Global Village of Babel (https://books.google.com/books?id=uBfnhW
WKlqMC&pg=PA33&dq=%22media%22+%22cave+paintings%22+history&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGlLHhgs
TgAhVtUt8KHVcGDIgQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q&f=false). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 33–34.
ISBN 9780742568365.
7. Colombo, John Robert (1994). Colombo's All-Time Great Canadian Quotations. Stoddart Publishing. p. 176.
ISBN 0-7737-5639-6.
8. "The definition of medium" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/medium). Dictionary.com. Retrieved
2015-08-10.
9. World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018 (http://unesdoc.unesc
o.org/images/0026/002610/261065e.pdf) (PDF) (Report). UNESCO. 2018.
10. Hanretty, Chris. 2014. Media outlets and their moguls: Why concentrated individual or family ownership is bad for
editorial independence. European Journal of Communication 29 (3): 335–350.
11. Buckley, Steve, Kreszentia Duer, Toby Mendel, and Sean O. Siochru. 2008. Broadcasting, Voice, and
Accountability : A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law, and Regulation. Washington, DC: World Bank.
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12. Fengler, Susanne, Tobias Eberwein, Salvador Alsius, Olivier Baisnée, Klaus Bichler, Boguslawa Dobek-
Ostrowska, Huub Evers, et al. 2015. How effective is media self-regulation? Results from a comparative survey of
European journalists. European Journal of Communication 30 (3): 249–266.
13. World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/00227
0/227025e.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Paris: UNESCO. 2014.
14. "Global Network Initiative Adds Seven Companies in Milestone Expansion of Freedom of Expression and Privacy
Initiative" (https://globalnetworkinitiative.org/global-network-initiative-adds-seven-companies-in-milestone-expansi
on-of-freedom-of-expression-and-privacy-initiative/) (Press release). Global Network Initiative. March 28, 2017.
15. Shift and Institute for Human Rights and Business (2013). ICT Sector Guide on Implementing the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights (https://www.ihrb.org/pdf/eu-sector-guidance/EC-Guides/ICT/EC-Guide
_ICT.pdf) (PDF) (Report). European Commission.
16. Ranking Digital Rights. 2015. Corporate Accountability Index. Available at
https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2015/.
17. Ranking Digital Rights. 2017. Corporate Accountability Index. Available at
https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2017/.
18. "Tips to Spot False News | Facebook Help Center | Facebook" (https://www.facebook.com/help/18811880835737
9). www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
19. "International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers' code of principles" (https://www.poynter.org/international-fact-
checking-network-fact-checkers-code-principles). Poynter. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
20. Popkin, Dewald (2004). Journalism, Newspaper and newsheets. Europe 1450-1789: Encyclopedia of the Early
Modern World.
21. Willinsky, Frank (2005). The Access Principle: The Case for Open Access to Research and Scholarship.
22. Canagarajah, Suresh (2010). "Internationalizing Knowledge Construction and Dissemination". The Modern
Language Journal. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2010.01105.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1540-4781.2010.01105.x).
23. Christen, Kim (2012). "Does information really want to be free?". International Journal of Communication.
24. Levin, Ben (February 2013). "To know is not enough: research knowledge and its use".
25. Lee, Leung, Lo, Xiong, & Wu p. 377 & 378
26. Cohen, Peter. "Macworld Expo Keynote Live Update: Introducing the iPhone" (https://www.macworld.com/article/1
054764/macworld-expo/liveupdate.html). Macworld. PCWorld. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
27. McLuhan, Marshal (June 25, 2012). Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design (https://www.amazon.com/Game-
Mechanics-Advanced-Design-Voices/dp/0321820274). US: New Riders. p. 147. ISBN 0321820274.
28. "Propaganda Games: Sesame Credit - The True Danger of Gamification" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHcT
KWiZ8sI). Extra Credits. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2018 – via YouTube.
Further reading
McQuail, Denis (2001) McQuail's
Mass Communication Theory (fourth edition), Sage, London, pp. 16–34. MAS
Biagi, S. (2004). Media Impact. Wadsworth Pub Co, 7th edition.
Caron, A. H. and Caronia, L. (2007). Moving cultures: mobile communication in everyday life. McGill-Queen's
University Press.
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