MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

Let us talk about the media from the early days! According to Trenholm (2008), “The old media refers to traditional one-to-many forms of mediated communication such as TV, radio, newspapers, and books,” (chp. 11, p. 298). In many ways, we still rely on traditional media or old media as the gauge to apply new media. Let us look at the traditional media or old media and its uses and the intended audiences.

Media as a whole influences our lives and offers so many opportunities for positive and negative impacts. Like it or not, we live in a media culture that affects how we experience the world and how we communicate with one another. Trenholm (2008) states, “Mass media addresses large diverse audiences whose members are physically separated from one another,” (p. 298). Media is said to reflect and affect the values and behaviors of our population. Moreover, Trenholm (2008) reports, “Media messages are unique in three ways: (1) in major mass communication contexts, the source is complex, profit-oriented organization rather than a single individual; (2) receivers are anonymous, dispersed in time and space, and heterogeneous (varied) in their interests and background; and (3) communication occurs through indirect channels that require specialized encoding and decoding technologies,” (chp. 11). 

For example, after watching a movie or TV show, if you sit through the credits you will see that there are many people who have had a hand in assisting the director and actors. Therefore, the job of the media industries is to provide to myriad of tastes and preferences. In other words, media audiences are huge. Think about a TV show such as, “American Idol” who has 100 million viewers. When we think about magazines, readers may number in the tens of thousands. Before TV, radio was used as the medium for news and entertainment. 

Books and magazines demand that the receiver be able to read the written word. To understand TV drama, viewers must be able to decode visual messages. Successful media communicators understand the particular mediums format that is required in order to affect the intended audience. Most people choose media according to their needs and interpret messages in different ways.

For example, Trenholm (2008) states, “Newspapers are used to pass the time, gain practical information, keep in touch with public issues, and maintain a valued self-image…the medium of choice is television. Television provides news, gives us a glimpse of alternative worlds, and provides companionship. It also socializes us and provides entertainment…news programming tries to be brief, visuals oriented, dramatic, and moralistic,” (chp. 11). Radio is meant to provide news, entertainment, and music in a repeated manner that reaches millions of listeners.

In conclusion, in many ways, we still rely on traditional media or old media as the gauge to apply new media.  Media influences our lives and is a way for the world to communicate with one another. Print was the first mode of media such as; books; newspapers; and magazines. Next there was radio, and then television. Of course books and magazines require that the audience be able to read in order to decode the message. However, radio and television need decoding as well. People rely on media technologies for entertainment, to gain practical information, socialization, news programing, and myriad of other uses. Mass media caters to diverse groups and populations. Most people choose media according to their needs.

Brigitte’s URL: http://ashfordcomfoureightycapstone.blogspot.com/

Reference:

Trenholm, S. (2008). Thinking Through Communication: An introduction to the study of human communication, 5th ed. Pearson Education, Inc.