Media and Communication       

Media and Communication

Option A: Formative Influence of mass media on American culture

Major mass media development in the last century

At the beginning of the 20^th century, TV and the internet did not exist. Commercial radio stations, films, roadside billboards and smartphones also did not exist. The primary source of news during this time was print media. Telegraphs and telephones were used to relay long distant communications through wires. Many Americans learnt of the happenings through newspapers and magazines. From the 1920s to the end WWII period, the radio was the popular news media and political analysis tool. The then presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt used the radio for direct communications with the citizens (Stöber, 2014). Radio, telegraph and telephone were all used to as forms of communications by the militaries and governments in developed nations for broadcasting critical information.

W3XK was the first TV station to broadcast in 1928. However, its mechanical nature rendered it unpopular for the Americans. In the 1950s, the television became a popular media channel for the after the broadcasting of the first democrat and federal republican convention. Going through into the 1960s the TV was popularly used in political matters especially during the presidential campaigns of 1960s and the Vietnam War debates. Over the past two decades, the internet has transformed the mass media industry by a significant margin. The military first used the internet for its attack proof network. In the 21^st century, the internet has become part of a citizen’s daily life. In the 1980s, the World Wide Web was developed and later generated commercial browsers which enabled internet transmission of videos, pictures and sound (Stöber, 2014).

How the developments influenced American culture

The popularity of radio and television news made most to use the newspaper and as their primary source of information without questioning the authenticity of the information. As Americans began receiving information from different sources, their opinions were significantly influenced by the media outlets. The opinions of the people were swayed by media information, especially in instances where the government played a role in shaping the media. American society became much aware of things that were happening in the political and economic spectrum (Kalbfleisch, 2013).  More of this media information resulted in biasness and numerous debates over things that were happening in the country. Media influence on the American culture saw the uprising of political and social activists who condemned the government over racism issues and brutality of the minority. It is through the median that the American public learnt of the ills of the government and political agendas (Kalbfleisch, 2013).  The American community became highly aware of their rights as defined by the constitution, and the law and struggles for human rights began filling the air to fight for a just American society.

Media coverage, media literacy and its impacts on everyday life

Media coverage refers to the manner of following, writing and airing a story by a media house. Media companies employ journalists to capture particular stories of public interest and transmit the information to the people through media channels. Media literacy is the capability of people to filter information from a media story or news. Media literacy allows people to draw their own opinions regarding media stories by observing the trend of political or social events. Media coverage and literacy influences daily lives because the two elements feed the public with ideas that are not practical (Kalbfleisch, 2013).   Media coverage and analysis may instil fears or even give false hopes to the public, especially on economic issues affecting a country. People have tended to rely entirely on media for their next step in financial matters. It is through the media that people learn of the trends in politics and economic issue and may influence decision making on their critical life issues.

References

Stöber, R. (2014). What media evolution is: A theoretical approach to the history of new media.

European Journal of Communication, 19(4), 483-505.

Kalbfleisch, P. J. (2013). Credibility for the 21st century: Integrating perspectives on source,

message, and media credibility in the contemporary media environment. In Communication yearbook 27 (pp. 307-350). Routledge.