Hum 186 - Mass Media: Development and Literacy Assignment Options - the Evolution of Mass Media During the Last Century

Mass Media: Development and Literacy Assignment Options

Victor Manrriquez

HUM/186

August 22, 2016

Susan Gainer

Mass Media: Development and Literacy Assignment Options

The Evolution of mass media during the last century

The evolution of mass media during the last century has been great mainly in because of advances in technology. Today we have different media forms such as radio, television, Internet, and still the old newspaper. In the early years information was passed on by verbal interaction or writings such as newsletters. The information was out there but it wasn’t easily accessible to everyone and at times could take days for the news to reach distant places. Within the last century the evolution of mass media has advanced greatly and rapidly. With the invention of the telegraph news and messages could be sent out to distant places in where it could take days for a letter to arrive. The downside of the telegraph was that wires had to be run from location to location in order to send out messages.  Afterwards with the invention of the wireless radio, information could now reach those without access to a telegraph. Radio was fast and effective and could be received as long as a signal could be received. People would sit around the radio in the evenings to hear about the daily news or even music and plays.

How did each development influence American culture?

The newspaper and magazines were the most common way to get news and information out to the public. Newspapers were separated into sections such as local and foreign news, business, sports, and lifestyle. Magazines were more focused to attract a particular group with like interests. Both newspapers and magazines too opportunity in the fact they could easily be accessed and viewed the majority of the population to make higher profits by adding advertising in their publications. The sale alone of the paper was not enough to make huge profits so by allowing companies to place an advertisement within their pages allowed both to make a profit. The media type would charge a fee to insert the ad and the company would get their name out to potential customer’s. In the early years, radio and television were not the most effective way to reach people because of the high cost of owning one. It wasn’t until advances in technology that made Television and Radio cheaper that more of the population was able to own them. They also capitalized in advertising to make profits seeing that it worked so well in newspaper and magazines.

Advances in technology made the television and radio more affordable and smaller in size, which kicked of the competition between manufactures on who could make them smaller, lighter, and more affordable. This was beneficial to the general public because now many more households could afford such a device. People could now see events as they happened instead of listening to them. With television brought advancements in the film industry, now films could be watched in the comfort of a home instead of going out to a theater.