News was transmitted in the past through the newsbook which would later evolve into the newspaper. Technology enabled the spread of information to occur in a more rapid fashion. The printing press, radio, television, and the internet allowed for major social and political changes in the presentation of news as well as the wider society. The traditional media was in print. Newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets were central sources of information in numerous communities. The modern media starts with the rise of television being a popular medium. Radio prior to television was an important technology which provided news and entertainment. The internet when it became available to most households was an endless source of information. Thus the modern media was formed through technology and a new paradigm of journalism and reporting. The new attributes of the modern media include incremental reporting, rapid speed of the transfer of information, and a multitude of platforms appearing in cyberspace. Social media, blogs, and websites are challenging the older platforms the predate these recent developments in news gathering. Print media has been in a slow decline. Magazines and newspapers struggle to exist in a world that is gravitating to digital media and online based publications. There also is a shift in consumption among demographic groups. Older consumers favor newspapers and television as their primary sources of information. The elderly mainly prefer newspaper and print media. The middle aged may favor television networks or cable news. The youth are more based in social media and the internet as their main source of news. The more information available, the more difficult it becomes for people to decipher fact from fiction. The general public may have difficulty distinguishing opinion from research based analysis. Deception can easily distort the reality of a social and political situation. Limited media literacy encourages the propagation of myths or propaganda. The modern media is about technology based platforms, large amounts of information, and the concept of twenty four hour coverage.
Radio was the first stage in the development of modern media. The telegraph could send messages, yet the radio could do live broadcasts of speeches. This was not enough to completely eliminate the newspaper, which most of the public was still reliant on as a source of information in the 20th century. Newspapers became a platform to spread ideas. Marxists and anarchists made use of newspapers to spread their message opposing capitalism and abuse of government power. The problem that was faced by many in the world was censorship and no legal guarantees of press freedom. Leftists papers were either shutdown or censored for their publications and beliefs. Radio offered an alternative to the newspaper. Unfortunately, it could also be utilized by extremist forces and the same political establishment attempting to prevent change. Fascism was aided by the use of the radio. Hitler and Mussolini could make speeches anywhere in their nations, without every citizen having to be present in a single location. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy used this technology to promote their ideology and propaganda. Even in countries in which press freedom was part of the constitution such as the United States, the FCC was a force of censorship in radio. Thus began the era of mass communication. The transfer of information could go faster compared to a printed newspaper. The radio was in many ways the printing press of the modern age. Besides being a source of news the radio became another platform of popular entertainment.
The radio would become synonymous with music. The technology had dominance in the first half the 20th century, but would later be challenged by television. Unlike the printing press, it did not become an obsolete relic. It does maintain political influence. The repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 gave conservative advocates more power in talk radio, which reached millions of listeners. Political commentators gained an abnormal amount of influence over politicians and constituents in the United States. There are stations that do have media with opposing views, yet they have a more difficult time competing with the more right leaning radio stations. Radio at its height was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his fireside chats to calm the nation and used by Edward R. Murrow to report about the war in Europe before America became involved. The golden age of radio has passed, but as an industry it remains powerful. Sirius XM Radio appeared in 1990 done mergers in the 2000s and continues to broadcast currently. Radio demonstrates it is not only the the quality of your message that is important; it is also how many people it can reach.
Television has since invention has been not only influential in popular entertainment, but as a medium in which ideas can spread. There were some positive and negative developments that occurred with the rise of this technology in the 20th century. The positive element was that it exposed viewers to many places around the globe and encouraged a level of curiosity. Another problem that remains constant is the corporate and sponsor influence over content. Mass media has become more amalgamated to such a degree, only one perspective is being expressed on television. Viewers are seeing only one narrative, with the false belief it is objective. Networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC were the major channels in which the American public got its news. Other nations had news broadcasts, but just like their news papers, they were state run in particular countries. Americans began to use television as their major source of information with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. What was being pioneered was live coverage and a prototypical version on incremental reporting. It was not until the creation of Cable News Network in 1980 and the rise of Fox News in 1996 did incremental reporting become the standard. The birth of 24 hour news altered journalism forever. Unlike a magazine or newspaper a bulletin could be issued faster than print .Gradually, the media became more partisan and biased in its journalism. Instances of deception became common place especially when discussing US foreign policy. The 2003 Iraq War and the Afghan War were presented to the public as dire necessities. War was presented as humanitarian, while anti-war voices were either ignored or silenced from the mainstream media discourse. The change seems even more odd, when it was television that reversed the American public's attitude in regards to the Vietnam War.
The images of atrocities and the brutalization of the Vietnamese people caused support to dissipate. This was an instance in which a change in public opinion had a positive outcome. As the 21st century advanced it has been used to convince the public that military aggression is normal. Falsehoods or lies can easily be propagated. Combined with a partisan political atmosphere, debate becomes difficult to have. A growing audience for international news has become another development that some networks have not kept up with. Russia Today, NHK World, Africa News, BBC, and Al Jazeera are just a few examples of networks reaching global audiences. The hope for viewers is that these stations remain unbiased. There are still issues in regards to coverage of particular topics. There is the enriching experience of hearing the views of other nations through these news networks. Executives still have the power to control what is shown and reported, even in nations that have a free press. The US has only a few conglomerates that control most of the mainstream media. This includes Viacom, the Walt Disney Company, News Corp, and Time Warner .The illusion of choice becomes even more apparent when the same story is repeated constantly during a news cycle. The danger is that populations could be instigated into violence or frenzy depending on what is shown on television. There has been a new level of distrust of the mainstream media based on partisan lines. Conservatives in the US claim there is a liberal bias in media, even though Fox News is still part of the mainstream media. CNN credits itself as being a liberal network, yet embraces a degree of American exceptionalism. Events become distorted by the anchors and commentators own personal views and the guidelines of the network. Any discussion about Israel's treatment of the Palestinians or war crimes are not given air time. Certain nations are presented a vicious threats to the world such as Iran and North Korea even when it is know they are not as powerful as the United States. If a populations does not have the critical thinking or research skills to decipher the complexities of the world, they can easily be manipulated by mainstream media. Incremental reporting can be erroneous or misleading. Consumption behavior has changed so that audiences demand constant updates.
The internet has become a mass media phenomenon. Its development can be traced back to Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. This network was the first to use transmission control protocol and internet protocol. Simultaneously, a market was being developed for personal computers. ARPANET was developed in 1969, while companies such as Apple, IBM, and Microsoft were pioneering personal computing. This early prototype of internet was not commercially available, but had a different purpose. The Department of Defense wanted a safe communication network in case of national emergency. What transformed news and journalism forever was the appearance of the world wide web in 1989.
Communication between computers became more simple with Uniform Resource Locators. This allowed for web pages to be accessed through web browsers. The global soon had a means to communicate beyond letters or telephone calls. As the 1990s progressed websites emerged producing news that did not have physical print copies. There also another development in which the person with no journalism or media background could produce content of their own. The computer and internet access became a common fixture in homes just like a television. Traditional print media was having difficulty competing with the speed of websites and the diversified content of blogs. Between 2002 and 2004 blogging became a more importance source of news and information. What previously were web logs designed to be personal diaries became new forums of discussion and debate. Magazines and newspapers by 2007 saw declining sales and the reduction of their staff. Some newspapers have been able to adopt to the change, while local newspapers gradually have been phased out. The modern media has become more based on audio and visual production, rather than written articles. Social media and video streaming have enabled certain aspects of society to be captured that normally would not have gotten coverage by a major network. Images of police brutality, protests from around the world, or extreme poverty have broken the illusion that the world is in a state on equanimity. From this perspective, information technology has been a very powerful tool in numerous social and political struggles. Both consumers and producers of media can be more interactive with one another. More people around the globe are viewing news through a screen or social media platform. Cell phones have internet access, meaning a person can instantly get information as they desire. Enormous amounts of information are at the finger tips of an individual. Technology based platforms are the wave of the future for reporting and journalism. Technology has transformed the industry in just one century and it will continue to do so with other rapid developments.
Having information empowers people. The modern media almost has an infinite amount of information that a consumer has access to. While this has benefits, there also is a challenge. Bias or deception can easily be presented as fact. This can be detected better in a television program, yet with websites, blogs, or social media content it becomes more difficult for some consumers. The phenomenon of fake news is nothing new. There have always been fabrications, bias, or errors in print journalism. The difference in the era of the modern media is the means and rate in which falsehoods are propagated. The behavior of consumers has become more rigid in thought. Readers may actually only visit blogs, websites, or social media platforms in which they agree with. What should be realized is what one agrees with may not be reality. The foundation of media literacy is to have the ability to absorb and decipher multiple sources. The ability to distinguish between incorrect assertions and fact is pivotal to avoiding be manipulated by corporate or powerful political organizations .
Social media creates an atmosphere in which like minded individuals can connect, but insulate themselves from others with opposing views. Critics of social media use this to condemn the platform entirely. Television news and print seem to also have suspicions about social media as a journalistic tool. There are even some making the exaggerated claim that the prevalence of fake news can be blamed on either Twitter or Facebook. The mainstream media has promoted stories that were not the most accurate or could be considered distortions. Mainstream media attacks on new platforms are really a reactions to a new form of competition. Cable news has become a lucrative business, but it could be seeing a decline in the future if it does not acclimate itself to change. The tendency to condemn anything that is not mainstream media as "fringe" does a disservice. The model of following one narrative related to an international, political, or economic event has almost created channels of propaganda. Some have decided to turn to alternative media as means of looking for more objective reporting. Others have decided to go to more extreme mixtures of fringe movements and conspiracy theory platforms. Infowars which is a conspiracy theory website and radio program founded by Alex Jones has gained large numbers of followers due to their frustration with the mainstream media. A mixture of unsubstantiated claims and outrageous proclamations Infowars seems more similar to a cult. Disinformation has become harder to combat with new platforms of knowledge. While news organizations have the responsibility to produce truthful and accurate content, there are also some measures consumers should take. Questioning what is written or presented in a program should always be a priority. One of the results of this new era of mass information is the desire to impose censorship. Internet freedom is now an essential part of press freedom. However, net neutrality and government crackdowns on social media platforms have threatened access to vast reserves of information.
The 24 hour reporting and journalistic format has become the standard. Newspapers and magazines are too slow for a population the prefers rapid updates. There are issues that arise from this. The quality of reporting may suffer under needs to meet deadlines. Errors can occur frequently. The consumer may have trouble making sense of the flow of information that comes so fast. There is a need to comprehend what was read or seen. Attention spans have been altered by the rise of new technologies. The internet and social media user may not be willing to read long paragraphs of an article. Columns, op-eds, or in depth analytical reporting has to update itself with a new media revolution.
All around the world consumers of news are demanding immediate information. Another problem for the cable news networks and the traditional television news programs is that they report mostly the same material. This is due to the fact they compete for viewers, but are not offering something different. What happens is a news cycle that just repeats itself constantly on the same story or event. Digital media is able to capture a vast arrangement of events, experiences, and change from around the world. Vice has done this through standard reporting and documentary content. Americans have in particular become more distrustful of various media outlets based around the political divide and the inaccuracy of reporting regarding America's military engagements and foreign policy. Rarely does the public hear opposing views about Syria, Somalia, or the growing tension with Venezuela. Video streaming will in the future be more capable of meeting the demands for the 24 hour news cycle. Youtube, Liveleak, and Dailymotion are are few of many video streaming sites in which content can be uploaded and reach millions of people. Watching a television broadcast requires a person to be tuning in at a certain time. Video streaming sites allow access on demand. The 24 hour reporting cycle is the most visible element of competition between media platforms. The consumer also has a personal barrier to confront. Information overload can cause either a compete rejection of media consumption or more confusion. Programs centered around a news personality or arguing panels of guests may be turning viewers away entirely. It should not come as a surprise that some sections of the general public remain uniformed. Then there is the problem of consumers thinking that have a good body of information, when it is generated from one source. The consumer in the 24 hour news cycle era may only skim headlines, rather than read materials in their full entirety. This format has become a permanent fixture in journalism, reporting, and news.
From the 20th century to present there has been a radical change in the way people become informed. The modern mass media has used technology and a changing format to reach larger audiences. There have been positive benefits to new technologies and reporting. Editors no longer have the absolute power to determine what is newsworthy or what should be presented to the public. That power has been eroded by websites, digital media, blogs, and the influence of the internet. The development of quick transfer of information or mendacity only exposes the myth of efficient unbiased objective journalism. Throughout history, journalism or news has never been completely unbiased or objective. Press freedom was a rare privilege in the past and today it is out of reach in many countries. Imprisonment and fines were normally imposed on journalists who criticized the government. The United States a nation that has the guarantee of press freedom has even restricted it during various points in its history. During World War I socialist and anarchist newspapers came under attack under the excuse of national security. Censorship continues to be an enemy of free speech and independent thought. The mass media has the power to alter public opinion in short periods of time. The advantage is that a political and social cause can get exposure to wider audiences. Part of the success of a movement is the increase in awareness within the general public. The negative consequence is that extremist political forces use the mass media for their own agenda. Paranoia, fear, and intolerance can be exacerbated to higher levels through the internet, television, and radio. There may come a time when it is had to determine what would be propaganda or genuine reporting. Consumers must be more knowledgeable about what they see and hear. Education and critical thinking skill are important to preventing mass manipulation of the world public. The modern mass media has gone through an incredible evolution in the past century. What started with simple print, became more technological and faster in production than ever before. The modern mass media continues to expand and change global culture.
