What is the media?
The media is a collective term which usually describes those organisations or ‘agencies’ that provide the public with news and information. It includes radio, television, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. The media enables us to communicate, and thus exchange and share information and ideas. It can have a variety of purposes; for example, it can inform, persuade people to buy products, educate, influence people’s ideas and entertain.
A brief history of the media
Major landmarks in the history of the media include:
Widespread circulation of newspapers in Europe and North America.
Introduction of the postal service in the UK (1850s) and invention of the telephone (1876).
First live radio broadcast by the BBC (1922); first television broadcast (1927); World Wide Web and electronic mail made available to the public (1990s).
In the 20th century, although newspapers continued to play an important role in society, communication became much easier because of the development of new forms of the media. Recent advances in science and technology allow us to transmit messages almost instantly over huge distances with television, radio and the Internet.
18th century