Track 29
READING Mass media is a phrase often used to describe ways of giving information and entertainment to a very large audience. Generally, we talk about three types of mass media. The print media (which includes newspapers, magazines, brochures and books), broadcasting media (television and radio) and digital media (the Internet, mobile phones, etc.) All of them affect our lives in different ways.
UNIT 7A
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDIA
ни ке
Newspapers are one of the traditional media, but their audience is not as big as it was in the days before computers. However, the printed word will hopefully continue to endure because there will always be people who like reading books, magazines, and newspapers.
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Radio is a kind of universal medium, since people can listen to it at home, at work and even in the car. Television is more popular than radio because it provides fun and entertainment to different age groups. It is a medium that permits the use of the printed word, spoken word and pictures in motion, colour, music and animation. Advertisers use both these media for the marketing and promotion of a company’s products and services.
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The most popular and most widely-used form of media today is digital media – often referred to as the new-age media. Although the media has always affected public opinion, digital media has had a profound effect on the way we live and work. It has not only changed the way we get our news and interact with each other, but also the way we learn, do business and entertain ourselves. Besides being an amazing source of information on the latest happenings around the world, the Internet has opened up new opportunities for mass communication, which include email, forums, blogging and many other mass media which are booming today. We are no longer only consumers of passive messages, but active participants as well. We are more engaged with friends, we are more literate, more connected, more open to creating new relationships, and generally more interested in the world around us. There is a wide range of social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google plus and Linkedin are the best-known. The mobile phone has made it easy for us to connect with our friends, family members, colleagues, etc. It has become so popular that the young generation actually cannot live without it. Today mobile phones are not just simple portable telephones; they are kinds of computers and people are using their cell phones for more than their original intended purpose.
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