Media

Our final definition of media is a form of mass communication developed through forms of network, print, communication and digital mediums establishing a connection between authors and audience members. 

Despite the revelation of the Gutenburg press, books today remain structured similarly to the way they were constructed by the master scribes of old. Spanning ancient stone tablets to modern day hand out pamphlets, books remain the easiest “pick-up and read” vehicle for content. Even now, in the age of information, where the internet reigns supreme as the de-facto instrument for information retrieval, books stand on their own. This is in part, due to their one-track design—their succinct and concise design for streamlined story-telling. Devoid of the banal artifices that plague other mediums.

Books as we know them—the sequential set of pages that constitute a compositional work—stand today as one of the oldest mediums for recording information. The history of books coincides with the development of writing, a nuanced semiotic relationship that spans thousands of years across different cultures. Housed within the artifact is a veritable cornucopia of mediums spanning fiction, and nonfiction; screenplays, and poetry; history books, and almanacs. The average user will note the tactile qualities inherent in a books design, be large or small—a marked differentiator between it and other forms of media.

Media Communication

The radio is a good example of communication media. This has been used for decades as a way to communicate different events to people and to connect with others. The radio is also a mass communication because it reaches a broad audience and can be heard almost anywhere.

The News is a great example of communication media. The news is a huge way that our society communicates to us with information that we need. CNN is an example of a news cast that communicates different events and stories to the public in order for everyone to be caught up.

Media Network: Internet

Communication is the fourth representation of media. Communication is used by everyone and it is an integral part of out society today. Examples of this would be the radio, the news, the telephone, social media, and more. 

These websites are just a few examples which people use to connect with one another, discover the latest news, share pictures and videos, or to speak on whatever subject there is to. All of them reach an audience and can be used to influence them in any way. For example, Breitbart reaches out to those who have a more conservative view in politics while The Huffington Post reaches out to those with a more liberal view. Facebook has an audience who wish to discuss politics they might have read, or been influenced by, the news sources, while Worldstar reaches out to those who want to know the latest in popular culture. They all have audiences. They all are a means of connecting. They all can influence a generation. 

The internet is today’s most efficient way for individuals around the world to connect with one another. With its many websites containing blogs, profiles, and job hiring’s, the internet has become the most popular kind of media. People can access the latest news in popular culture, politics, weather, and other endless types of information. Rhetoric plays a big role in the internet by its power to reach and obtain an audience by whatever means possible and influencing said audience. News sources, individual blogs, and forums are some of the ways people connect with each other and discuss certain objects. Social Media like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are the most popular forms of communication, while websites like FoxNews.com, CNN.com, and Breitbart,com are examples of news sources with a target audience they influence. LinkedIn.com is an example of websites who reach out to those in need of a job, or those who may have a job but can be persuaded into leaving. Rhetoric plays a big role in all of these examples and the Internet has become a circus of rhetorical discourse, making it a popular form of media.

Print media is becoming underrated in the sense of digital media having a larger platform and always becoming updated. However, I chose to focus on magazines as a representation of printable media because it involves great insight and allows the public to physically be apart of their reading while choosing there option of printed media to read. Magazines offer a wide variety of news, tips and hot topics; all while appealing to the consumer with the all-around “look” of the specific magazine company. For example, People Magazine has marketed a brand that creates millions of sales per year, along with many subscriptions. Seeing the name People Magazine out in the public, consumers will recognize it almost immediately and look forward to reading and observing this magazine for all it has to offer.