Mass Media - Mass media
What is mass media?
Mass media can be defined as channels of communication with the help of which information is delivered to the audience.
Despite today's abundance and variety of mass media, not everything can be ranked as such. Thus, for example, libraries or press conferences cannot be attributed to mass media.
Features of mass media
There are 3 main features which characterize mass media. First of all, they must be periodic. Second, they are always aimed at a large audience. Third, there must be a speaker or any other source of information.
Press
Press is considered to be a classic form of mass media. It includes newspapers, magazines, brochures and all other printed publications issued with a specific periodicity. Unfortunately, with the development of the Internet and other means of media, press is experiencing difficult times.
Electronic mass media
This category includes radio, television and Internet. Radio is a popular means of media, especially when traveling or driving. Television is, without any doubt, the most effective one with the biggest audience of all. Nowadays, with the Internet playing a significant part in our life, mass media is gradually moving into virtual space.
Role of mass media in the life of the society
It is difficult to overestimate the role of mass media in our life. Media influence people's consciousness, creating a certain public opinion. They also play a great role in the formation of a personality. With the help of mass media it became possible to quickly learn about things that happen around the world.
What is media?
The media are communication channels through which information is conveyed to listeners.
Despite today's abundance and diversity of media, not everything can be considered one of them. For example, libraries or press conferences cannot be classified as media.
Media signs
There are 3 main features that characterize the media. Firstly, they must be periodic. Secondly, they are always aimed at a large audience. Thirdly, there must be a speaker or any other source of information.
Print mass-media
Printed publications are a classic form of media. These include newspapers, magazines, brochures, as well as any other printed publications published with a certain periodicity. Unfortunately, with the development of the Internet and other media, print media is going through difficult times.
Electronic media
This group includes radio, television and the Internet. Radio is a popular media, especially when we are traveling or on the road. Television is undoubtedly the most effective media with the largest audience. Today, when the Internet plays an important role in our lives, the media are also gradually moving to virtual spaces.
The role of the media in the life of society
It is difficult to overestimate the role of the media in our lives. The media influence people's consciousness, creating a certain public opinion. They also play a special role in the formation of personality. Thanks to the media, we can quickly learn about what is happening in the world.
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Mass Media
Main functions
Mass Media has become an important part in the life of our society. It includes the press, radio and television whose main functions are to inform, to educate and to entertain.
Television
I believe millions of people can’t live without TV; it’s an integral part of everyone’s life. Even if we don’t watch it, it can be switched on just for the background. The same thing is with radio. We listen to it whenever we have meals or do work around the house. Radio broadcasts are valued mainly for their music programs. As for TV, there is a great variety of programs from which one can choose in order to satisfy his interests in the best way. Our television provides so much information that sometimes we are even lost in this stream. We get to know about social, economic and political events that take place in our country and in the whole world. We learn about new discoveries in science and about problems concerning different spheres of our life. There are lots of shows, films and games that are entertaining and exciting and help us to relax at the end of the working day.
Newspapers
Newspapers are also able to supply people with any kind of information. They comprise articles about the latest international and national events, all kinds of rumours, advertising, fun stories, biographies of well-known people and so on. There are newspapers and magazines for people of all age groups where one can read all kinds of news, events and reports on education, sports, cultural life, entertainment and fashion.
Advertising
One more important thing which is worth mentioning is advertising. Mass Media is one of the best ways to promote various goods and to help people to understand what they really need.
Mass Media (4)
Nowadays information communication is an important part of our life. It goes without saying that mass media has become an integral part of modern people's life. People live with a constant necessity of getting new information. How can they satisfy their need? They may communicate with one another or just use the immense space of means of communication. People need information in order to keep up with the whole world around them - with vogue, new trends of life, discoveries and inventions. We live to learn news; we breathe and live with this.
Let's concentrate on one of mass media branches - television. As we know, it appeared much later than such kinds of mass media as radio, newspapers and magazines. Nowadays almost everyone has got at least one TV-set at home. Television now plays an important role in our life. It takes a steady place in our daily timetable. However, watching television has two sides: not only advantages but also disadvantages.
On the one hand, TV keeps people informed of current events; TV gives us wonderful possibilities for education. We can choose any program according to our interests, mood and needs. There is a great amount of channels which are specialized in various spheres. It can be the sphere of politics, news, sports, animals, feature films, soap operas, art, talk-shows, cartoons, educational programs, music, fashion and many others. Such channels as "History", "Discovery", " Animal Planet", "365", enrich our knowledge in different fields. There are also channels which offer to our attention some educational programs for children and adults, for example "Happy English" - a program focused on teaching the English language, "Memory " - a program which offers a number of exercises for children in order to develop their memory.
The second advantage of watching television is that it gives families an opportunity to spend some time together. Nowadays adults are often too busy to give enough attention to their children. When they come home from work in the evening, so tired and exhausted, - the only possible way to relax for many is just lay on the sofa in front of TV In such situations it"s high time to choose a family comedy and see it together with your spouse and children. So, watching TV helps us to relax and forget about it all - work, worries and problems that are on our mind.
Moreover, television is a great source of entertaining. Every day there is a wide choice of films and serials on TV - detectives, dramas, comedies, action films, thrillers, horrors, cartoons and others. If you have some spare time, switch on your TV-set and see a good movie with famous and talented actors or actresses, like Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts or Dakota Fanning. Nowadays you are not limited in your choice, for even if there is no film you"d like to see in a TV-programme, you can always see it on DVD or download it in the Internet. Besides, sometimes television is the only opportunity to watch concerts of world-famous celebrities, like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Pink, Britney Spears or Justin Bieber.
However, watching television has its negative side. It is well-known that television may turn to be harmful for our health. Spending too much time in front of a TV screen may affect our eyesight badly. There are many cases when children become TV-addicted. Every spare minute they try to switch the TV on. Their progress in studies suffers due to the fact that children try to do their homework as fast as they can in order to have more time for watching TV.
Moreover, nowadays some TV programs and films include a lot of violent scenes that can have a negative influence on a child's psychic development.
Another disadvantage of television is an enormous amount of advertising. Firstly, it makes people buy some useless or unnecessary things. Bright and beautiful ads don't reveal any drawbacks of the products they advertise. So, it often turns out that goods the quality is far worse than expected. Secondly, many ads deal with the pearl of beauty - a very slim and tall girl. The result of it may be the fact that children become too much concentrated on their appearance, which may lead to depression or to the feeling of inferiority.
Finally, many children nowadays would rather spend a day glued to a TV-set than go outdoors to play with their peers.
Undoubtedly, we need TV, for it is one of the main and most convenient means of mass media. However, taking into account all its merits and drawbacks, we must try to organize our time in the right way so as not to become a TV slave.
Media (4)
Information communications are very important. Of course, the media have become an integral part of modern life. People have a constant need to obtain new information. But how can they satisfy this need? They can communicate with each other or use extensive means of communication. People need to receive new information in order to be aware of what is happening in the world around them - to have an idea about the world of fashion, about new life trends, discoveries and inventions. We live for, breathe and eat news.
Let's take a closer look at one of the media - television. As you know, it appeared much later than media such as newspapers, radio and magazines. Now almost everyone has a TV in their home. Television plays an important role in the lives of modern people. Watching television takes a permanent place in our daily schedule. However, like everything in our lives, television has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, television informs people about current events and provides excellent educational opportunities. We can choose any program according to our interests, mood and needs. There are a large number of channels that cover different areas of our lives: politics, news, sports, the animal world, feature and animated films, TV series, art, talk shows, music, fashion and much more. Channels such as History, Discovery, Animal Planet, 365 enrich our lives with knowledge in various fields. Other channels offer us various educational programs for children and adults (for example, Happy English - a program aimed at teaching English, Memory - a program that offers a number of tasks for training children's memory).
Another benefit of television is that it gives families the opportunity to spend time together. Adults these days often work too much. And when they come home in the evening, tired from work, the only way to relax for many is to lie on the sofa in front of the TV. In such a situation, it’s time to choose some funny comedy and watch it for parents and children together. Thus, television helps us relax after hard work and take our minds off the problems that bother us.
Television provides us with a good opportunity for entertainment. Every day the program includes a huge selection of films and TV series: detectives, dramas, comedies, action films, thrillers, horror films, cartoons and others. If you have some free time, turn on the TV and watch some good film featuring famous and talented actors and actresses such as Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts or Dakota Fanning. Nowadays, you are not limited in your choice, because even if there is no film on the television program that you would like to watch, you can always use a DVD or download the film from the Internet. In addition, television is sometimes the only opportunity to watch concerts of such world celebrities as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Pink, Britney Spears or Justin Bieber.
However, television also has its negative sides. It is well known that watching television for many hours is harmful to our health. First of all, this affects vision, of course. Many children become addicted to TV and always turn it on as soon as they have a free minute. Due to the fact that children spend a large amount of time watching TV, their school performance also suffers.
Some television programs and films contain scenes of cruelty and violence, which have a strong negative impact on the child’s psyche.
The disadvantages of television include an excessive amount of advertising. Firstly, it forces people to buy completely useless, unnecessary things. Bright and beautiful advertising in many cases serves to hide the shortcomings of the advertised goods. Secondly, some of the commercials, which feature very slender and tall girls, wittingly or unwittingly encourage us to strive for similar standards of physical beauty. This often leads to the child developing an incorrect understanding of reality. He begins to take his appearance too seriously, which can lead to depression or feelings of inadequacy.
And the last thing I would like to say is that children nowadays are often more willing to spend the day in front of the TV screen than to go play outside with their peers.
Undoubtedly, television is necessary for modern man, because it is one of the most important media. However, taking into account all its advantages, you need to try to organize your time in such a way as not to become a “slave of the TV.”
Questions:
1. What kinds of mass media do you know?
2. Have you got a TV-set at home?
3. How often do you usually watch it?
4. What are your favorite channels?
5. Do you usually watch TV alone or with your family?
6. What films do you prefer to see?
7. Do you like soap operas?
8. Are you a TV-addict?
9. Do you prefer to see films on TV or at the cinema?
10. What disadvantages of watching television can you name?
Vocabulary:
mass media - mass media
it goes without saying - goes without saying
integral part - integral part
necessity - necessity
to satisfy - to satisfy
immense - limitless, huge
means of communication - means of communication
to keep up with - to be aware, to keep up with
vogue - fashion
discovery - opening
invention - invention
branch - branch
to appear - appear
steady - constant
advantage - dignity
disadvantage - disadvantage
on the one hand - on one side
possibility - possibility
according to - in accordance with
mood - mood
channel - channel
to be specialized in - specialize in
various - different
feature film - feature film
soap opera - series
cartoon - animated film
fashion - fashion
to enrich - to enrich
knowledge - knowledge
inner world - inner world
attention - attention
to be focused on - to be aimed at
to develop - to develop
exhausted - exhausted, exhausted
to relax - rest, relax
it's high time - it's time
spouse - husband, spouse
to reveal - open, show
moreover - moreover
source - source
entertaining - entertainment
thriller - thriller
horror - horror film
action film
to limit - limit
to download - download
spare time - free time
celebrity - celebrity
harmful - harmful
screen - screen
eyesight - vision
TV-addicted - addicted to TV
progress in studies - academic performance
to suffer - to suffer
to include - include, contain
violent - cruel
to have a negative influence on - have a negative impact on
psychic development - mental development
enormous - huge
advertising - advertising
useless - useless
ad = advertising - advertising
drawback - drawback
goods - goods
pearl of beauty - beauty standard
appearance - appearance
feeling of inferiority - feeling of inferiority
to glue - stick
peers - peers
undoubtedly - undoubtedly
convenient - convenient
to take into account - take into account
slave - slave
to deceive - to deceive
The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our views.
Of course, not all newspapers and TV programs report the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable information.
It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren't interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programs and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn't usually make headlines. Bad news does.
Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people's private lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which are untrue or half-true. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is — should this be allowed?
The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that"s an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it"s much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers.
Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.
Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information.
The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don"t have to wait for news time on TV.
Translation
The media plays an important role in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially television inform us about what is happening in the world and provide excellent opportunities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our point of view.
Of course, not all newspapers and television programs cover events objectively, but serious journalists and television journalists try to be fair and provide us with reliable information.
It's true that the world today is full of drama and most of the news seems bad. But people are not interested in ordinary events. That's why there are so many programs and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news usually doesn't make headlines. Bad news does.
Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often invade people's privacy. They stalk celebrities and print sensational stories about them that are false or half true. They photograph them in their most intimate moments. The question is - should this be allowed?
The main source of information for millions of people is television. People like television news because they can see things with their own eyes. And this is an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. In addition, it is much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of cameras than on the pages of newspapers.
However, many people prefer radio. It's good to listen to in the car, outdoors, or while you're doing something around the house.
Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as television, but they usually give us additional details, commentary and background information.
The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on screen as soon as it happens in real life, and you do not have to wait for the time of news on television.
We live in the era of high technologies, and we use modern inventions in our everyday life because they have brought us much comfort. New technologies have spread on every field over the past 15 years. Moreover, they are rapidly changing. For example, video-recorders, DVD-players or compact disks have already become obsolete and have been replaced by more up-to-date devices. Today we can hardly imagine our life without such modern mobile devices as cell phones or laptops. Our offices are fully equipped with computers, printers, scanners, air-conditioners, interactive whiteboards and wi-fi modems. Household appliances (vacuum-cleaners, coffee-machines, dish-washers, food processors and others) help us to save our time and energy.
However, we should realize that digital and electronic inventions have both negative and positive impact on our daily life.
I am absolutely positive that new technologies or gadgets are making things faster, easier, more comfortable and interesting. For instance, if you install a GPS (Global Positioning System) in your car you’ll never get lost again. And could we imagine just 15 years ago all the things we can do on the wireless Internet nowadays: connecting with friends from all over the world, online shopping and banking, distance online learning, finding virtual relationships and even working from home? Isn’t that awesome?! Our parents used to go to post-offices to send letters or pay bills, they went to libraries to find a good book and they used telephone-booths for phone-calls.
On the other hand, I know some people who are strongly against some modern inventions because they really miss those days when they talked to each other face to face in reality, and not virtually. I partially agree with that as I really believe that people are becoming anti-social and too dependent on their gadgets. Some of my friends also spend half of the time occupying their shiny gadgets (smart-phones or i-pads) even when we go out together. Besides, people who use various social networks a lot (such as Facebook or Instagram) should worry more about their privacy.
Summing up, I could say that there are serious arguments both for and against the use of new technologies but anyway it’s really difficult to imagine our life without them today.
New technologies in our lives
We live in an era of high technology and use modern inventions in our daily lives as they have brought us a lot of comfort. New technologies have proliferated in every field over the past 15 years. Moreover, they are changing rapidly. For example, VCRs, DVD players or CDs have become obsolete and are being replaced by more modern devices. Today we can hardly imagine our life without such modern mobile devices as cell phones or laptops. Our offices are fully equipped with computers, printers, scanners, air conditioners, interactive whiteboards and wi-fi modems. Household appliances (vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, dishwashers, food processors and others) help us save time and energy.
However, we need to understand that digital and electronic inventions have both negative and positive impacts on our daily lives.
I completely agree that new technologies or gadgets make many things faster, easier, more convenient and more interesting. For example, if you install a GPS (Global Navigation System) in your car, you will never get lost again. Could we imagine just 15 years ago all the things we can do today via wireless Internet: connecting with friends around the world, online shopping and banking, online distance learning, searching for virtual acquaintances and even working from home? Is not that great?! Our parents used to go to the post office to post letters or pay bills, they went to libraries to find a good book and they used telephone booths to make calls.
On the other hand, I know people who are completely against some modern inventions because they really miss the days when they communicated with each other, face to face, in reality, and not virtually. I partly agree with this because I think people are becoming anti-social and too dependent on their gadgets. Some of my friends also devote half of their time to their shiny gadgets (smartphones or iPads), even when we go out together. In addition, people who use social networks a lot (such as Facebook or Instagram) need to be concerned about protecting their personal information.