2. Brief definition
The term media, refers to the communication channels through
which we disseminate news, music, movies, education,
promotional messages and other data. It includes physical
and online newspapers and magazines, television, radio,
billboards, telephone and the Internet. It describes the
various ways through which we communicate in society.
Because it refers to all means of communication, everything
ranging from a telephone call to the evening news on
television can be called media. When talking about reaching a
very large number of people we say mass media.
3. The birth and rise of television
While we want to focus mainly on the rise of cable television, that
story cannot be told if we don’t first discuss television’s birth in
general. Pinpointing the exact moment when television began is
difficult. This is because television had been in the works starting as
far back as the late 19th century. However, most of these
developments were in the field of “mechanical television,” which,
while important to the story, does not look much like how we
understand television today.
One date of particular significance was January 26, 1926. On this date,
Scottish inventor John Logie Baird transmitted images of a
ventriloquist’s dummy’s face using radio signals. This is generally
considered the first-ever transmission of video, or, in other words,
the birth of television as we know it today.
4. From that point on, the technology behind television became more advanced and
accurate. Still, in its primitive state, it struggled to compete with radio, which had
been the preferred medium for communication and entertainment for most of the
20th century. However, by the 1940s, television was making inroads into more
and more American homes, growing in popularity and triggering a response from
the entertainment industry.
By 1948, all four of the major broadcasting networks in the US – CBS, ABC, NBC,
and the DuMont Television network, which only lasted until 1955 – had full
schedules for the 8 pm to 11 pm time slot that soon became known as “prime
time.” One such show was The Texaco Star Theatre, which starred comedian
Milton Berle. The show became the first hit in the history of television and helped
spur the television industry’s growth. In fact, in 1948, before the show hit the air,
just 2 percent of American homes had televisions, but by 1955, when the show
went off the air, TVs were in more than 70 percent of homes across the country.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Berle was single-handedly responsible for the
growth in TV, but it shows that the increase in available programming, along with
its popularity, helped spur the medium into the mainstream.
6. While pinpointing the moment television began can be tricky, it’s easy to find out
when cable first burst onto the scene. Interestingly, while cable has generally
been viewed as a luxury version of television, in the beginning, it was anything
but. Instead, it was a practical way for those who could not reach broadcast
signals to access the programming distributed from major cities.
In the early days of television, all signals were transmitted over the air. Those
who weren’t close enough to the broadcast station or lived in mountainous
areas where the signals would be disrupted could not access the signals and
were left without television. The response to this was to build large antenna
towers that could rise up over the mountains, get the signal, and then transmit
that signal through hard wires – also known as cables. This meant homes
previously left in the dark could connect.
These “community antennas” – as they became known – were first constructed
in 1948 in Arkansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, bringing cable TV to the world
for the first time and launching a new era in technological and entertainment
history.
7. The impact of mass media on the American
society
Mass media is communication that reaches a large audience. This
includes television, advertisement, the Internet, newspapers, and so
on. Mass media is a significant effect in modern culture in America. It
creates ideas and sustained within society not only send ideological
messages out to the public but to advertise this ideas which are tend to
manipulate the mentalities. The mass media interprets the views of the
majority of the people, the working class, to have their greatest
influence on individuals over time. Through continuously observing,
the media can have an influence on personal values and beliefs. It plays
a significant role as it illustrate social comparison that eventually leads
to the change of peoples way of thinking.
8. Positive influence
Mass media has a lot of positive impacts on the American society. For example, the people
helping each other in the situations of natural disasters encourage humanity and empathy in
children and adults, so more volunteers come forward to help the needy ones. Also, the quiz-
based games, educational news broadcast and similar programs emphasize the positive effects
of mass media which increase literacy in the audiences. Also, one of the positive impacts of
mass media on society is their right to information. Today’s generation is much more educated
and aware of their rights and that helps them gain various personal and professional benefits.
People usually come across different pieces of information via direct or indirect sources, but in
any case, the mass media influence is clearly visible in society. From educated to illiterate
people are part of this wave and that’s why the responsibilities of the media people and
controlling authorities increase. They have to be more careful about the timing and approach
of conveying news.
9. Negative influence
The negative effects of mass media on society can lead people towards
poverty, crime, nudity, violence, bad mental and physical health
disorders and others as such severe outcomes. For example, mob
hitting innocents by getting carried away from the rumors spread on
the internet has been common. These unauthorized news headlines
are the biggest example of the negative impact of mass media on
society. Furthermore, the cases of children killing innocents by
acquiring weapons are considered as one of the major negative effects
of mass media on the children as they usually get carried away by
provoking news stories, action movies, and games.
10. Misconceptions the media promote
. American audiences are drawn to novelty, glamor (as they themselves
define it), and action. They view their movies and television programs
in the context of their own real-life experiences, so they have
information on the basis of which to interpret them more or less
accurately. People abroad who see American films and television
programs and who read American publications do not have the same
context for understanding what they see and read. They inevitably
relate American media products to their own experiences in their own
countries, and the result is often misunderstanding and misconception.
11. • So here are some misconceptions that the American media promotes:
• The United States comprises New York City, Los Angeles (or Hollywood), San
Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Disneyland, and Texas.
• Most American women are beautiful (according to contemporary Western
standards), and most American men are handsome (according to the same
standards). Those who are not beautiful or handsome are criminals, deceitful
people, or members of the lower class.
• Average Americans are rich and usually do not have to work (or do not have to
work very hard) to earn money.
• Average Americans live in large, modern houses or apartments.
• Most things in America are large, modern, and shiny.
• There is a stratum of American society in which most people are non white,
physically unattractive, uneducated, and dedicated to violence.
• Violent crime is an ever-present threat in all parts of the country.
• High-speed automobile chases frequently occur on American streets.
• Non white people are inferior to white people. Foreigners who come to the United
States with open minds will see for themselves that these images are inaccurate.
Such visitors are well advised to take stock of the ideas they have about America
from TV shows and movies they have seen, and then to consider carefully how
well those ideas fit with what they actually see and hear in this country.
