Tag: mass media

Things to know before taking up Mass Media and Communication courses.

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Let’s begin by knowing what Mass Media or Mass Communication is. Mass media refers to the media technologies such as movies, songs, news, podcasts, advertisements and photos, that are utilized to carry information to the masses. 

Importance of Mass Media

This blog you are reading is helping you gain knowledge about Mass Media and communication. Hence this blog becomes a media technology and educating you in the field of Mass Media defines its importance. From applying for a job to reaching out to a friend on your phone, everything becomes a portion of Mass Media as they help users pass on information from one place to another or one person to another. 

Here are some advantages of Mass Media to highlight its importance. 

  • It becomes a voice for the voiceless: Mass Media provides every individual with an opportunity to practice their freedom of speech and spread their ideas among the world. YouTube is a great example of Mass Media. As a platform in this 21st century it helps both small and large creators publish their videos for everybody to watch. 
  • Enables widespread communication: Today, the world is often referred to as a global village. This is made possible due to several types of mass media technologies such as social media, internet, and other digital content. It helps governments, businesses and organizations to communicate with each other and stay connected. 
  • Diversifying culture: Mass Media helps in diversifying languages and cultures beyond its place of origin. A good internet connection and a mobile phone or a computer is all you need to learn a new language or gain knowledge about a new culture. You can even take a peek around the world without leaving your home. 

The Evolution of Mass Media

Mass Media can be traced back to the 800 AD which consisted of prehistoric arts, writings and some basic printing technology. The introduction of Gutenberg’s printing press in the 1450s helped art and literature gain a wider reach among the people.The year 1605 witnessed the publishing of the first weekly newspaper in Antwerp, known as ‘Relation’. This was followed by the inventions of radio and television in 1895 and 1925 respectively. Finally in 1990, the world wide web was introduced by Tim Berners Lee. 

The number of people benefiting from these media technologies witnessed a steady growth from a handful, to thousands, and millions with the introduction of newspapers, radios and televisions. Today, due to the internet, these numbers are reaching billions. In 2018, the number of  World Wide Web’s users was estimated to be 4 billion. 

The 21st century has introduced the ability for even individuals to broadcast a customised message for thousands across the globe. You no longer need to be a part of some huge networking channel to do so. A good internet connection and a hand held device can do the job. 

The functions of Mass Media

Mass Media, in the form of writing, podcasting, and publishing, has a significant effect on the masses. Commercials on television, billboards and social media influence the audience into buying a product or availing a service. Hence companies across the world look for suitable mediums such as social media, blogs, forums, or video streaming platforms to convey their messages based on their businesses. Once they find the right mass media technology, they conduct campaigns to communicate their ideas. 

Majority of the companies today create and maintain their social media pages, maintain blog posts on their websites, and run advertisements on video streaming platforms to educate viewers about their products or to entertain them. These define the functionality of Mass Media. 

Courses in the field of Mass Media and communication

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After addressing the ‘Wh’ questions of Mass Media, let us dive into the courses one can opt for in the field of Mass Media and communication. There are three kinds of courses available for aspiring students in the field of Mass Media and communication. Courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma levels.

Both the course levels familiarise students both practically and theoretically in the field of Mass Media and Communication. 

Eligibility for courses in Mass Media and communication (UG PG) 

A student aspiring to seek admission in a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication course, he or she must fulfil some eligibility criterias. 

  • The applicant should have completed senior secondary schooling (10+2) from a recognized university. 
  • The applicant must have scored a minimum of 50% from the aggregate in their senior secondary schooling. 

Similarly, students aspiring for seeking admission in the Master of Arts in Mass Communication course must fulfil the following eligibility criterias. 

  • The applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized university. 
  • The applicant must have scored a minimum of 50% from the aggregates in their Bachelor’s degree. 

Institutes may also require you to give an entrance exam to fulfil the admission process.

Here’s what you will learn from Mass Media and Communication courses

Courses in Mass Media helps you get acquainted with subjects such as Public Relations, Design and Graphics, Digital Media, Reporting and Editing for Print Media, Data Journalism, Photojournalism, Event Management, and Media Law and Ethics. The courses are inclusive of Computer based learning, Guest Lectures, Seminars, Workshops, Massive Open Online Courses, Individual and Group projects, and community based projects. 

Scope for Mass Media courses under employment prospect.

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With an increase in media technologies following new inventions and establishments such as Television Channels, Radio Stations, Advertising Agencies, PR Agencies, etc. Scope in this field is also parallely increasing. Here are some of the job profiles candidates can look out for upon completion of the course. 

  • Journalism
  • Public Relations
  • Advertising
  • Media Planner
  • Broadcasting and Production
  • Event Manager

Conclusion

Mass Media and Communication as a field in academics has a great scope in India and overseas. Freshers with expertise in specific areas and sufficient experience will be hired by prominent media companies for different job profiles. Individuals with good communication skills, writing proficiency, and passion for learning can pursue an undergraduate or a postgraduate course in Mass Media and Communication. 

References

Ritika Shrivastava, May 17, 2021 09:36 IST, shiksha.com

Akanksha Sirohi, July 15 2020, collegedekho.com

https://www.careers360.com/courses/mass-communication-course

MASS MEDIA

As the name itself suggests, Mass Media refers to an array of methods which help to promote a variety of things/messages/ideas among the masses through different communication outlets. In today’s times, the various kinds of mass media include, Cinema, Radio, Television, Internet, Print, Recordings, Mobile phones, etc. People may opt for a particular medium of communication based on the availability of technology, type of message/product to endorse and ease of mass communication.

CINEMA

Movie making is certainly gaining a lot of popularity in this era. Cinema Media has a lot of potential to create an impact on the society at large. The film industry inclusive of Hollywood, Bollywood, Tollywood, so on and so forth manifests the reflection of society in the past and the present. Today, the youth does look up to movies for recreation. A good cinema can entertain, educate and inspire the viewer in several ways.

EXAMPLE – The movie JOKER, impacted it’s audience with inspirations like, leaning to forgive, succeeding despite having mental issues, never giving up on your dreams, etc.

RADIO

The credit of being able to enjoy broadcasting in the earlier times and today as well, goes to Guglielmo Marconi, the developer of the first radio transmitter and receiver. With scarce means of recreation in the olden times, Radio bound families, peers, neighbors together. The auditory mode of communication, Radio is also used to maintain contacts with the flights and ships that are out in the air and water. Radio is also an essential element used at war zones to transmit information through morse codes.

EXAMPLE – Africa considers radio as the most important too of communication. Radio is quite cost efficient, does not need any expensive data package, helps to reach out to a broader audience and is also easily portable.

TELEVISION

Television is an audio visual type of Mass medium. It is used by broadcasters to air sports, daily soap, movies, news, etc. The progress of the T.V is easily noticeable, as it started from the black and white version and has now developed to a very high extent in the form of OLED, LCD, LED, and HD. It is used by direction and production houses to entertain, inform and educate viewers. It can be considered as an ultimate Pandora’s Box.

EXAMPLE – Viewers ranging from the kids to the elderly at home, are often seen glued to the television for the purpose of entertainment.

INTERNET

Sharing information and communication has become a piece of cake since the invention of the Internet. This mass medium has bypassed almost all other media of communication. Internet is now considered as a boon to e-sellers, social media influencers, researchers and all the other end users as well. The Internet has become a global networking platform which anyone can access at any point of time.

EXAMPLE – People do resort to the Internet to pay their bills, listen to music, manage finances, to shop online or even to communicate with people all across the globe.

Mass Media plays a significant role in this era. Making appropriate usage of it will give us fruitful results. Mass media helps in transmitting values, heritage, cultures and information and acts as a watchdog on society.

Covid 19 and Mass Media

The year 2019 was a normal year until December when this normalcy was disturbed by the outburst of Corona Virus in Wuhan city of China. The villainous corona virus or Covid 19 has shattered humankind into pieces by killing people all around the globe. Within no time, the virus took a toll on social, cultural, mental, economical and every possible spheres of life. Despite the tragedy, people all over the world has been fighting hard against this unseen enemy with solidarity.

Role of Mass Media in Covid 19 pandemic

With the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, mass media has been a crucial tool for information generation. Because people were confined to their houses, mass media was the only source to get information about the ongoing situation. People began to watch the news like never before to update themselves with facts. Not just the latest news updates but with an easy access to social media, people are making use of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc for personal and business updates. Even the government agencies interacted with the common people through social media to share information regarding the pandemic.

Negative effects of Media during the pandemic

At the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, people were searching for all sorts of Covid 19 related articles and news and unfortunately a lot of misinformation has been circulated creating panic. Such misinformation and rumours manipulated the minds of the people leading to mental breakdown which further took a toll on the immune system. There has been cases where mentally weak people lost their lives after falling prey to rumours. However, many people were arrested for circulating fake news regarding Covid 19.

Positive effects of Media during the pandemic.

Keeping aside the negative aspect, the role of Mass Media is worthy of appreciation as it has been a constant source of making people aware about the DO’s and DON’T’s. News portals, social media users be it friends, family, health workers, politicians or celebrities encouraged people to stay in their homes, safe and healthy. People were encouraged to exercise and do yoga on everyday basis to boost their immune system. The Quarantine culture started to come in trend and people started embracing lockdown. The effect of Media on culture came to be more profound during the pandemic. We have seen people reviving their long lost hobbies, spending quality time with family which infact inspired many people to look back into their lives, taking a break from their hectic schedule.

But sadly, not everybody could embrace lockdown. This pandemic has been the worst nightmare for the wage workers, the migrant labourers and even the middle class section of the society to an extent. Fortunately, media came as a rescue for these people. When their plight was shown in the media, many influential people, NGOs came forward to help them with food, money, shelter, medical facilities and the like. Covid 19 has been extremely harsh for the elderly people especially with disabilities, people with serious ailments, people who lost their livelihood but people made use of Media platforms to raise funds and distribute money and essential items to the needy. Also in this pandemic, the term ‘Webinar’ has become quite popular. Many notable health workers, scholars and teachers kept in touch with people by conducting webinars to keep a check on each others’ mental health.

It can be seen that the role and impact of Mass Media in this pandemic is never ending. Like the two sides of a coin, mass media also have two sides – positive and negative. We, the people, must always approach the positive side and fight to overcome the virus. Also let us keep in mind what Malcolm said, “When I is replaced by We, illness becomes wellness.”