Understanding Mass Media: Types, Functions, and Examples

Media is a way through which knowledge can be disseminated from the source to the target public in the end. Almost any media intended for a wider audience can be termed mass media. Starting from pictorial representation from an early time to the massive production of newspapers, and entertaining videos on television, there are many types of mass media.

Starting from the prime sources of information to marketing, media, motivation, and entertainment for almost everyone and everywhere in the world, mass media is everywhere. In this blog, we will explore what is media and mass media, its various types of media, and delve into the meaning of mass communication, examining how communication mass media tools have the potential to transform lives.

What is Mass Communication?

Mass Communication is the process of disseminating and exchanging important information using diverse media platforms to reach the masses. Degree in B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication helps you understand all about this program. It differs from mass media, which includes various forms such as Radio, TV, Internet, Print Media, and Outdoor Media. Understanding the understanding mass communication, it involves recognizing its role in connecting people, spreading ideas, and influencing society through these platforms.
The common tools of mass communication are:

• Social media
• Films
• Television
• Journalism
• Radio
• Advertising
• Public Relations
• Photography
• Books, Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers
• Public Relations
• Audio Media

What is Mass Media?

Mass media refers to the platforms used to communicate information to a large audience. What is media and mass media? Media includes tools like print, broadcast, and digital channels, while mass media focuses on reaching the masses. Understanding the types of mass media and the meaning of mass communication is key to appreciating its role in society.

Difference Between Mass Media and Mass Communication

Importance of Mass Media

Some of your favorite movies on popular streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, TV, and Radio, and articles in newspapers and magazines make all the more sense as an essential part of everyday life. These media forms have a wide influence on people all across the world and brands use these platforms to appeal to their leads and pitch their goods.

Read this blog post: Shaping Society Through Journalism.

Organizations also run endless campaigns to reach success with the help of mass media forms. Other than this, brands use either traditional or digital media to connect with their target audience. Entrepreneurs think of various platforms to send a company’s image and create a solid reputation. Using mass media, brands can promote their goods and services while reaching a wider audience so that sales increase and brand engagement improves.

Functions of Mass Media

Mass media in the form of written, spoken, and broadcast forms can have a significant impact on the masses. Starting from commercials on TV, and social media platforms, to billboards, these methods allow brands to build immense awareness.

Organizations can look for effective ways to send their message when it comes to brands, social media channels, blogs, forums, websites, etc. When the right kind of mass media channel for the business is found, messages can be communicated effectively and branding campaigns can also be leveraged.

Mass media helps in informing, educating, and even entertaining people in many ways. Most brands can educate users about the products and services that they offer by using social media platforms, creating blogs on sites, launching commercials to describe features and the problems that can be solved, and offering step-by-step guides.

Types of Mass Media

There are usually six types of mass media. They can often be described as tools of mass communication and differentiated as mentioned below.

• Traditional Media: Most people develop many types of communication mediums based on their local language and culture. Traditional media is one of the oldest mass media types and has been used for transferring traditions and culture over many generations. Traditional media is a communication tool that has been developed from beliefs, rituals, customs, and practices of everyday society. It imparts ways of communication across ages and further, this kind of mass media varies per culture as each society has its mediums to communicate things to a mass audience. Traditional media includes dances, folklore, folk songs, paintings, statues, fairs, festivals, rural and community radio channels, announcement mediums, etc.
• Print Media: Print media is mostly about the printed form of information and news. Before the invention of the printing press, printed materials had to be hand-written so that mass distribution became possible. As a type of mass media, print media is considered a basic type of mass media tool and can be categorized as one of the popular and convenient methods for reaching a wider audience. Newspapers are an old form of mass media after the traditional mass media as the general public depends on newspapers to know the latest happenings around the world. Other forms of print media refer to magazines, promotional brochures, books, novels, comics, etc.
• Broadcasting Electronic Media: Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a wide audience using the electronic broadcasting medium. The term broadcasting means sowing seeds on farms by scattering them over a wider field. In essence, broadcasting allows ease of news dissemination to even illiterate people because it appeals to auditory and visual senses making it a lucrative kind of mass media. Years later, even after the newspaper was released, the advent of radio and television happened. Radio is the primary medium of news for the general public during times such as wards for sports and entertainment. During the time television was invented, it became an effective kind of mass media as it is used for news dissemination and then for live events, TV shows, and other entertainment purposes.
• Outdoor Media: Outdoor media is focused on transmitting information when the public is outside the home. It gives significance to displaying ads and attracts individuals towards new products, social causes, and societal changes. What’s more, outdoor media is also prominent in brand positioning and can be seen on streets, electric polls, roadsides, vehicles, screens, kiosks, etc. When it comes to the types of mass media, outdoor media is also a prominent type of mass media used for commercial and public welfare advertising.
• Transit Media: Transit media is all about the concept of advertising and information dissemination when the customers are on the go in public places. The kinds of transit media include display advertising on vehicles and transportation. Commonly, transit media is used for brand promotion and for reaching many people who travel the world across the streets and highways each day. This is a mass media that is used widely on the sides of hours and at transit stations where most passengers enter or disembark from the public transports.
• Digital Media: New media is an interactive method of two-way communication and is a tool that users make the most out of for producing content and information. The Internet is considered an interactive mass medium and can also be defined as a network of networks. It is easy to see news websites, broadcast TV shows, and also listen to online radio using the internet and this is essentially called the convergence of mass media. New media is a re-conceptualization of the present media and it is quickly growing with an ease of accessibility and an internet connection.

Career In Mass Communication

The field of media and mass media is interesting and rewarding. In case you have a passion for doing something significant in this field, then you can be the right person to make a career in this industry. There are many choices when it comes to building a successful career in the field of mass communication. Some of the popular career options available to students include advertising professionals, copywriters, journalists, news anchors, PR officers, etc.

Why Pursue B.A. In Journalism and Mass Communication?

The Indian media and entertainment industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country. Mass media types include films, television, print, advertising, and digital media, all of which have experienced tremendous growth in recent years. This industry thrives on strong consumption in non-metro and small cities, fueled by the rise of regional media and new media businesses and formats.

Read this blog post: Top 5 Career Opportunities for Journalists in India.

The program of B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication is built on theoretical foundations using applied research integrated with the dynamics of communication and creative industries. It equips students with professional expertise across all aspects of journalism, including newspaper and magazine print journalism, television and radio broadcast journalism, and online multimedia journalism. For those curious about the meaning of mass communication, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of how messages are created and disseminated through various media channels.

In case you are interested in building a strong career in the field of mass media, pursuing a course in Journalism and Mass Communication can open doors to lucrative opportunities in journalism, corporate communications, television production, and more. Enroll in this program today to take the first step toward a promising career in journalism and communication mass media.