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“The Media” is a term used to describe the mechanisms and business behind the mass distribution of information to the public (aka “mass media”). Here are the different forms in which mass media is distributed to the American public:
Broadcast media is the distribution of information through radio and television. Most of broadcast media in America is supported by corporate advertising, cable subscription, and pay-per-view formats. There are also public radio and television stations that are supported by the general public and government grants. New technology has fused with traditional broadcasting to create phenomena like webcasts and podcasts that can be distributed through personal computers and mobile electronic devices (phones, e-books, etc.).
Print media distributes information through journalistic newspapers, magazines, and literary books. Recent technology has continued to change the nature of print media with the emergence of online news/magazines, blogs, electronic books, and interactive software. Print media has traditionally made its revenue in advertising and subscriptions, although this model is changing as advertisers are focusing more towards online advertising.
Film is a form of media that is produced largely for entertainment through by means of a motion picture. This constitutes live action and animated feature-length/short films. Documentaries are also used as a form of film media that are created to bring awareness to social and political issues.
Audio media is the distribution of music and entertainment through various audio formats. The past decade has seen the distribution of audio media change to mostly digital through in the form of MP3 files stored by personal computer or digital music player. This has made the sharing of music files much easier and caused a great deal of copyright issues within the music community. Pay-per-download formats such as ITunes and Amazon Music have enabled artists (to a certain extent) to ensure compensation for music distribution through the Internet.
Internet media has greatly changed the dynamic in which all media is distributed. The past decade has seen Internet media assuming much of the role that was formerly served by print media (mainly newspapers). Other Internet phenomena that have shaped the media landscape are blogs (news commentary usually written by amateurs or non-professionals), RSS-Feeds (syndicated Internet news), and podcasts (digital content syndicated to computers and mobile devices). Social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have proved to be a major factor in media influence and have been a key aspect in major corporate advertising for the past few years.
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