Media Technologies-An Ongoing Evolution

A rock and tablet used to communicate evolves into a sheet of paper and a quill, then a pen and paper. A typewriter evolves into a word processing unit, evolving yet again into a home computer. That same computer has evolved from a huge desktop, to portable capability in the form of a compact laptop. Compact portability was further enhanced by going smaller still to a net book, and smaller still to an IPad. Most cell phones have the functionality to process as a small computer, receiving email, and most Microsoft office functions.

Media technology has evolved or expanded in the same fashion. Whereas at the beginning of the twentieth century, print media was the be all and end all, by the quarter of the century, print media although still a viable media outlet, was being challenged by radio media. By the middle of the twentieth century, radio media was being replaced by television media which went through its own evolution. As the 20^th century drew to a close, the Web was arriving fast upon the horizon as a new media outlet.

Print media encompasses newspapers, books and magazines. Newspapers can be printed either once or twice daily, depending upon the region. Magazines are printed either weekly or monthly, while books are printed when demand requires it. Newspapers are used to impart the latest news, entertainment, business or sports information. Typically when one receives the information being distributed, it has already become old news. Newspapers are fine to announce upcoming events, highlighting current trends, or even cartoons to make us laugh. But as for up to date, breaking news, this medium seems to be outdated.

Even though the New York Times and The Boston Globe report “lower print advertising sales dragged down first quarter revenue and profit” (Saba, 2011), print media is not as dead and buried as we may believe. Subscribers for magazines such as People and Cosmopolitan boast circulation rates of 3,556.753 and 3.032,211(Kantor, 2011) respectively. Not surprisingly, the magazine with the highest subscription rate is AARP Magazine with a circulation rate of a whopping 22,395,670 (Kantor, 2011). The numbers may show the age demographic that values print media over the Web. The age demographic for AARP starts at 50. The individuals are baby boomers, who are reluctant to change their tried and true methods, such as newspapers, magazines and other print media.

Morning hosts wake us up with mindless chatter and music to get us up and moving. Midday hosts play work friendly music to keep us moving throughout the day. The evening ride’s host gives us music that is upbeat on our way home. And the late evening’s “quiet storm” radio hosts, play soft, sultry music suitable for a late night rendezvous. Today’s radio media boasts anything from music stations, to talk radio programming. It could be argued that radio was the first medium to broadcast breaking news. News such as the stock market crash, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, for example, was announced via radio. Radio media can be broadcast live, via a live feed or by a delayed broadcast. Broadcasts can be pre-recorded to be played at a specific time, or spot, on the air. Radio media has evolved where one can hear not just their favorite station across the country, but preprogrammed stations on satellite programs such as Sirius or Iheartradio where you can hear a mix of your favorite music or programming. Commercial ads are also run on radio media. Radio media allows for live telecasts of sporting or other events. Radio media is geared more so toward local communities, allowing the community to vent or ask questions in regards to local issues. There are also nationwide syndicated programs that are designed to make us think, laugh, or offer opinions at whatever topic of the day is being discussed.

At one time, video media consisted of three nationwide channels, ABC, CBS and NBC, and a public broadcasting channel, PBS. In the 1980’s an up and coming network called FOX joined the lineup of channels on basic television. With the advent of cable television in the 1980’s, television channels multiplied. There were channels devoted to news, channels devoted to sports and even channels devoted to music. How times have changed! Music channels, such as MTV and VH1 have now resorted to becoming reality television hosts. There are channels that are televised in English as well as Spanish. If there is an interest, there is a channel for it. Video media is one of the better mediums for imparting news quickly in real time. For example, the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center was televised on Good Morning America as it took place. As radio has talk shows, video media also is overrun with talk shows, court shows and reality shows. Commercials, advertising products of whatever one may need or don’t need. Cable and satellite providers knock each other’s products in television ads. Political campaigns start to lose sight of the issues for the smear tactics thrown by the individuals running against one another. Similar to radio, shows can be live, recorded in front of a live studio audience, or pre-recorded.

Web media offers all of the three mediums. One can read a newspaper article, read a magazine, listen to music via Internet channels, podcasts, or sites such as ITunes, Rhapsody, Pandora or Spotify, or even watch television online via You Tube, Hulu or even the network channels themselves. The Internet is also an excellent source of receiving information quickly. Social media such as Facebook, or Twitter, or professional network sites such as LinkedIn are sites that are utilized on the web. Sites such as Wikipedia, one needs to be cautious in taking the information as Gospel, as the information is typically not verified. Information can be found on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The web is used for commerce, from purchasing a pair of Louboutin’s online, to purchasing and trading of stock. The danger in imparting so much information is the risk of it being distributed outside of the party it was intended.

So which media is best? I would not say there is a best media per se. All are good in their own way, it just depends on each individuals comfort level. All are designed to distribute information. As long as the information being distributed is accurate, they are all good methods to use.