What is the media?

   Media is the way we get information about the world around us in our everyday lives.
   Traditional media includes, print media like the newspapers, magazines and books or broadcast media like TV and radio. Many of these forms of traditional media have moved online and have become part of the New Media.
Traditional Media
Print media have been in decline since the the internet began to become popular.Many people still buy their daily newspaper and weekly/monthly magazines from the local shop but, in general, people's habits are changing (especially amongst the younger generations) so, many publications offer digital versions of their content. Novels are still popular in paper form but again digital versions are increasing popular as ebooks read on tablets and dedicated readers.
   A significant proportion of broadcast media has also moved onto the internet. Most radio stations now offer an online service and an increasing number of TV channels also offer programming online. In general analogue broadcasting seems to becoming a thing of the past with most services now broadcasting digital services through  satellite and cable connections. The very television sets that people are buying come 'Internet ready' and the trend is most definitely moving towards interactive TV services in the not so far off future.
   Many broadcasters like the BBC now offer a very broad and diverse range of services through their websites.
New Media
   The Internet has changed the landscape of the media and how people access information. Newspapers have had to move their content online and apart from a few notable exceptions provide it for free. Readers are now able to make instant comments about the latest news stories engage in conversations about them and interact with the journalists that write them. However, it appears that political and special interest groups are increasingly engaging in organized and concerted efforts to limit the scope of these online conversations for their own narrow purposes.
   Another very important reason for people switching to online news sources is that the reporting happens in 'real time' and are constantly being updated. In the past people read yesterday's news in today's newspapers, whereas now we can all log on to social media and our favourite multimedia websites and learn about the latest stories as they unfold before us.
   Many specialist publications which provide in depth analysis of financial or political affairs offer limited free services, but due to their loyal readerships who are willing to pay, can afford to use paywalls so much of their content is not free. However, there are an ever increasing number of Alternative Media sites that do offer similar services for free.   
Social Media
Social media has had a huge impact on how we all communicate, interact in public and form and maintain our friendships and relations to one another. The effects on our society and culture are unclear as this phenomena is new to everybody and is and ongoing and ever changing process.
Corporate & Mainstream Media
   Whilst access to the media has never been easier the ownership of the different outlets has never been so concentrated and in the hands of so few. Changes in the laws concerning the media in English speaking countries has enabled just a few media corporations to own the vast majority of media outlets. This means that politicians and governments who rely on the media to engage and communicate with the people must increasingly go out of their way not to offend the media barons who own these powerful institutions.
   The media is a huge source of revenue for the largest media businesses. The media business is not likely to promote any ideas or attitudes that might mean they make less money. Therefore, negative stories about important advertisers are rarely reported or given little importance.
   'The News' in English speaking cultures has become part of the entertainment industry. The news stories reported and given the most time and effort to produce in this climate are the ones that the media businesses feel will be the most popular. If not much is actually happening then journalists and editors are obligated to hype them as much as possible and exaggerate their importance. 
PR - Public Relations
   Often credited as 'the father of public relations' Edward Bernays combined the theories of crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, Sigmund Freud to create a system of control and influence through the media. Born in 1891 Bernays lived long enough to witness the huge impact his work had on the entire world a century later.
    Public relations is basically the manipulation of the media in order to promote something - anything, so that the public will come to believe it. PR is often open and obvious but all too often it is not.
   Every large institution around the world now employs professional public relations experts at some time. PR has become a huge global business and can involve anything from promoting the latest pop star to helping a multinational corporation deal with a negative story such as a crime against the environment or exploitation of their workers. And of course there are the US presidential elections in which $1 billion was spent in  2012 almost exclusively on public relations. A truly staggering amount but considering every single US presidency has been won by the candidate that spent the most then the winners would probably feel that it was worth it.
   Finally it should be noted that the negative way of expressing public relations is to call it propaganda but, of course, we who use public relations and it is them that use propaganda.
Copyright
   The biggest conflict between Traditional Media and the New media at this time is about who owns the content and how the owners can get paid for their creative efforts.
   Many Internet users now expect everything for free but there is an obvious problem with this. If artists and creaters don't get paid then they won't be able to continue producing the quality works that we all want to enjoy. Large businesses and governments have introduced legal and technical measures in an attempt to police the world wide web but they have met with resistance from a significant number of Internet users who feel the Internet should be free of the kinds of copyright laws that were used and often criticized within the traditional media.

Alternative Media
   There has always been dissatisfaction amongst particular groups with how mainstream media reports events and which events are given more importance than others. The Internet has given these groups, and indeed many individuals, a platform to share their views and give their opinions about important issues. Some have become very popular and have significant and growing audiences. When counted altogether the alternative media is representing quite a challenge to the domination of the usual mainstream news outlets.
   However, there is one big problem with alternative media. That is anybody can say or report anything they want regardless of whether it is true or not. It is therefore up to the user or audience to check the information themselves and to make judgements about the quality of the information being given.
Language in the Media
   Newspapers in many countries are expected to promote certain political ideals and give their opinions about what is happening in the world. As long as these views and political allegiances are expressed openly then there is no problem. People tend to buy the publications that best fit their own views and opinions.
   Traditionally, TV news outlets and programs are expected to remain neutral and report the most important stories without bias. Even a very basic analysis of mainstream media output will find that the language used (or not used) reveals that mainstream media more often than not promotes certain political ideals and agendas. This happens because of the small number of major media groups and their advertisers, along with journalists schooled in much the same way in the same kinds of educational institutions. As with the alternative media it is up to the audience to recognize how the use of language influences the tone and biases of the news stories being reported.