Mass Media

Mass media are one of the most characteristic features of modern civilization. People are united into one global community with the help of mass media. People can learn about what is happening in the world very fast using mass media. The mass media include newspapers, magazines, radio and television. The earliest kind of mass media was newspaper. The first newspaper was Roman handwritten newssheet called "Acta Diurna" started in 59 B.C. Magazines appeared in 1700's. They developed from newspapers and booksellers' catalogs. Radio and TV appeared only in this century. The most exciting and entertaining kind of mass media is television. It brings moving pictures and sounds directly to people's homes. Radio is widespread for its portability. It means that radios can easily be carried around. People like listening to the radio on the beach or picnic, while driving a car or just walking down the street. The main kind of radio entertainment is music. Newspapers can present and comment on the news in much detail in comparison to radio and TV newscasts. Newspapers can cover much more events and news. Magazines do not focus on daily, rapidly changing events. They provide more profound analysis of events of proceeding week. Magazines are designed to be kept for a longer time so they have cover and binding and are printed on better paper.

TV plays a very important part in our life. It is the main source of information and a cheap form of entertainment for millions of people. There is always a great variety of programs on TV: news, sports, talk shows and TV games, documentaries, films, concerts and theatre performance. Some people argue that television is a terrible waste of time. It makes us lazier: we stay at home instead of going on, we read less, we think less, we talk less. Violence on TV is another problem that worries people. TV is one of our most important means of communication. It brings moving pictures and sounds from around the world into millions of homes. Commercial TV stations broadcast mostly entertainment programs because they must attract larger number of viewers in order to sell advertising time at high prices. Commercial TV broadcast also documentaries and talk shows. Documentary is dramatic, but

nonfiction presentation of information. It can be programs about people, animals in faraway places. On talk shows, a host interviews politicians, TV and movie stars, athletes, authors. There are also sport programs and brief summaries of local, national and international news. Public television focuses mainly on education and culture. There are programs on wide range of subjects-from physics and literature and yoga. Public TV also broadcasts plays, ballets, symphonies as well as programs about art and history. The best way to think of the internet, or net as it is often called, is a vast global network connecting computers across the world. At present, more than billion people use internet worldwide. They use the net for transferring data, playing games, socializing with other computer users, and sending e-mail.

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