English Essay on “Media and Society” Complete Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Media and Society

The all-round progress that we have achieved in recent times has made our society more complex and dynamic than ever before. One of the most important aspects of this progress is reflected in the versatility of techniques used in communication and information exchange. The combination of these techniques and our imagination has shrunk the world considerably, thereby making interaction among different societies simpler and faster.

Societies, on their part, have responded favourably to all such innovations and are, in fact, craving for more of them. The potential of innovation is such that it can push technology and development further, to the limits of possibility. Societies themselves have developed as a result of the spread of ideas and knowledge, made possible by such innovations.

The information revolution which made its humble start in the middle of the fifteenth century, with Gutenberg’s invention of printing, has now moved, with the help of technology, into the era of satellite communications and computer networking. The first step in information exchange and mass communication was made through the print media, which, with varying importance, remained in the forefront of mass communication until the beginning of the twentieth century. Newspapers and periodicals, as the major forms of the print media, not only publish information about current events, but also help people develop their own thoughts and opinions.

The potential of the print media is evident from the fact that the behaviour and thinking of people have changed drastically with their arrival on the social scene. The great revolutions and upheavals that took place in the twentieth century can be attributed to the popularity and patronage the print media provided them. As a journalist, Karl Marx probably used the newspaper to popularise his views, which in later years affected the lives of almost half the world’s population. Furthermore, by enabling the international community to hear the voice of the oppressed and the deprived, the print media has played an important role in wiping off colonialism from the face of the earth. It will be interesting to speculate how Gandhiji would have managed to achieve the success and popularity he did, if the print media had not played an encouraging role in India’s freedom struggle.

Matching the print media in versatility and the power to influence public opinion is the audio-visual media, symbolized by, radio and television. Though compared to the print media, the electronic media is a new entrant in the field of communication, its potential for growth far exceeds that of the print media. Owing to its special characteristics, the electronic media is able to access larger sections of society, including the illiterate, than the print media. Moreover, the personalized approach of the audio-visual media makes them more attractive and popular than the print media. The prospects of future growth are also brighter in the case of audio-visual media, because, whereas the popularity of the print media is dependent on the literacy of the population, the electronic media can access the entire population, irrespective of its literary level or caliber.

Besides its utility to spread information and to provide entertainment, the audio-visual media is also a powerful tool in educating the people. Countrywide classrooms, while being an efficient way to reach scattered and isolated populations, is also a cheap and relatively trouble-free means of education. But just as all media have the ability to meet the cultural, educational, social and political needs of society, so they have the potential to create mischief in it. As people depend on the media to judge events and to frame personal opinions, it is easy for anyone, capable of manipulating the media, to mislead the public. Misinformation is one of the worst banes of the media, which can be effectively used by vested interests to serve their ends and to harm the society. All media are, therefore, at once advantageous and dangerous. Nevertheless, the role of media in society cannot be ignored or discouraged. Judicious use of their potential can work wonders in the society.