Commercial Media

If we take a look at the past and make a comparison between the commercial electronic media that existed and were used almost 100 years ago and the media that exist and are used today, we will see that in general, the nature of electronic media has changed dramatically over the years. Various kinds of media that did not exist in the past are now holding the reins in today’s world, in the electronic age.

As reported by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2005), “In today’s society, electronic media are thoroughly integrated into the fabric of life, with television, movies, videos, music, video games, and computers central to both work and play” (p.1). The media scene has been developing at an incredible pace in recent years, but there has been both convergence and divergence (Pleitgen, 2007). In this era of information technology, the old methods of providing information such as the radio, television and newspapers are gradually losing their importance in contrast to the computers and the Internet which have also come to be included in the electronic media (Alamgir, 2002).

Today, people listen to digital radio via their television, watch TV on mobile phones, listen to radio on iPods while also, newspapers have started turning into broadcasters by offering audio and video on websites of their own while also, there has been the arrival and increasing influence of citizen journalism through the use of blogs, vlogs or video blogs, and video clips taken on mobile phones (Pleitgen, 2007).

“The term electronic media… refers to both electronic mass media (e.g. broadcasting) and electronic personal media (e.g. cell phones)” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.5). In addition, “Information and communications technology (ICT) is defined as computers, software, telecoms, such as mobile and fixed phones, the Internet and satellite technologies (United Nations org., n.d).

Before a discussion is provided on the effects that the changes in electronic media have on education as well as a discussion on their advantages and disadvantages, let us take a look at the past and see how the nature of commercial electronic media has changed and evolved over the years.

The start of broadcasting and commercial electronic media was signalled by the invention of radio telegraphy while in the late 1920s, Americans were fascinated with radio which enjoyed its place as the only instantaneous and electronic medium for over 30 years until the World War II, when television broadcasting started to become popular while in fact, television in its many forms such as broadcast, cable, satellite, video cassette, and DVD, was the center point of American media for over 50 years (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).

Afterwards, computers emerged as the new popular medium while also, the Internet followed, that emerged as a new mass medium at an unprecedented speed (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). “The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s that saw great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields (Howe, 2009, ¶1).

As Medoff and Kaye (2005) outlined, the electronic media industry has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, most notably since 1996, when the Telecommunications Act was signed into law while also, satellite direct digital radio service began in 2002. In addition, wireless has grown rapidly in the past few years while also, a next big growth area is the surge towards universal wireless access (Howe, 2009).

Moreover, another trend is “the growth of smaller devices to connect to the Internet. Small tablets, pocket PCs, smart phones, eBooks, game machines, and even GPS devices are now capable of tapping into the web on the go” (Howe, 2009, ¶35).

Apart from these, some recent innovations such as e-mail, instant messaging and chat rooms, allow us to talk to others who are connected in real time while also, the use of the Internet led to the development of online journalism that is similar to a print diary and weblogs or blogs which are web pages posted by individuals who want to express themselves on various topics (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).

Going further, it is worth mentioning the following three important issues as reported by the United Nations org. (n.d): (a) it took radio broadcasters 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million, television 13 years, and the Internet just four; (b) there were 50 pages on the World Wide Web in 1993 and today there are more than 50 million pages; and (c) it is estimated that in just over five years some 900 million electronic devices could be connected to the Internet, equalling the number of telephones in the world.

Undoubtedly, the nature of commercial electronic media has changed dramatically over the years. As a result, this change has affected and impacted all sectors of society whether that is business, industry, medicine or education.

Taking as an example the field of education, it can be denoted that the changes in electronic media over the years has significantly impacted education and specifically, the integration and use of computers and the Internet in schools has impacted education and brought some remarkable changes to the teaching and learning processes.

As Rojem (2002) supported, the revolution of the Internet has had important implications for the educational system and consequently, the world of education is experiencing some major changes, not least of which is the use of the Internet in teaching and learning.

Access to world class broadband revolutionised education and provided students with the opportunity to engage more effectively with the resources from around the world as well as to engage in active learning (Rudd, Smith & Conroy, 2007). Past technologies have been capable of disseminating information but they did nothing to encourage student interaction but in contrast, the Internet, supports active, hands-on learning which can provide students with practical, real-life experiences while it can also lead to better retention and understanding of a given topic (Rojem, 2002).

Apart from these, in the past, students’ choice of resources was limited to resources that were available in the school library but now, with the revolution and integration of the Internet in schools, students are offered large amounts of information and resources through the Internet and the World Wide Web, which can access quite quickly and easily and therefore, learning in school now in no longer confined by the walls of the classroom (Rojem, 2002). As Medoff and Kaye (2005) stated, “The Web’s big advantage over traditional media is its lack of constraints in terms of space and time” (p.9).

Moreover, compared to the traditional reading habits of individuals, electronic media tend to be an attractive way of representing information and therefore, children can learn difficult concepts better when such concepts are demonstrated to them through the use of various electronic media (Poorani, 2006).

In addition to these, the Internet’s impact on education includes more student-centred learning as well as a shift from the traditional structure of students as passive learners toward that of active participants (Rojem, 2002).

Going further, various trends in electronic media such as convergence, consolidation, commercialism as well as the process of actually making programs that leads to the need for greater media literacy, have affected and impacted the way education is delivered (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). As Medoff and Kaye stated with media literacy, “the audience has knowledge and understanding not only of the meaning of the content of the media but also of the power of the media, the intent of the media, and the influence of the media” (p.13).

Convergence refers to “the blurring of the boundaries between the different types of electronic communication media” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.10). As Murphy (n.d) outlined, convergence is the melding of previously segregated fields of computing, telecommunications, and broadcasting but this is not something entirely new since, there has long been a convergence of sorts as technological infrastructure has been unified and shared among seemingly unrelated fields. As reported by the United Nations org. (n.d), “The convergence of information technology and the Internet may well become as transformative as the industrial revolution” (p.2).

Except for these, the changes in commercial electronic media have affected in general, the lives of the people in respect of their cognitive, emotional, and behavioural levels. Specifically, as Medoff and Kaye (2005) outlined, electronic media: help people become more knowledgeable about the world, give people information that help them form attitudes towards things and ideas while they also make people feel; and they have the possibility to persuade people to change their behaviour while they can also change how people use their time since, people seem to spend a lot of time each day with electronic media.

Going further, the changes in electronic media have their advantages and disadvantages as well. Apart from the positive effects, benefits and advantages of the use of the Internet that were mentioned and discussed above, another important advantage is the easy and fast access to information that consequently overcomes time and distance constraints. As Poorani stated, “Today’s world… provides easiest and fastest access to knowledge overcoming time and distance constraints through the electronic media. The electronic media in the form of Internet, television etc. prove to be not only the easiest means of access to information but also provides access to immense amount of knowledge” (¶7).

On the other side of the coin, the changes in electronic media seem to have some disadvantages as well. “In this fast moving world, technology has brought about immense changes in a man’s life. [But] with each change [there] is a host of advantages and disadvantages” (Poorani, 2006, ¶2). For instance, cost constitutes an important disadvantage that relates to the changes in electronic media. Particularly, in the field of education, school districts are spending tremendous amounts of money in order to connect schools to the Internet and this is an issue of concern since, there is no money left for the professional development needed to assist teachers in learning how to include the Internet in their teaching while also, the money spent on technology is at the expense of books and other resources needed by teachers (Rojem, 2002).

Moreover, television and electronic media displace social interaction since, time spent on television viewing is a passive experience that replaces a creative activity or interacting with other people and therefore, spending too much time with electronic media can be an isolating experience that can negatively impact the development of social skills (Walsh, n.d).

Apart from these, the Internet contains unreliable information. Unlike the materials found in a library, the information found on the Internet is not proofread or edited for content and hence, children can be uncritical in evaluating information while also, due to the fact that there are many resources to choose from, children may even become overwhelmed and unable to judge the quality of information and materials included in a site (Rojem, 2002). In addition to these, as Rojem supported, some of these materials and resources can be unsuitable and inappropriate especially for students such as sexually explicit materials abound on the Internet as well as sites that publish destructive information such as how to make a bomb or how to grow narcotic drugs.

Plagiarism is also another disadvantage of the Internet that despite the fact that it is not a new problem, it has become easier to do and more difficult to detect due to he introduction of the Internet and specifically the World Wide Web (Rojem, 2002).

Furthermore, a more general disadvantage of Information and communications technology involves the digital divide. As reported by the United Nations org. (n.d), there is still a gap between those who have electronic access and those who have not or in other words, there is a gap between information-haves and information-have nots that exists between communities and between countries.

In conclusion, computers and the Internet are influencing the way we learn while also, radio is still a dominant medium with wide access while in general, all these media are very powerful to reach, teach and enrich (Arulchelvan & Viswanathan, 2006).

Television and radio are crucial for ensuring social cohesion and development in the digital world while also in general, the electronic media have a vital role to play in the information society (Pleitgen, 2007).

The Internet brought, brings, and “will inevitably bring about major changes in our educational system. As more and more schools gain access to the Internet, teachers will be confronted with the challenge of how best to incorporate this valuable tool into their classrooms. Of course there will not be a complete move away from the conventional teaching methods, but the Internet will definitely alter classroom routines in one way or another” (Rojem, 2002, p.7).

As Rojem (2002) stated, “For children growing up in the information Age, it is hard to imagine a world without computers and the Internet… Just as the generation before them would gather to report the arrival of a new colour television, children today are busy debating who has the fastest modem and biggest hard drive” (p.1).

Closing up, we must keep in mind that: “Communications technology is not an end in itself; it is a vehicle for the provision of information and content” (Pleitgen, 2007, p.13).

References

Alamgir, K. (2002) Debate: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Electronic Media. Retrieved November 4, 2009, from http://www.dawn.com/weekly/yworld/archive/021019/yworld4.htm

Arulchelvan, S. & Viswanathan, D. (2006) Role and Effectiveness of Electronic Media in Higher Education-With Special Reference to Tamilnadu. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education , 7(4). Retrieved November 1, 2009, from http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde24/pdf/article_2.pdf

Howe, W. (2009) A Brief History of the Internet. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from
http://www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html

Medoff, N. & Kaye, B. (2005) Electronic media: Then, now, and later. Pearson Education, Inc.

Murphy, M.J. (n.d) Convergence, Interactive Media, and Innovation. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from http://www.innovation.ca/innovation2/essay_murphy.html

Pleitgen, F. (2007) A New Vision of Broadcasting in the Information Society. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from http://www.ebu.ch/CMSimages/en/Pleitgenfinal_tcm6-56034.pdf

Poorani (2006) On Electronic Media Vs Reading Habits. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from http://www.urch.com/forums/gre-analysis-issue/47225-electronic-media-vs-reading-habits.html

Rojem, K. (2002) The Impact of the Internet on Education. Retrieved November 3, 2009, from http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/01-02-wt2/www/K_Rojem/

Rudd, K.MP, Smith, S. & Conroy, S. (2007) A Digital Education Revolution. Retrieved November 4, 2009, from http://www.alp.org.au/download/now/labors_digital_education_revolution_campaign_launch.pdf

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2005) The Effects of Electronic Media on Children Ages Zero to Six: A History of Research. Retrieved November 6, 2009, from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/The-Effects-of-Electronic-Media-on-Children-Ages-Zero-to-Six-A-History-of-Research-Issue-Brief.pdf

United Nations Org. (n.d) Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Retrieved November 4, 2009, from http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/technology/tech.pdf

Walsh, E. (n.d) Electronic Media and Young Children. Retrieved November 4, 2009, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Electronic_Media/