Mass media

Mass media are means of communication which reach mass audiences. Millions of people read
newspapers and magazines, listen to radio, watch TV and look for information on the Internet every
day.

a) typy masovo komunikačných prostriedkov (printové a elektronické médiá, ich využitie, výhody a
nevýhody)

Mass media can be divided into:

- print media which transmit information via physical objects such as newspapers and magazines
printed on paper

-electronic media which use electronics to access their content, such as radio and television

-digital media can be viewed on digital electronics devices, mainly computers, and they have become
widely available thanks to the Internet.

In short, we can say that the basic types of mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television
and the Internet.

Print media have a long tradition and they are one of the oldest forms of distributing information to
mass audiences. Their main advantages are their availability and relatively low prices. Their biggest
disadvantage is that it takes more time to print the information, so it might take several hours or days
until it reaches the target audience. Moreover, tons of paper are used to print newspapers and
magazines all over the world, so this type of mass media is quite unecological and harmful to the
environment.

Electronic and digital media started to develop in the 20 th century and they gradually became more
popular with general public than print media. They enable us to be informed immediately, we can get
the information about the latest news in a few seconds or minutes after an important event happens.
Another big plus is that they offer not only visual but also acoustic signal. You can not only read about
the latest news but you can also listen to music, watch movies or documentaries. This way, electronic
media offer more opportunities for entertainment than print media and they can accompany us
basically 24 / 7. However, especially since the invention of TV it has become clear that this type of
mass media can encourage passive lifestyle which often leads to health problems and many people
tend to waste their time on watching TV instead of doing something more useful. Needless to say, all
forms of mass media communication can be misused for spreading false information, psychological
manipulation, sophisticated advertising techniques as well as political propaganda. These negative
effects are often summarised in one word: -“brainwashing” - which is often used by people who have
critical attitude to the role of mass media in our life.

In general, the main functions of mass media are: to inform, educate and entertain us. We get new
information for example when we read reports in newspapers or articles in magazines or when we
listen to the news on TV or radio channels. When we watch documentaries about science, history or
wildlife and when we read magazines about latest trends in science – whether in their printed form or
online -, we can learn a lot of new things and it broadens our horizons. If we are looking for
entertainment and relaxation, we can solve crossword puzzles or read horoscopes in newspapers or we
can just turn on the radio and listen to music or we can turn on the TV and watch comedies, TV series,
soap operas or various talk shows.

b) tlač (noviny, časopisy)

Let´s have a closer look at various types of mass media:

THE PRESS includes newspapers which are published daily and magazines or periodicals which are
published monthly, weekly or quarterly.

There are two main categories of newspapers: tabloids and quality papers.

Tabloids are also called “popular papers” or “yellow press”. They do not report much real news with
facts but instead they focus mainly on shocking news, gossips about celebrities and various accidents
or surprising events. In these newspapers you will find a lot of colourful photos, big headlines and
sensational news which try to attract readers´ attention. Sometimes the photo taken together with the
headline can take even more space than the article itself. Traditionally, tabloids are smaller in size than
quality papers. The most popular Slovak tabloid is Nový čas and the best-known British tabloids are
The Sun and The Daily Mirror.

Quality papers are often called “broadsheets” or “serious press”. As examples we can mention Pravda
and Sme in Slovakia; The Guardian, The Times or The Independent in Britain and The Washington
Post or The New York Times in the USA. Quality papers usually use more reliable sources of
information – for instance press agencies and press conferences. Their articles focus mainly on
political news, articles about economic or cultural life, interviews with politicians or analysts,
newspaper reports and comments from different points of view.

Typical sections in newspapers are: editorial, news page, sports page, advertisements, reports,
interviews, reviews, weather forecast, horoscopes and so on.

There is also a wide variety of magazines which cover a lot of different topics. Well-known magazines
with a long tradition and good reputation are for example Newsweek, The Economist, Time or
National Geographic. There are countless other magazines about music, science, computer
technologies, history, nature, gardening, housing, life of celebrities, politics, economy, fashion and so
on.

Nowadays, many readers prefer reading newspapers and magazines online. All newspapers have their
websites where the information can be updated easily during the day and where we can find also older
articles, many links to other articles dealing with similar topics and also comments written by other
people. It is often free of charge or cheaper than buying newspapers in their traditional form (i.e.
printed on paper) every day, and you can just pick up a few articles which you are interested in instead
of buying the newspaper which contains a lot of articles which you are probably not going to read
anyway. However, buying and reading printed daily papers has become a part of the daily routine of
many people (especially older ones) who can relax while reading newspapers when they are for
example having their cup of coffee in the morning or in the afternoon. This experience probably can´t
be replaced by reading the articles on a computer screen.

c) rozhlas, televízia (obľúbené typy programov, sledovanosť rôznych typov programov)

Another type of mass media is television. TV channels can be divided into commercial and non-
commercial. Commercial TV stations are owned by private companies and advertising is the most
important source of income for them, so their TV programmes are often interrupted by long
commercial breaks. They broadcast regular TV news but most of their programmes are about
entertainment – on commercial TV you can watch plenty of talk shows, breakfast shows, reality
shows, TV series, romantic comedies, soap operas, detective films, action movies and thrillers. Non-
commercial TV stations are owned by the state and they are also financed from the state budget. The
most popular programmes offered by them are TV news, documentaries, political discussions, films
etc.

There are also many special TV channels focusing on certain groups of people – for instance cartoon
channels for children, music channels (e.g. MTV) for music fans, news channels such as BBC, CNN
and many, many more.

Television has changed our lives in many ways and it has a lot of pros and cons. On the one hand, it
brings information and entertainment straight to our living room (you can be informed about important
events from different countries all over the world without leaving your house, you can watch sport
programmes, movies or concerts without having to go to the stadiums, cinemas or music halls). TV
helps us to relax or to escape from our problems for a while. If you watch foreign TV programmes or
foreign movies with subtitles, you can improve your language skills. On the other hand, as mentioned
before, watching too much TV encourages passive lifestyle and in addition, it can be also harmful to
our eyesight. Watching commercial movies can create unrealistic expectations and it can distort our
view and understanding of reality, which applies mainly to children who cannot distinguish between
reality and fiction as effectively as adults. What is more, TV programmes such as thrillers, action
movies or horror films contain a lot of violence which can also influence children and teenagers in a
negative way.

Radio channels can also be divided into commercial and non-commercial (public or state radio
stations). Nowadays, many people turn on the radio mainly when they want to listen to music, get
information about traffic and current situation on the roads (which can be very helpful for drivers) or
when they want to be briefly informed about the latest news. People often turn on the radio when they
don´t want to be in a silent room and radio can often be heard just as background sound playing in our
houses, offices, cafes and restaurants.

d) vplyv masmédií na život jednotlivca, rodiny i spoločnosti

As indicated above, all types of mass media have a huge impact on our life. They can influence
individuals, families and society as a whole in a positive as well as in a negative way. Just to give a
few random examples:

First and foremost, our behaviour can be easily influenced and slightly modified by mass media. We
can unconsciously adopt forms of behaviour, gestures, language expressions, sense of humour or
images related to our appearance which are frequently presented by mass media, for example TV or
the Internet. In its most extreme forms, young girls who are strongly influenced by ideals of beauty
presented on TV or in fashion magazines can sometimes suffer from low-self esteem if they don´t
meet those standards, they can have poor body image and as a result they can start suffering from
eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, depressions or emotional disorders.

Secondly, when we go shopping, our decisions what to buy can also be influenced by advertising
which has become an inseparable part of all types of mass media.

Thirdly, watching TV or browsing on the Internet can become a stable part of our daily routine. For
instance, many people automatically turn on their TV in the evening and they spend a few hours
watching TV and doing nothing else and as a result, they might neglect other important aspects of their
life or activities which could be done instead of watching TV (e.g. doing sports, reading books,
meeting friends, socialising, studying, and taking up active hobbies in general).

In addition, our ideas about the world, our way of thinking and our political opinions can be shaped by
mass media.
Modern mass media can also have a negative impact on family life. It is not exceptionally rare to see
family members watching different TV programs in the evening without talking to each other. Just
imagine how much quality time you could spend with your relatives or friends if you didn´t turn on
the TV or your computer.

Last but not least, mass media can influence the society as a whole. Massive advertising campaigns on
TV or on the Internet can shape modern consumer society, it can have a big impact on economic and
social life in modern society. Apart from all this, mass media can influence public opinion, new
politicians can appear or disappear because of sophisticated strategies used by mass media, they can
win or lose elections due to campaigns supported by mass media or their political career can be ruined
from one day to the next as a result of scandals revealed by journalists. This way, political situation
and the most important decisions in our society are not independent from the way how mass media
work. That´s why freedom of press has always belonged to the most important values in democratic
societies.

e) internet a jeho vplyv na človeka a spoločnosť

The most modern type of mass media is the Internet. It is an excellent source of information which has
a lot of advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, we can find a lot of information very quickly,
easily and free of charge, we can discuss our opinions and share our experience with other users from
all over the world. The Internet has overcome physical distances when it comes to communication
between people. Furthermore, all forms of entertainment have become much more available to wide
audiences thanks to the Internet. You can download films or music at any time or you can watch
countless videos on YouTube without having to pay for it. You can get in touch with your friends via
social media, you can do your shopping online or you can download many helpful applications to your
smart phone.

On the minus side, there is too much information on the Internet and sometimes it might be difficult to
know how what is really important and what is not. Similarly, many sources of information on the
Internet can be misleading and they can be far from being trustworthy. It is also easy to manipulate
other people via the Internet. Spending many hours a day in front of the computer can have
devastating effects not only on children but also in case of adults it can be just a waste of time, or as
some experts warn us – it can also lead to new forms of addiction and deterioration of our cognitive
and social skills. In spite of being connected to people all over the world online, we might feel lonely
and socially isolated if we start living in virtual reality more than in our real world which surrounds us.