Mass Communication Types and How They Work
- Advertising
- Journalism
- Social Media
- Audio Media
- Film and Television
A person who is interested in studying communications may want to begin by learning about these five types of mass communications. Mass communication refers to sharing a message with a large number of people who are scattered across a wide area and far from the place of delivery of the information. Understanding these primary types of mass communications could help a person have a good start in their studies.
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1. Advertising
Advertising is one of the most pervasive forms of mass communications. Though the purpose of advertising communications is to sell, this type of communication is often perceived as information by the receiver. Young people, in particular, have a difficult time discerning advertising from objective information. Advertising aims to reach particular audiences who are the target demographic of the seller’s product or service.
2. Journalism
Journalism is the most time-consuming method of delivering mass communications. Trained professionals, usually with a degree or many years of experience, meticulously collect, verify, and edit the information before turning it into a communication for dissemination. The methods of sharing journalism mass communications include news broadcasts, books, newspaper stories, magazine stories, and radio shows. These communications are often related to current events, news, politics, and the discovery of previously unknown information about a person, place, or business.
3. Social Media
Today, many people get their communications through social media. These platforms allow a person to access communications through a desktop or laptop computer or a mobile device. Social media platforms deliver mass communications through advertisements. However, the communications could also come directly from the source of information, such as a business, political candidate, or celebrity who shares information on their page of the platform.
4. Audio Media
Many people may be surprised to learn that radio is the most commonly used means of mass communications in the United States and around the world. Radio has the ability to reach the most people. It has a low cost for both delivery and access to the communication. Another type of audio media used to deliver a message to a large number of people is recorded music. This mode of communicating has been in use since the invention of the phonograph in the 1870s. Today, more people use digital music files, but physical media continue to play a big role in how people access communications through recorded music.
5. Film and Television
According to The Business Communication, mass communications are typically complex. Film and television offer a method of conveying complex meanings in a way that is easier to understand. This is because the receiver sees the person or people delivering the message, hears the message, and observes the facial expressions and body language during the delivery. Those crucial aspects can change the meaning, tone, and feelings around the information. The elaborate nature of mass communications make film and television an ideal mode of delivery.
For the sake of efficiency and consistency, mass communications offer an essential service both to the people who need to issue the message and to the people who receive it. There are other forms of mass communications, including photography, electronic books, and video games, but those are slower and often only reach a specific and smaller audience than these five primary types. Being familiar with these five types of mass communication could help a person choose which one or ones to use when they need to release essential information to the public.