Introduction to World Issues/Mass Media

Mass media has a profound effect on how we live our lives. An understanding of the power of media in the formation of public opinion and regional attitudes is essential in learning about world-issues. Often, mass media is criticized for having a bias. However, it is important to note that everyone is biased. Every story that a person tells will be filtered through their human experience.

Defining Media

Mass media are communications specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience. These can be sorted into five categories:

1. Print media, such as magazines, newspapers, and flyers
2. Visual media, such as television and billboards
3. Audio media, such as radio
4. Electronic Media, such as blogs, podcasts, and news websites
5. Virtual media, a not yet fully explored area of the media, an area in which one can virtually "see" the outside world.