Media is basically the communication tools or resources used to deliver and store data or information. The word refers generally to the mass media communications systems, including print media, broadcasting, photography, motion pictures, publishing, television, radio, and the Internet. The mass media are characterized by a diversity of multimedia and interactivity, which allow users to interact with one another, with news events, and with products and services. Media is now also applied to specific categories of the internet, such as blogs, podcasts, vlogs (videos), YouTube videos, image and video sharing, or (TV shows) and flash.
There are many early forms of media. Print media existed before the dawn of writing and communication and is often associated with journalism, although there were independent presses that produced written material as early as the 12th century. Early forms of visual communication included skylines, geographic signs, and illuminated maps. The term media comes from the Greek word “muse” that meant “tease.” Early forms of human communication included songs, poems, psalms, comedy plays, and drama – all of which were performed to entertain, inform, or otherwise entertain.
Media in today’s society encompasses every imaginable communication tool and form. Communication has moved from the public square to cyberspace, and from printed publications to the internet. There are various forms of entertainment that have survived into the twenty-first century, including book publishing and film production. As technology continues to advance, it is expected that media will become an important part of public relations practice.
