Media is the information delivery tools or media used to gather and deliver data or information. The word itself implies a broader range of entities than print media, including the visual mass media such as television, radio, cinema, photography, and the printed media. Media also includes the recorded media such as motion pictures, music, video, and sound, as well as the format used for transmission such as compact disc, videotape, and wire transfer. The term “media” can also be applied broadly to the many processes and devices that help distribute and collect information, with specific reference to the digital and electronic media.
One of the earliest forms of media were printed books, which were considered mediums of mass communication at the time of the Renaissance. In recent years, the term has been increasingly applied to refer to any type of information dissemination method or device. Media is widely used in the commercial and public sector, as it describes both the delivery mechanisms and the content that is made available through those delivery mechanisms. Media is commonly used in the assessment of organizational performance, as it tends to rank and classify organizations on a number of dimensions, including influence, reputation, public image, product quality, and service standards. In most organizations, media is used to represent the various functions and activities of managers, employees, and teams, while providing insight into performance by providing quantitative measures of performance and feedback mechanisms for individual performance.
Media are basically communications channels, which are accessible to virtually every person in the world. Media can be direct and indirect, but primarily they fall into two broad categories: those channels that are accessible to the public and those channels that are inaccessible to the public. These two categories include broadcast and print media. Broadcast media refer to channels accessible to the general public and television; radio refer to channels accessible to the public and radio stations; and magazines and newspapers fall into the category of print media. There are also other types of channels that are less well known such as digital video, advertising channels and other pre-recorded media.
