media
Evolution This timeline shows the evolution of radio, television, computers, tablets, and smartphones over the course of a hundred years.
MEDIA Media refers to the devices and technologies used to communicate with the masses. The term also refers to those who are in control of all those devices and technologies. With the advancement of technology, media is a growing industry and is much more prevalent in today’s society. The media influences society through different forms of devices and advertising techniques. With all these forms of communication the masses are bombarded with information overload. It becomes difficult to cipher through and understand what is fact and what is fiction. Also, overwhelming imagery influences society to look and behave a certain way.
Society In today’s world, media has the capability to follow the general public everywhere. Audiences are linked to the media almost anywhere they go through cell phones, laptops, billboards, etc. People are constantly flooded with influential imagery and information that affects how the public thinks and behaves. Now, it is easier than ever for the media to control and alter the habits of the public. With the creation of the Internet there is a whole cyberworld devoted to creating a space for diverse political opinions, social and cultural viewpoints and a heightened level of consumer participation.
Advertising Ever since the media became the media, companies have used this means of communication to let a large number of people know their products. Advertising is one of the largest forms of the media and has the most influence on society. Marketing techniques portray men, women, and children in a way that make products more appealing and enticing. Agencies make their products know through all sorts of forms. Ads are seen everywhere, walking down the street on billboards and buses, on the side panel of websites, before YouTube videos, etc. Advertisements are unavoidable and influence society creating the need to turn luxuries into necessities or altering the way people think and behave.
Information Overload Information overload is a term that refers to the difficulty a person can have understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by the presence of too much information. With advancements in technology the amount of accessible information is overwhelming, not to mention the multitude of devices that are used to keep people constantly connected. Facebook notifications, Tweets, email,news articles are all readily available at the fingertips with cell phones and laptops. Everywhere you go there is an outlet of information to absorb and process, it is impossible to avoid the media and the amount of information there is in the community. With the increasing rate of information and available medium of spreading that information it becomes hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
This book was designed by Raymond Eastburn, Minz Kong, and Jill McCoach as a part of the Graphic Design Department at The University of the Arts during the Spring 2012 Semester under the instruction of Laurence Bach.