We call a medium a “mass medium” if it meets the following two requirements. “First, it must reach many people. Second, it requires the use of some technological device, located between source and destination” (Whetmore, 1985, pp.6-7) To understand mass media better, it is necessary to brief the evolution of media. In pre-agricultural societies, most people lived in small groups as hunters and gatherers. These people depended on the spoken word, rather than written language, to transmit their message, for they did not have well developed alphabets or systems of writing. Agricultural societies are more settled and more complex than pre-agricultural societies, so people created written language for easier and wider communication.

1. Mass
Media
Dr. Sayar Ahmad Mir

2. Introduction
We call a medium a “mass medium” if it
meets the following two requirements.
“First, it must reach many people.
Second, it requires the use of some
technological device, located between
source and destination”
(Whetmore, 1985, pp.6-7)

3. PRE AND POST PERIOD
DEVELOPMENT OF MASS MEDIA
 To understand mass media better, it is necessary
to brief the evolution of media. In pre-agricultural
societies, most people lived in small groups as
hunters and gatherers. These people depended
on the spoken word, rather than written language,
to transmit their message, for they did not have
well developed alphabets or systems of writing.
Agricultural societies are more settled and more
complex than pre-agricultural societies, so people
created written language for easier and wider
communication.

4.  The primary medium in agricultural societies was
hand-copied books. Different from today’s books,
however, books at that time could not be regarded
as a mass medium. First, the handwritten books
were too expensive to reach the masses. Second,
the ruling class was reluctant to see the
enlightenment of the masses through reading. The
circulation of books was rather limited then. In fact
books were produced exclusively for the literate
elite ruling class. Therefore hand-copied books
failed to meet both of the above requirements of
mass media.

5.  Then came the industrial societies when mass
media appeared and flourished. Although it is
widely accepted that the Industrial Revolution
dates back to Thomas Newcomen’s invention.
of the steam engine in 1712, it may date
further back to the publication of the
Gutenberg Bible in 1455 from the perspective
of media. Johannes Gutenberg invented
movable metal type and mechanical printing
in 1455, which made the appearance of mass
media possible.

6.  By1500, millions of books were printed and the price of
books dropped dramatically. This made mass literacy and
mass communication possible. Literacy and reading
began to change the way people thought and acted.
Culture, history and religion could be made available to
everyone through books. It was argued by some scholars
the burgeoning of popular culture. As the industrialization
and technical innovation sped up, the other print mass
media such as newspapers and magazines appeared and
boomed. But the enlargement of readership was still
hampered by the illiteracy and lack of money, which were
called cultural capital and economic capital respectively
by Pierre Bourdieu.

7. Types of Mass Media
Mass media can be classified according to their
physical form, the technology involved and the
nature of the communication process. The
general classification on this basis is as follows:
 a. Traditional Media
 b. Print Media
 c. Electronic Media
 d. New Media

8. Traditional media
 Traditional media are the oldest of all other media and are
connected with the folk art forms of the society. Every
country has its own unique folk art forms, as we have
Theyyam, Padyani, Oppana and Margam Kali in Kerala
to express our cultural messages. They connect people
with their rich heritage and tell the stories of the past to
the present generation. The folk art forms are closely
related with the rituals of agrarian and marginalized
groups. These traditional art forms like songs, dances and
other performance in such societies are considered as
traditional mediasince they inform, educate and entertain
people by oral tradition. The origin of rural theatre and
s t r e e t d r a m a i s r o o t e d i n f o l k a r t f o r m s

9. Characteristics of traditional
media
 1. The stage for performance of traditional art forms is natural, known
and friendly.
 2. The performers and the audience are known to each other.
 3. The contents are simple and familiar.
 4. Unlike other modern media, people never get tired of them.
 5. The performances are spontaneous and most often made on the
spot.
 6. The performer can make changes in the content according to the
level of the audience.
 7. The traditional arts and folk arts combine several art forms like
dance, music, songs and theatre to attract audiences.

10. Print media
 Johannes Guttenberg's movable metal types facilitated mass
n production of printed materials. As a result, press and
publications spread rapidly across Europe and later to other
continents. Mass production of printed documents led to
democratization of knowledge and thus education was made
accessible to common people. It was exactly a revolution
because till then knowledge was considered the property of
the elite. For several centuries, print media served as the
major means of communication reaching a wide audience.
Major forms of print media are :
 a. Newspapers
 b. Magazines and periodicals
 c. Books