Role_of_the_Mass_Media

We can not imagine our life without mass media. Our Information Age is determined in many respects by the mass media. The mass media do not only spread the news, they impose certain values on contemporary men. The received information moulds the way of people's thinking. Sometimes information given by television, radio, newspapers and the Internet is contradictory and man must decide which one is more reliable. Previously it took news months to travel from one country to another; today it takes it only several seconds. People started to get news comparatively quickly with the appearance of newspapers. Newspapers are very important for a contemporary man. The choice of the newspapers is wide. Now all newspapers are classified into two groups; quality and popular. Quality newspapers are serious national papers intended for educated readers. Popular newspapers are tabloid, they are designed for common readers. Radio became widely used during World War I. At the turn of the 20th century TV became part of people's daily life. TV offers to its viewers current affairs programs, cultural programs, chat shows, sports programs, etc. It informs, educates and entertains men. The Internet is the recent innovation. It has broken the traditional frontiers and helps people to establish contacts. Due to the Internet I have found a lot friends in different countries, I have visited the greatest world museums and art galleries without leaving my apartment. The Internet is turning our planet into a global village. To have a comprehensive picture of what is going on, people must watch TV programmes, read newspapers and magazines, use the Internet, but do it selectively.