Even though printed material is now a form of mass media, it didn’t become one until the printing press was invented. That is because books were too expensive and time-consuming to produce to ever reach a large audience. With the printing press and other technologies to duplicate media, mass production became possible at a cost low enough for huge audiences to consume.

The technologies of radio, television, film, and audio reproduction really took mass media to new levels. Mass media became a tool for news, information sharing, advertising and entertainment. Even though mass media forms were reaching almost all areas of the world, including remote areas, it was still generally limited to large companies or groups with the means to produce mass media.

A huge change in mass media came about with the internet. Suddenly, people were able to reach a much larger audience but didn’t need to rely upon expensive means in order to do this. Blogging is a great example of potential mass media which is accessible for little or no cost. Now, everything is accessible by the internet rather than being reliant on a physical medium.

There are many ways that hypermedia can be made using programming tools.

Programs link various data together from internal variables and external files.  Some of the most common software programs for entertainment purposes are Adobe Flash, Macromedia Authorware, and Adobe Director. Visual FoxPro and FileMaker Developer, on the other hand, are popular for business-related hypermedia.

Many data files and business software now also have the included hypermedia possibilities by allowing hyperlinking features. For example, Microsoft Office will now allow for external hyperlinks to be included in documents.  Hyperlinking ability can also be found in many other software programs and tools such as CD/DVD authoring, HTML editors, Microsoft Powerpoint, and many presentation programs.

Hypermedia has been studied in regards to learning. Some psychologists claim that hypermedia resembles the brain’s structure more closely than printed text.  There are also theories about learning and hypermedia such as that hypermedia gives a more controlled learning environment and that hypermedia may also level the playing field for students of different learning abilities as well as making a more collaborative learning experience.

Some of the most common forms of electronic media are video recordings, audio recording, slideshows, television and radio broadcasts, telephones, and all content found on the internet. Unlike digital media, electronic media can be in analogue form as well as digital form.

There are several types of electronic media which have been in development over hundreds of years. From as far back as the 18th century, wire transmissions, recording mediums, and signal processing had been predominant electronic mediums. Today, we are most familiar with the wire transmissions of cable (such as with television), wireless mediums such as radio, recording mediums such as CDs and DVDs, and internet electronic mediums including downloading and streaming. There are also interactive electronic mediums such as video games.

Developed countries now rely upon electronic forms of media for communication.  Even in many undeveloped countries and remote areas, there are satellites which make the dispersal of electronic media possible. Electronic media can be used for many things including journalism, marketing, education, art, entertainment, commerce, and much more.

Most people in developed countries use digital media on a daily basis. However, most do not think of their digital medium as having to do with mathematical codes. These items such as cell phones, CDs, digital cameras, and computers have become so integrated in daily life that now “digital media” usually gets an artistic interpretation rather than a technical interpretation. However, all of these common digital medium are actually responsible for interpreting the digital codes into the information we use such as a song on a CD.

As culture changes due to the influence of technology, artists respond to these changes in their work. That is why digital media has become a widespread form of art in today’s society. Artists use various forms of digital media in order to produce their work that exists as digital video, CD, web sites, animation, images, sounds, or many other forms.

One form of digital media in art which is already prevalent is digital photography. Whereas photographs were taken o film and developed in a dark room, now photos can be taken with a digital camera and then edited on a computer to get the desired result. As the digital media technology expands, more artists are finding creative ways to use it to make work.

Starting from the early 1900s, recorded and live broadcasts began to reach many homes in developed countries. Over the span of the century, radio and TV broadcasting grew into different stations and channels which were run by broadcast networks. These networks were generally funded by governmental, nonprofit, or private sources. Broadcasting on TV and radio became a very popular manner for advertising media and also a source of income for broadcasters.

As broadcasters expanded, they would often grow into entire networks. This is especially true with TV broadcasting. The term “broadcast network” is used to distinguish the TV networks that broadcast programs on channels via a television antenna with an over-the-air signal versus networks that broadcast with cable or satellite.

The social impact of broadcasting has been huge. It has had a great affect on communication, dissemination of information, and creating cultures such as with music broadcasting and even creating slang terms. Now, broadcasting is reaching an even larger audience with webcasting which allows people or networks to broadcast on the internet.

Advertising began to really develop during the 19^th and 20^th centuries when new forms of media were spreading. Innovations like the printing press allowed for advertisements to reach larger audiences. In today’s internet era, advertisers can now reach millions of viewers with online advertisement.

Even though we generally associate advertising with the targeted ad campaigns we have grown used to seeing, advertising can be much simpler than that. The earliest advertisements were signs hung over stores to let people know what service was associated with the business. Since many people were illiterate, the advertising would be simply a picture such as a boot for a shoe-makers shop.

As advertising began to develop into more complex mediums, an advertising theory grew. This theory established a series of steps that consumers must go through before they will take the desired action suggested in the advertisement. The first of the steps is simply awareness followed by knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and the purchase (or other action).

There are many techniques used in advertising today ranging from sex appeal to fear tactics. Now, there are even companies which can monitor consumers’ subconscious brainwaves in order to determine an advertisement’s effectiveness.

The term Media may have to do with the Persian Empire’s conquest of the city Media in 550 BC because, after the conquest, the Persians devised a postal system. This early postal system was used for collecting taxes, making decisions, and other forms of communication using couriers.

Media is considered so important to culture that some historians have grouped civilizations based on the type of communication they used such as writing, printing, electronic recording, broadcasting, and computer communications. The idea behind this grouping is that media affects how the people of a culture perceive themselves and others.

In modern times, electronic media has greatly shaped society and had a huge impact on the way people communicate. Analogue media such as telephones, radios and TV broadcasts led to digital media such as computer-based communications and social networking. These forms of media are used for purposes such as advertising media and also contributed to the information revolution. Thanks to electronic media in developed countries, now people from all over the globe can communicate and share information.