Introduction to World Issues/Mass Media

Mass media has a profound effect on how we live our lives. An understanding of the power of media in the formation of public opinion and regional attitudes is essential in learning about world-issues. Often, mass media is criticized for having a bias. However, it is important to note that everyone is biased. Every story that a person tells will be filtered through their human experience.

Defining Media
Mass media are communications specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience. These can be sorted into five categories:
 * 1) Print media, such as magazines, newspapers, and flyers
 * 2) Visual media, such as television and billboards
 * 3) Audio media, such as radio
 * 4) Electronic Media, such as blogs, podcasts, and news websites
 * 5) Virtual media, a not yet fully explored area of the media, an area in which one can virtually "see" the outside world.