Technology or Mass Media

Technology is a broad term that refers both to artifacts created by humans, such as machines, and the methods used to create those artifacts. More broadly, technology can be used to refer to a way of doing something or a means of organization: for instance, democracy might be considered a social technology. Technology comes from the Greek technologia, which is a combination of “techne”, meaning “craft”, and logia, meaning “saying”. So technology might be considered the articulation of a craft. The word is also used to describe the extent to which a society can manipulate its environment.

When the word “technology” is used today, it is most often used to refer to high technology – computers, cell phones, rockets – rather than technology in general. But when anthropologists use the word “technology,” they go all the way back to the controlled use of fire (from about 500,000 – 1 million years ago), the invention of the wheel (c. 4000 BCE), and beyond. The first technological tools were simple hand-axes made by our hominid ancestors millions of years ago.

The earliest technological divisions are from mankind’s early history, divided into the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age depending on the primary tool and weapon-making material at the time. Each building material is superior to the one before it, but more difficult to develop requisite metallurgical techniques. The Iron Age began in about 1400 BCE.

Since the formulation of the scientific method in the 15th century, technological progress has apparently been accelerating. Some technologies developed since then include the telescope, the microscope, the clock, the engine, the electric generator and electric motor, radio, nuclear power and weapons, television, computer, and many others.

Technological development continues strongly today, fueled by the multibillion-dollar economies of the world’s most prosperous nations. The hottest developments in technology today are happening in computers, nanotechnology, materials science, renewable energy, entertainment, space travel, and medicine.

Philosophers as well as laypeople often debate whether or not technological progress is, on the whole, a good thing for humanity. On the pro-technology side of the spectrum are techno-progressivisms such as Tran humanists, on the anti-technology side are anarcho-primitivists, and Neo-Luddites.

Mass Media is media which is intended for a large audience. It may take the form of broadcast media, as in the case of television and radio, or print media, like newspapers and magazines. Internet media can also attain mass media status, and many mass media outlets maintain a web presence to take advantage of the ready availability of Internet in many regions of the world. Some people also refer to the mass media as the “mainstream media,” referencing the fact that it tends to stick to prominent stories which will be of interest to a general audience, sometimes ignoring controversial breaking news. Many people around the world rely on the mass media for news and entertainment, and globally, mass media is a huge industry.

Usually, mass media aims to reach a very large market, such as the entire population of a country. By contrast, local media covers a much smaller population and area, focusing on regional news of interest, while specialty media is provided for particular demographic groups. Some local media outlets which cover state or provincial news may rise to prominence thanks to their investigative journalism, and to the clout that their particular regions have in national politics. The Guardian, formerly known as the Manchester Guardian, for example, is a nationally-respected paper in England which started as a regional daily.

One of the biggest criticisms of the mass media is that it is too topical. When a media outlet is forced to cover national and international news, it cannot address numerous interesting local stories because these stories are not of interest to very many viewers. For example, the residents of a community might view their fight against development as critical, but the story would only attract the attention of the mass media if the fight became controversial or if precedents of some form were set.

People often think of mass media as the news, but mass media also includes entertainment like television shows, books, and films. It may also be educational in nature, as in the instance of public broadcasting stations which provide educational programming to a national audience. Political communications including propaganda are also frequently distributed via mass media, as are public service announcements and emergency alerts.

While elitists may be tempted to sneer at the mass media, referring to it as the “opiate of the masses,” mass media is a critical part of human societies. Understanding mass media is usually the key to understanding a population and culture, which is why the field of media studies is so huge. Watching, reading, and interacting with a nation’s mass media can provide clues into how people think, especially if a diverse assortment of mass media sources are perused.

Problems:

Problems of Technology
Protects against Electromagnetic Radiation

Adverse Effects
Adverse effects on human health that have been attributed to long-term EMR exposure include the occurrence of cancer, multiple sclerosis and autism. In animals the effects include stillbirths, and reduction of milk production in cattle. Studies at major universities such as University of Southern California, the University of Lauganna, Switzerland, and the University of Warwick, UK have proven the negative impact of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms. Recent studies (Adelaide Hospital animal study, Dr. Lai and Dr. Singh animal study at Washington University) proved that animal exposure to high frequency oscillations disturbs cellular functions; creating double strand breakage in DNA. This serious genetic alteration can lead to cancer. As modern technology increased, so too will the occurrences of severe diseases such as cancer, HIV, etc.

Current Problems in the Media
Poor coverage of important issues
While the media is busy covering sensationalist stories, issues that affect our lives and the whole world receive little attention.

The Environment
A study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs found the number of stories about the environment on the network news went from 377 in 1990 and 220 in 1991 to only 106 in 1998 and 131 in 1999. At the same time, the number of stories about entertainment soared from 134 in 1990 and 95 in 1991, to 221 stories in 1998, and 172 in 1999.

Government
“The Project for Excellence in Journalism, reporting on the front pages of the New York Timesand the Los Angeles Times, on the ABC, CBS, and NBC Nightly news programs, and onTime and Newsweek, showed that from 1977 to 1997, the number of stories about government dropped from one in three to one in five, while the number of stories about celebrities rose from one in every 50 stories to one in every 14. What difference does it make? Well, it’s government that can pick our pockets, slap us into jail, run a highway through our backyard or send us to war. Knowing what government does is “the news we need to keep our freedoms.”

Education
Large numbers of Americans give low ratings to the media for school coverage. For example, in a joint survey by the Education Writers Association and the Public Agenda, 44 percent gave “print media with a national readership” ratings of fair to poor, while only 4 percent gave a rating of excellent. About 84 percent gave “broadcast media with a national audience” ratings of fair to poor and only 1 percent gave a rating of excellent. Educators and journalists agreed. Over 44 percent of journalists rated “print media with a national readership” as fair to poor in their coverage and 84 percent rated “broadcast media with a national audience” the same.

Conclusions:

(Technology)
One must not spend too much time on technology, or get exposed on too much radiant waves which can cost infections, by doing this you can also save more energy and more time spent on physical activities like exercising, which is good for our health. Although technologies will make our life easier, we still need to consider the very fact that too much exposure to these equipments is bad for our health.

(Mass Media)
Being in a Mass Media production is a hard work, though it is a fact that not all news were shared to the world and not all the news we are right, but humans are still to blame for we commit our own mistake it cannot be the technologies they use. Therefore if we are in a Mass media production team let’s do our best to give the right news to the right people for giving a false one could only give us nothing but shame.

Recommendations:

(Technology and Mass Media)
Everyone must know how to use technology with great efficiency and the proper use of it. Using such equipment could give as an edge and an easy way to do things such as creating project works, presentations, and others. Technology are well recommended for all, but we must also be aware of over exposure to this things, although it improves our way of living their must be a specific time and limit of usage.