Internet: The Newest Mass Medium Essay -- Essays Papers

Internet The Newest Mass MediumIn order to fail the Internet as a mass medium, we first have to come across at the original intentions of the Internet. Origin all in ally the Internet was utilized strictly by the government and educational institutions. Its primary purposes were research and education, although it soon became a invent of entertainment for a portion of the population through games, chat, and email. The idea of utilise the Internet for entertainment and commercial use was outrageous to the current users of the technology, and when listservs began posting advertisements, they did not respond well. These users wanted to keep the focus of this particular media very(prenominal) narrow and two-dimensional, so to speak. However, commercialization of the Internet allowed for exponential growth in for-profit and subsidized sites, which generated a greater demand for a larger user base. Profitability became an issue as soon as the Internet became commercial. In th e 1990s, the Internet wielded a significant impact on people and lineagees of all types, and there were many organizations and individuals that grew concerned of this impact and new issues arose. From a business aspect, telecommunications companies began to worry that the Internet would take away their customers because people were now suitable to place phone calls online with no long distance charges. From an individual, or oecumenical population aspect, people were concerned with the social implications of the Internet, and the negative impact that accredited(a) pith could have on individuals or groups, such as children be exposed to pornographic content. There is also the growing concern of earnest and privacy, because not sole(prenominal) can personal information be use for illegal purposes, it can be used without someones knowledge, for selling purposes, which some people find to be an infringement of their privacy. The Internet is a breeding ground for freedom of expression and freedom of speech, which is why certain countries such as China and Germany, have done everything in their agent to trammel the content made available to citizens. However, because of the Constitution, American government is finding it rather difficult to set up a gatekeeping system, which will restrict content available within the United States. To allow the government to do this would completely defeat the purpose of such ... ...of thought was easily manipulated by the corporate/government cooperative that ran (and still runs) traditional old media in the United States.The versatility and multidirectional communication makes the Internet one of the most exciting mediums because content can be very diversified and users are not only able to receive messages, but they are able to respond as well. The Internet is an interactive medium with potential to expand even farther than it already has. The Internet defies the controlled, one-way broadcast model of info rmation diffusion and empowers the user with the capability to talk back to the sender. ReferencesBeacham, F. (1998, December). Dark Alleys of the Internet abrupt Beachams Questioning Technology Online, 20 paragraphs. Available http// ****CHECK****Grant, A., & Meadows, J. (2000). conference Technology Update (7th ed.). Massachusetts Butterworth-Heinemann.Public Agenda (2000). Internet diction and Privacy. Public Agenda Online, 10 paragraphs.Available http//www.publicagenda.org/Schmesier, L. (1996, March 1). Why bring in gender online? CMC Magazine Online,7 paragraphs. Available http//www.cmcmagazine.com