Mass Media's Influence On Politics

Mass Media and the Influence on Individual and Societal Thinking About Politics and Politicians

In the last five hundred years, the media’s influence on society and its politics has grown exponentially with the advancements in communication technology. Gutenberg’s printing press was the biggest innovation in the history of communications until the development of the telegraph. However, printing remained the predominant format for mass messages for many centuries afterward. The development of the telegraph was a unique innovation because it allowed instant communication over vast distances for the first time in human history. Telegraph usage began to fade as the radio became popularized in American households. As radio was being developed, the innovations with telephone technology quickly became the fastest and easiest way to communicate information person-to-person. After television had been perfected in the 1960s, it then became the dominant form of mass-communication technology. Millions of people were witness to history being made with Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, live coverage of presidential debates, the shocking assassination of the president and the events of the civil rights movement. All happening in real time.

The 80s brought communication technology into homes for the first time with the introduction of the personal computer and

It connects people, their ideas and their values, like never before. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media internet sites have played not just an influential role, but also an instrumental one to usher in societal change. It has mobilized voters in the U.S. to rally around candidates who they believe will address their common issues. In the Middle East and Asia, it has created an increased political awareness which has even caused immediate governmental