Mass Media
Mass media are means of communication that are used to reach the general public for the purpose of creating audiences for information, artistic expression, and other kinds of messages. Although the word mass suggests large numbers of people, the term is subjective, with standards of measurement relative to the normal capabilities of a given medium. For example, 1 million books sold nationally is more impressive than a national television audience of 1 million viewers. The word media is also commonly used as an aggregate noun to refer to the entire industry, often because of a perceived homogeneity or sameness of point of view.
Because the ability to reach large segments of the public is of great value in commerce, politics, and a society's culture, the mass media are usually controlled by corporations (as in the United States) or by national governments (as in China). The mass-media industry employs professionals to conceive, produce, promote, and deliver communication products that are specifically designed to meet the goal of attracting large audiences. These products may be sold as objects (such as books or digital videodiscs [DVDs]), exhibited for the price of a ticket or subscription (such as movies shown in cinemas or on premium or pay-for-view cable TV channels), or offered at no cash cost to consumers so as to create an audience for paid advertising (such as commercial television or radio broadcasts). Some of the mass media use combinations of these funding sources. For example, most newspapers and magazines are sold directly to the reader but depend on selling advertisements for their profitability.
No communication technology is inherently a mass medium but rather becomes one through usage. For instance, radio was invented at the end of the 19th century primarily for use as a two-way communication system to serve industrial shipping and naval