How many Media Types do you know? Of course, if you have no idea, in this guide, we are going to help you answer that question in a short while, yes. But first, it’s clear to say that the history of Media is often (somewhat jokingly, but also seriously) seen as a tautology. Recorded history itself requires some form of Media for it to be stored and passed along through time.
Bear in mind, that the innovation of printing press technology culminated in many different shifts in Western culture. More so, from the intellectual realms to the legal space and beyond. One of the biggest strengths of digital data is that all sorts of very complex analog inputs can be represented with the binary system. And, there is a reason why they are binary systems.
On that note, along with other smaller microprocessors and larger data storage centers, this model of information capture is quite important. For one thing, it has helped parties like businesses and government agencies to explore new frontiers of data collection. As well as offering them a way to represent more impressive simulations through just a digital interface use.
Before diving head-first into the different types of media, it’s important to first dip our toes in the water and learn what media is. Media is a communication tool used to deliver information. The topmost types are commonly known as news media, social media, and web media. Though, you might also see them referred to as earned media, shared media, owned media, etc.
Understanding What The Main Media Types Are For Newcomer Marketers
Collectively, all Media Types are the plural form of Medium, which (broadly speaking) describes any channel of communication. From printed paper to digital data, and encompasses art, news, educational content, and other forms of information. So, anything can be termed as Media if it can outreach or influence people — including phones, television, and the Internet.
For your information, Modern Digital Media may include all forms of communication channels that are used to transmit data electronically across the world. Perse, through computer networks and fiber optic cables. Some of these modern forms of media, such as the Internet or social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) have completely revolutionized our world.
And, just as we mentioned, unlike traditional media forms, digital media types are often coded to perform tasks. For instance, most computers today are built with electronic circuits, each part of which can be either on or off. As there are only two options, they can only represent two different digits, 0 and 1. This is known as the binary number system, or base two (“Bi”).
In the context of Informatics, media means both the devices used to store data (hard drives, CD-ROMs, diskettes, etc.) as well the ones used to transmit it (cables, wires), or even propagate it in its many forms (videos, sounds, podcasts, etc.). In modern times, media are gravitating more and more towards the digital side of this field. Informatics is one key element that drives it.
What Informatics Means Plus Its Main Role
Generally, Informatics is the study of the behavior and structure of any system that generates, stores, processes, and then presents information. It is, basically, the science of information. The field takes into consideration the interaction between the information systems and the user, as well as the construction of the interfaces between the two, such as the user interface.
Markedly, the term informatics was first coined by a German computer scientist by the name of Karl Steinbuch in 1957 through his published paper titled “Informatics: Automatic Information Processing.” Informatics was then used interchangeably with computer science as its German word “Informatik” — usually translated to English as computer or computing science.
In 1994, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland formed a grouping that is now its School of Informatics. And, as such, they gave the general meaning of informatics as the study of the structure, Algorithms, behavior, and interactions of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) computational systems. The meaning gained widespread use in the UK.
However, there is still no universal meaning for informatics as different organizations, educational or otherwise, have their own meaning for it. But, all of these different ways of defining informatics still adhere to the same core. That it is about the study and application of information and other related information technology aspects in everyday processes.
The Most Commonly Used Media Types Today
To begin with, one of the biggest strengths of digital data is that all sorts of very complex analog inputs can be represented with the binary system. Along with smaller microprocessors and larger data storage centers, this model of information capture has helped parties like businesses and government agencies alike. More so, toward exploring new frontiers of data collection.
Also, toward representing more impressive simulations through a digital interface. Forthwith, from the earliest primitive digital data designs to new, highly sophisticated, and massive volumes of binary data, digital data seeks to capture elements of the physical world. And then, thereafter, simulate them for technological use. Usually, this is done in many different ways.
But, with specific techniques for capturing various real-world events and converting them into digital form. Realistically, twentieth-century digital technology gave rise to digital media. Effectively, which in turn facilitated the creation of the Internet. Academic research, in addition to American military support, led to the development of ARPANET for newcomer learners.
Basically, in which the decentralization of data and packet-switching technology foreshadowed the rise of the internet, and thus framed the modern digital media landscape. With that in mind, it’s now clear to note that there are several forms of communication media types that are available today. And, although some have fallen into obsolescence, the main ones are;
1. Traditional Media
This type includes newspapers, journals, radio, television, magazines, and even billboards. Traditional media is broadly divided into two subcategories: manual print media and dialed broadcast media. In other words, traditional media channels are the forms of advertising that have been around for years. However, new technological innovations have really impacted them.
On the contrary, most of them have had some remarkable success. Especially, with traditional marketing techniques and other related media campaigns. Even within traditional media, however, there is some debate over which form is best.
2. Print Media
As for this one, it is one of the oldest forms of media channels. Suffice it to say, that this is the media that your parents grew up with, and it’s still around today. Also known as traditional or even “old-fashioned” media, print media includes magazines, newspapers, books, and comics. As a matter of fact, there are also other types of printed paper publications you know.
Such as reports, clinical journals, leaflets, essays, and the like. In more recent years, print media is used with desktop publishing software and eBooks (electronic book) reading technology, the likes of Amazon Kindle to be precise.
3. Broadcast Media
Broadcast Media is defined as different media channels or broadcasters such as television, the Internet, audio podcasts, video content, and others. The primary purpose of broadcasting media is to broadcast and communicate with the public. Realistically, Broadcast Media was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century in the form of radio and (later) television.
Though some still prefer it, the introduction of TV really downsized the role of radio. More so, as a means for people to access information in the form of news. Today, broadcast TV is now starting to fall behind as online media sources take over.
4. Televised Media
Television Media is a form of entertainment that has been catching the attention of Americans for more than fifty years. Originally, there were limited options for TV channels, and audiences had to watch programs at a specifically broadcasted time. Now with streaming apps, you can watch a variety of movies and television shows on demand.
Movies are the oldest form of entertainment; back in the day, unlike today, you could only watch movies at the theater. But now, with new technology trends, you can stream or rent movies to watch on the television, your phone, or the computer.
5. News Media
Also known as earned media, News Media takes mass media elements and uses them to deliver news to a target audience or the general public. It’s any material or content that is written about you or your company that you didn’t create or pay for yourself. For example, your company can earn a story in Forbes as opposed to paying for web advertising networks elsewhere.
In today’s world, earned media can come in a variety of new forms. For instance, they can roll in as being featured in a review (even if it is a bad Yelp Review to be precise) or through a tweet about your business that was liked and retweeted.
6. Computer Media
Technically, Computer Media is a term that is often used in informatics with several different meanings. It is used to describe the electronic devices used to store data, such as hard drives, USB drives, DVDs, CD-ROM, and floppy disks. It also refers to the transmission media (cables) used to link workstations together such as coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, etc.
As well as traditional electrical wires (twisted-pair wires) utilization. More broadly, all technologies used to communicate information such as videos, pictures, sounds, and presentations are often referred to as media or multimedia. That’s if they combine different types of media like the resurgence of the TikTok App, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Watch, and the like.
7. Web Media
To enumerate, Web Media is a form of communication that uses audio, text, and visuals on the web. Some examples of web media are videos, photos, and graphics. It’s content you own by personally creating it, or rather, by outsourcing a designer.
Some examples of owned content that are popular today include podcasts, websites, blog posts, and videos. Owned media can also be content your employees created as long as that content is put into a contract signed by both parties.
8. Mass Media
By all means, Mass Media may include all of those media channels which can reach a large number of people at the same time. Traditional mass media include TV and radio channels, as well as national and international magazines, while digital mass media mostly refers to social media platforms and popular online magazines. Some find it reasonable to include other stuff.
For example, they may include video games like Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) in their plan. Acting as shared media, it allows users to quickly and easily create and share content with the public. It’s the “evolving” media because the definition of it is constantly changing. Shared media is best defined as social media-posted content.
9. Social Media
Just as we have mentioned already (Social Media Role In Marketing), these platforms are included in both the mass media and digital media categories. They consist of applications and websites used by people to share content in real-time, using their computers or smartphones. They represent a revolutionary technology that influenced the last decade right into the new one.
Specifically, by allowing everyone to share virtually any kind of information at the global level. Social Media is quite an effective tool, especially, in matters regarding your digital online brand reputation presence and awareness. Such as posts on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s also known as the most cost-effective Online PR Management tool.
10. Digital Media
On one hand, Digital Data is data that represent other forms of data using specific machine language systems that can be interpreted by various technologies. The most fundamental of these systems is a binary system. It simply stores complex audio, video, or text information in a series of binary characters, traditionally ones, and zeros, or “on” and “off” values.
Digital Media, on the other hand, makes up an increasingly vast portion of modern communication channels. And, it’s often comprised of intricately encoded signals that are transmitted over various forms of physical and virtual media. Such as fiber optic cable and computer networks. While, at the same time, modern digital media include the Internet as a whole.
Takeaway Notes:
It’s also, important to realize, that Video Games are yet another form of media that has been available for purchase since the 1980s. Now with life-like graphics, advanced processors, and highly realistic simulations, you can feel like you’re in the game. Meaning, that if you want to learn how to reach a certain audience, video games are a great way to do this.
Video games are promoted by the media. Not forgetting, that they are also targeted to specific audiences, especially, youngsters and youthful teenagers. At all costs, a creative business can create a product for a video game that includes a message that targets mass audiences. On a more granular level, we can simply say that “Media” is a commonly used term.
Perse, to indicate websites, blogs, podcasts, videos, digital radio stations, and mobile phones. As well as the other forms of communication methods that are used to transmit data. Such as instant messaging apps, video call platforms, email carriers, live chatbots, and the like. One simple example of digital data is the conversion of a physical scene to a digitized image.
Resource Reference: Social Media Marketing (SMM) | 10 Basic Steps To Do It Right
In this way, new digital data is somewhat similar to older data systems that converted a physical view or scene into a chemical film. The major difference that we can think of here is that digital data records visual information into a bitmap, or pixelated map, that stores a particular color property. Particularly, for each bit on a precise and sophisticated grid.
By using this straightforward essential system of data transfer, the digital image was created. Similar techniques are used to record audio streams in a digital form. So, which is your most preferred type of media that you make use of almost daily? Mind letting us know in our comments section? Still, if you’ll have other recommendations, you can also share them with us.
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