The Definition of Media

The term media is loosely used in our society, you can ask two different people to define the word and more
often than not you will be left with two different meanings. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary,
media is defined as: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression. I partially agree with this definition,
but feel this definition can be expanded to encompass so much more. Typically Americans have relied on either television
or newspaper to stay connected and informed, so essentially the media is responsible for keeping the public connected.
Because the public uses TV and newspapers to stay connected, the typical sources of media are TV and newspapers.

The conventional forms of media would be television, newspapers, magazines and books but
I would venture to say that the term media encompasses any source of communication
that can inform or influence a group of people.Technology is playing a huge role in what is
considered media, the internet for example is probably our richest media source and it did not
exist fifteen years ago. The uses for media are changing as well, the nightly news used to
just inform people now it actually influences people into making decisions. The works of Bourdieu and
Yambell give insight into what effective media is and which media will be utilized by certain groups.

Media is no longer just the news we see on TV or read in the paper; technology and the society that we live in have transformed what
we consider media to be and its intended purpose.