As a practitioner of mass communication, I can emphasize and enumerate the importance of media: may it be print, television, radio, theater; even the internet can be considered a part of media, too. No one can deny the importance and advantages of media.
So, why media is important?
1.) The media is a tool for communication
A human is a social being. Therefore he communicates. One cannot be social if he does not communicate, can he? Everyone communicates, and it can be either verbal or non-verbal. Media is a tool for communication, improving it and making it easier.
Also read: Importance of social networks
2.) The media act as a watchdog of the society
When I was a still a student of my field, I was always told that media acts as the fourth estate of the society, the government, the market, and the people being the other estates. That is one of the most essential benefits of media. It tends to be a ‘lookout’ for the society: it reports and lets the people know what the other estates are doing. It can, for example, question the government’s decisions and works. It can explain why there is a price hike in the market.
3.) The media molds the people’s opinions and behavior
The people’s opinions about a current issue of the society may be mold by a television network by controlling what they show. A fashion trend may be controlled by a magazine. As Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Pradaputs it:
This . . .“stuff”? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select. . . I don’t know. . . that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back[. . .]However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
See how influential media can be?
So, this is the importance of media on our democratic society today. There is no doubt that media also influence politics of any country too. Do share your opinion on the importance of media in the comments below.
I think the meaning of media word has changed in present scenario. Media needs to work freely without any political pressure or favoring any particular political party.