Evolution And Devolution Of The Mass Media - 994 Words

Kevin Xhemali English 101 tu/thu 9:20-10:45 The Evolution and Devolution of the Mass Media The political behavior of citizens, policymakers, and the political agenda are increasingly shaped by the mass media. Throughout our country s relatively modern political history, what the masses consume on television, radio, newspapers, and now the Internet, guides and shapes a person s respective political ideology in a significant manner. Although numerous factors are involved in shaping a political ideology, the media is the most crucial as it is the most consistent influencing factor throughout a person s lifetime, and acts as the ongoing†¦show more content†¦Although intended to be mostly politically based, and not really a commercial force, the evolution of mass media proved to be principally contradictory to the original intent of the First Amendment. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, journalism was obtained through almost exclusively print media which was the dominant form of media at the time. Print media consists of books, newspapers, newsletters, and magazines. The earliest forms of print media began with The Federalist papers which were a collection of articles and essays written by James Madison, post Articles of Confederation in order to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution during the late 1780s. For a long time newspapers stuck to that initial format of politically run non-profit news; however by the mid-19th century, print media had drastically evolved. The remodeling of the whole system was due to several factors, including the invention of the telegraph. The telegraph allowed information to be transported in an incredibly timely manner. It allowed media outlets to receive news dispatches all around the globe at a much faster and consistent rate. Innovative steam-powered printing presses al lowed for a significant increase in physical output, while simultaneous growing literacy rates resulted in higher