Lesson 23 — Activity 1: Types of Media

Warm Up

Media refers to any kind of format used to transfer information from one area to another. Mass media refers to those types of media that are designed to reach large numbers of people.

In this activity, you will learn about the different types of media.

Woman talking on phone and on computer

Courtesy of Vlada Karpovich, Pexels

Media types fall under two categories: traditional media and new media. Traditional media includes print and broadcast formats, while new media includes digital formats.

Only a few years ago, there was a clear difference between the two categories. Today, they are coming closer together. Traditional media has begun to use the interactive, adaptable, and social nature of new media, while new media is becoming popular as an outlet for hard news. Today, journalists often break news stories on Twitter before they appear on television or in a newspaper. As technology advances, traditional media and new media will resemble each other even further.

Below you will see examples of traditional and new media.

Traditional Media:

Broadcast:
television
radio
music
movies

Print:
newspapers
magazines
books
signs
billboards

Pixabay

New Media:

websites
apps
e-mail
podcasts
smartphones
streaming video
streaming music
blogs
wikis
e-books
RSS feeds
social networks

Courtesy of Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Click on the play button to learn more about new media.

Each type of media has strengths and weaknesses. Social media messages, for example, are very quick and efficient but can be inaccurate and contain errors. In general, newspapers provide depth and accuracy but lack the appeal of television, the interactive feature of a blog, and the quick delivery of radio.

The table below will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of different types of media.

Format	Strengths	Weaknesses
websites and blogs	accessible; interactive; diverse; immediate; inexpensive	may be inaccurate; often biased and opinionated
newspapers, magazines, books	accurate; comprehensive; appeal to general public	limited to text and pictures; slow delivery
television and radio	strong visual and audio appeal; current; local; friendly	highly commercialized; highly persuasive; may be biased

Try This!

Answer the following questions regarding types of media.

1. What types of media do you use most frequently each day?

2. How is the media you use similar or different from the media your parents’ use?

Check your answers here:

Did you find you use many different kinds of media? Is it mostly traditional or new media?

What about your parents? Do they use mostly traditional or new media?