Charles E. Redfield defined 'communication as a broad field of human interchange of facts and opinions and not the technologies of telephone, radio and the like.' Little did he realise that to enhance this interchange and to enlarge the reach one is solely dependent on technology. Henceforth, the entire concept of mass communication came into being. Information technology has advanced so much in the recent years that it is now possible for the people, while sitting in the drawing rooms, to witness the events taking place in any part of the globe or even in the space. National boundaries hold no barrier.
'Mass' refers to the common man in large numbers who are now endowed with immense light to diminish ignorance. The source of light is the modern age technology agents that have imbibed in our day-to-day schedules just like inborn religion and culture. Internet is an addiction; television is the chewing gum for eyes; economy is reconstructing into e-commerce, and telecommunication is no longer a technical breakthrough.
Telecommunication as the Oxford reads, is a mode of communication over a distance, esp. by cable, telegraph, telephone, or broadcasting; or the branch of technology that deals with such communication(s). Hence, in general all that we communicate through a technology is telecommunication. It has varied aspects, each comprising of its own pros and cons. So rather than generalizing the massive concept, one should rather get to the in depth of each of these part and parcels of the term.
Print media proved its power long back when newspaper gave the hard facts of the Tipu Sultan's war in 1798. The British government had to be really tough to curb down the power of this undying medium. They immediately announced harsh and strict acts like the Bengal Press Act and the milestone in history, the Language Act. Words in any broadcast media live in time and die easy, but prints continue to stay for years together. Though, in case of books it is a very slow process, newspapers are an indispensable part of our lives. In fact, nowadays, the newspapers have turned out to be detailed magazines that cater to the entire family, let it be kids, mothers, fathers or the grand parents. Especially, with the new concepts where all the newspapers are smudged with colours and flooded with pictures, one has to admit, a picture is worth a thousand words. Nevertheless, it always suffers a drawback, that is, limited viability for the literates only.
Television stands above all mediums because it gives you a virtual experience. Even in the hot month of May it can make you undergo the shivers of December. It enjoys an edge above the print media as in this case it is the medium that grabs your attention rather than you trying to concentrate on the medium. It gives you the sensations in an unmatched package that comprises of colours, dialogues, music, picture, virtual atmosphere, sound effects, brightness, n no of characters, and, much more, all in all you instead of being a viewer become a character in the whole setup. It is evident from the increasing number of channels that television is the most effective medium to hit the common man and percolate the level of communication at the grass root level. 'Aaj tak' came in as a revolution in the news networks and evoked the voice of individuals on a national pedestal. Another major example to prove the gigantic power of this past days' 'idiot box' is the sensory pain and an emotional setback that the entire nation underwent on the death of 'Mihir Virani' in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.'
Internet is a rather new concept and technically the most active one. Where it has come out with a boon such as e-mail, it has given us numerous banes. The Electronic Mail has overcome all the physical differences and cut short the time lapse. Needless to mention, all this was not possible without a once 'accurate electronic calculating machine', and today's 'versatile storage, calculating and operating device' - Computer.
The shortcomings of the technologies can be analysed and justified with two contrast patterns of theories. The 'Hypodermic' or 'Bullet' theory reflects the fear or awe of mass media being used for massive propaganda. It suggests, that messages hit like magic bullets, shot directly into the receiver that are conceived to be passive and defenseless. To simplify it reads media to be extremely powerful and the consumers as naïve and malleable. This theory can be easily jeopardised with the 'Individual Difference' (ID) theory and the 'Personal Influence' (PI) theory. According to ID every individual consumer chooses his medium of exposure as per his convictions and beliefs (Selective Exposure) and reads into the received message in accordance with his preferences, perceptions, and needs (Selective Perception). PI explains the impact of 'opinion leaders' on the masses and how the perceptions are modified.
The youth with the selective exposure and perception and under the influence of opinion leaders have grown up to become 'pre-mature adults'. Everyday we come across unheard and new psychological problems, increasing cases of suicides, and more and more patients of depression and AIDS. Though the problem cannot be attributed to any single factor, a major role is played by the unguarded cultural exposure that comes through internet, television, and media at large. The newest entries in this blind race are mobile phones that have created havocs with their untapped and easily accessible services that are Short Messaging Services (SMS) and the Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS). They are rising debates every month with their camera technology capturing private moments of public figures like Kareena Kapoor and raising question marks on a common man's life with cases like DPS.
But mass media must be appreciated for its immense power in bringing about the world together. Visuals in America, miles away from India can be seen here through broadcasting technologies that too live. At times of emergencies like Tsunami all television channels gave up all their competitive rivalries and telecasted the 'Telethon' live on 15 television channels simultaneously to collect funds for relief purposes. In fact, this relief fund has been the greatest collection ever across the globe. The world felt the pain and grievances of the sufferers and came forward in their own sweet and heartfelt ways, whether big or small. It represented the grief and sorrow the country went through at the national level. Lately, the earthquake in northern India is being taken care of with the entire media.
To summarise, one can coin a simple statement - the global village is now rejuvenating in to a modern global city, with an immense zeal, that must be controlled and checked for the growing powers, in order to hold it, not only as a short term boon, but to not let it become a long term bane.
Hi, I am Anuradha Goel, a web content writer from India. I have been writing about various medical, travel and technical topics for last 5 years. I hope the information shared in this article helps you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anuradha_Goel
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, March 30, 2009
Lenovo IdeaPad S10e
Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10e isn’t just the S10 rebranded for the education market; it offers some features its successful predecessor doesn’t, including a Quick Start OS and a long-lasting six-cell battery. If you’re charged with buying a notebooks for a K–12 one-to-one laptop program or want a secondary computer for the home that the kids can use, the S10e, at $429, is a strong contender.
Design
Although aimed at children, the S10e has a design mature enough to appeal to grown-ups. The lid comes in an understated gunmetal gray, and although glossy, it doesn’t pick up smudges. Inside, the chassis, keyboard, and palm rest are all matte black, but turquoise and white accents on the keys keep the system from looking dull.
At 2.8 pounds, the S10e is the same weight as the MSI Wind U120 but 0.1 inches thicker. Particularly compared with the CTL 2Go Convertible Classmate PC, a 3-pound tablet with a handle and 1.5-inch-thick chassis, it seems svelte. Even with the six-cell battery jutting out slightly in the back, the 9.8 x 7.7 x 0.9–1.4-inch S10e was easy to hold in the crook of our arm.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard stretches almost all the way across the 7.7-inch-wide chassis, with little room to spare on the sides. Even for our adult hands, the layout was large enough; we were able to score 83 words per minute on the online typing test Ten Thumbs (we scored 88 words per minute when we took the same test on our desktop computer). The keyboard showed visible flex, but in general the keys had a nice, springy feel.
The biggest turnoff on the S10e is the shrunken right Shift key, which is located to the right of the up arrow. We much prefer 
netbooks with layouts that position the right shift key to the left of the up arrow—such as on the HP Mini 1000 and MSI Wind U120 —so you don’t accidentally move up a line when you intend to capitalize a letter.
Although the touchpad is tiny, measuring 2.3 by 1.1 inches , it felt large enough for dragging the cursor across the screen. But when we used two fingers to pinch and expand Web pages using the S10e’s multitouch capability, we craved more room. Plus, Web pages looked a bit jerky as they resized themselves. The two discrete metal touch buttons were easy to press, but on the loud side.
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-s10e.aspxMonday, March 16, 2009
Dell Inspiron Mini 10
Dell may be late to the 10-inch netbook party, but its Inspiron Mini 10 ($449 as configured) stands out in a few key ways. The system is one of the thinnest and lightest in its class, with several color options, and the company has nearly caught up to the competition with its roomy keyboard. Plus, Dell promises to make this netbook even better with future upgrade options like integrated mobile broadband, GPS, and a built-in TV tuner. However, the touchpad and touchpad button design are awkward. And while the bundled three-cell battery provides adequate runtime for its capacity, we’d wait for the six-cell option.
Design
The Mini 10 shares the same design genes as the Mini 9 and Mini 12; the rounded lid sports the same glossy black coating (also available in white, green, pink, blue, and red, for an extra $30) which is prone to fingerprints. Underneath the hood, the black keyboard is offset with a smooth silver palm rest and gritty trackpad.
The Mini 10 is one of the most compact 10-inch netbooks on the market. Measuring 10.3 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches, it’s both thinner and shorter than the Samsung NC10 and the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. It isn’t as thin or light as the 1-inch, 2.4-pound HP Mini 1000, but the 2.6-pound Mini 10 fit into our purse and left plenty of room. Its single cord, 0.4-pound AC adapter is also more compact than most of its ilk.
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/dell-inspiron-mini-10.aspx
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