Define Media

Definition of Media

            In 1964, Marshal McLuhan said “The medium is the message.” I contend that media itself is not the message, but messages come from the media. Media is defined as the tools people use to advertise a product, service, or lifestyle, as well as to broadcast stories or news, including but not limited to: television, magazines, billboards, radio, internet (social media), and newspaper. Two main factors characterize media, first being media is known to aim for a certain market based upon society norms, and secondly, the ability for media to convey a message to many people at once. Although I argue my definition of media, I still encounter conflict with where to draw the line as to what is media and what is not.

            Media is not only used by people wanting to advertise a product, service, or lifestyle, but also to generally convey a message to a certain group of people. The messages that are extracted from media can often be misinterpreted, and therefore do not always affect people in the same way. The goal of advertisers who use these forms of media is to eliminate as much confusion as possible, and work hard to promote their desired message.  Media always targets a certain demographic, while also attempting to convince people outside this specific market, to believe in their product or service. The problem that arises is that often advertisers may have many different elements to one message. Getting across all of the different elements while still having a unified message is difficult. For example, a company can choose to market women’s perfume in multiple ways. For women, the perfume may represent power and self worth and therefore they buy this product for confidence. When men view this same media, they may extract that the woman in the ad is attractive because of the perfume, and then want to buy this perfume for their girlfriend to increase her beauty. Although the perfume is geared towards females, the media is capable of alluring the male in to also buy the product. Looking more at the news and story side to media, newspapers also have a target audience. When a person writes a story about the US at war, the author is expecting an opinionated, educated individual interested in politics to pick up the article.

            Along with the “who” in media from above, the “how” also further defines why media is so prevalent in society.  In order for something to be considered media, it must also meet the qualification that a large group of people are being broadcasted the same message. This is because media is based upon social norms, meaning, that a group of people with the same mindset can easily convince an outsider to consider conforming. Conformity or belief is the objective of media. Take the concept of a diamond wedding ring. Does wearing a diamond wedding ring have significance beyond a tradition that the media created? In American society, media has created the idea that in order to be happy and normal, the husband must abide by the “tradition” and purchase an expensive diamond for his wife. Media operates to manipulate or skew the views of the audience, whether good or bad. Because media is influenced by society’s expectations, it is almost impossible for a person to escape the mindset that has been chosen for them and constantly reiterated through various forms.

            Conflicts arise because of how my definition of media is limited to basic advertising & news broadcasting devices. For example, take the medium radio- the message is through talk radio & music. When music is extracted and put on an ipod, I argue that there is still a message, but that the ipod is not considered media because it is only one individual ipod. A concert is another example that creates confusion because it targets one specific group, as well as a larger audience than an ipod. I still would observe that people don’t recognize this as a form of broadcasting information. Music will always have a message, but the way a person hears it, is not always through media.

            Gearing toward a specific target market and publicizing messages are qualities that make up my definition of the media. Media that obtain these characteristics include several mass broadcasting devices, (radio, t.v., magazines etc.) and are used as a vehicle to spread a large variety of information. Although the media has a certain group in mind, it is important that the message is conveyed to all people so that even outsiders can interpret the message, and potentially be swayed, as well as strengthen the beliefs of people who already conform. The media can be used to promote a certain idea, product, etc. but we cannot forget more conventional forms of media, such as the newspaper, which can share worldly stories and news report information. Although I have a very narrow definition of the media, I defend that breaking it down to a traditional and basic level is what really media stands for.