Mass media in our lives

The mass media, television, newspapers, films, radio and the internet, are called 'mass' because they reach very large audiences at once.

They are part of everyday life: we get our news from them, use mobile phones all day, migrant workers call their villages, and students check their CBSE results online.

The media do not stand apart from society. They are shaped by the economy and politics:

• After independence, the state led the media: radio and TV were government-run, with a mission to build the nation.
• Since about 1990, the market has become the key influence: private channels, advertising and competition for audiences.

The relationship between media and society is dialectical: a two-way relationship. Society shapes the media (what stories are told, who owns them, what audiences want), and the media shape society (what people think, buy and talk about).

Mass media also need large formal organisations: lots of capital (money), equipment and trained staff. So they are a social institution, like the family or the market.

And access is unequal: rich and poor, city and village, men and women do not have the same access to TV, smartphones and the internet. This is the digital divide.