Mass Media (Q&A)
1. Let’s talk about means
of communication: TV, newspapers, radio, the Internet. Which of these does your
family like?
When we think about modern means of communication we cannot understand
how people who lived some fifty years ago were able to keep in touch. Nowadays
with a mouse in one hand and a mobile phone in the other one, we cannot
imagine human contacts without modern technology devices.
Mass Media are the means of communication that reach a large audience
via mass communication. They
inform and educate, question and entertain. They
also influence the way we see the world.
Mass Media falls into four major types. First, we have "broadcast
media" that transmit information electronically via film, radio, recorded
music, or television. Then comes "digital media". They include both
Internet and mobile mass communication. Thirdly, there are "print
media" that transmit information via books, comics, magazines, or
newspapers. Lastly, we shouldn't forget about "outdoor
media" that transmit information via billboards, blimps, skywriting and
others.
I am 100% sure that all these four types of Mass Media are worth
discussing, but I would like to concentrate on my top-4 favorites: newspapers,
radio, the Internet and TV.
To begin with, it is widely known that every day millions of newspapers and magazines are published all over the world. There are different
national and local papers, dailies, weeklies and monthlies. They satisfy different interests and tastes. There are two types of
national newspaper. The
"quality papers", or "broadsheets", cater for the better
educated readers. And the "popular papers", or "tabloids",
sell to a much larger readership. They contain far less print than the
broadsheets and far more pictures. They use larger headlines and write in a
simpler style of English. While the broadsheets
devote much space to politics and other "serious" news, the tabloids
concentrate on "human interest" stories.
To come second, today many people listen to the radio. A lot of radio stations are very popular, especially music
radio stations. They also provide us with the news and interviews with
celebrities. In Britain the most popular radio station is the BBC channel.
Thirdly, the Internet has
become a major channel for communication. The Internet can be accessed almost anywhere by
numerous means. Not only virtual communication,
watching videos, films and other ways of entertainment, but also educational
material at all levels are available from websites. The Internet is an important
tool of both formal and informal education. Further,
the Internet allows universities to conduct research remotely via virtual
laboratories as well as communicate between scientists and in the publication
of results.
Last but not least, we have television.
It is considered the most significant form of broadcasting. Television entertains,
informs and educates viewers. Several studies have found that educational
television has many
advantages. It can be a very powerful and effective learning tool for children
if used wisely.
Talking about my family, I should mention that TV is a favourite mass
medium for us. TV helps us to relax after a hard day. We watch different talk-shows,
concerts, feature films and TV-series. We learn about different countries,
people and their customs, traditions, achievements and problems. But it is
important to add that there are some disadvantages of TV as well. Firstly, it
takes a lot of time and makes us lazy. Secondly, it can be harmful for our health,
especially for our eyes. Moreover, some programs and films on TV are violent.
And there are a lot of advertisements which make us buy things we don′t need.
In conclusion I should say that it is difficult to imagine our life
without modern means of communication. And nowadays you can be informed even if
you live in the Sahara desert.
2. Is there any means of
communication you can’t live without? Why (not)?
I’m absolutely sure that we can’t live without communication. Good communication
skills can help you to make friends or to find a well-paid and interesting job.
But today people don′t need a personal contact to communicate. We have the
Internet. The Internet is the most powerful and popular means of communication.
Nowadays many people, especially my classmates, can’t live without the Internet.
I buy things, download music, watch films, do my homework and write letters to
my friends and relatives on the Internet. So, I’m sure the Internet is very
useful today.
3. What questions will you ask the participants
of “What? Where? When” a famous TV programme?
1)
Do you enjoy taking part in this programme? Why?
2)
What is the most difficult thing for you in this programme?
3)
How do you deal with the host and other participants?
4)
Will you ever take part in other TV programs in future?
5)
What qualities does a person need to become a participant?
4. My cousin spends a lot
of time chatting in “Contact” and it makes all the family angry. What can you
advise him and the family to do in this situation?
Social networking has
its perks. Whether it’s being updated with what’s going on with the population,
sharing your thoughts or keeping in contact with friends and family over the
globe, it has evolved and become a very popular form of communication. But is
it worth it? Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are time consuming and nearly
addictive. People find themselves staying up late making changes to their
profiles, posting new pictures or tweeting.
This is sometimes done
at the cost of sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things to teenagers
and their health. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc… will still be there in the
morning. What someone ate for lunch or what they plan to do for the weekend is
not as important as getting a sufficient amount of rest. Lack of sleep can
cause many problems including bad concentration, muscle aches and memory
lapses, not to mention long-term effects such as obesity, diabetes and being
more prone to illnesses.
Most phones can now host
applications, which allow teenagers to have access to social networks 24/7,
especially while in school. Many students update statuses and tweet while in
the middle of a lesson, in the hallways or at lunch. Although it may not seem
like a big deal then, it distracts you from what you’re learning and you may
miss out later on when struggling to understand what was taught. It is also
against school rules and disrespectful to teachers.
Constantly checking
their sites, whether you know there haven’t been any changes or not, out of
habit, can really pull time away quicker than you would imagine. Sometimes
people start caring more about staying updated with what is going on than about
grades. Though I am not a big fan of Facebook or other social networks any
longer, I have stayed up later chatting with my friends online rather than
doing homework or sleeping. Then in the mornings I wake up annoyed at my lack
of sleep and wanting to blame whoever set 7:45 as an appropriate time to attend
school.
To cut a long story short, first you need to do is to tell your cousin
that using the Internet a lot causes social isolation and ruins eyesight.
Having so many friends in social networks doesn’t mean that they are your real
friends. Chatting with these people takes a lot of free time. Instead of
surfing the Internet you should spend time with relatives and friends. It will
be more useful for you to walk in the street, to go to a café or to the cinema
together.
5. Can the Internet replace
all the other means of mass media? What is your point of view?
Internet is a product of high-tech development, conglomeration and
globalization. It
seems that it combines functions of all telecommunication systems. It has
video, audio, conference and certainly text opportunities. It also can
communicate with satellites and people can access it in multiple places, being
at home or to another country. It economizes time when find necessary
information. Besides that, Internet is multilingual. It
has opened wide possibilities for mass media to get more audience presenting
them through the Web.
It is true that information technology has grown rapidly in the past few
years, and many people predict that it will develop faster in future. Some
people believe that in the near future print out books and articles will be
replaced by computer devices. To a certain extent, I agree that the number of
printed books will decrease significantly, but I do believe that hardcopy books
will continue to exist.
On the one hand, it is a fact that with the
existence of the computer and Internet technology, people can obtain a lot of
information. People can just open their devices, connect them through a network
and they could search all articles that they need. There are tens of thousands
of websites which provide valuable information such as www.national
geographic.com or www.discovery.com. Besides that, many news corporations have
also provided electronic newspapers these days, which can be read in the
notebook, tab or smart-phone like CNN or BBC. As a result, many people prefer
to read the information from the electronic devices rather than to purchase the
print out one.
On the other hand, it is
predicted that print out books, newspapers or magazines will continue to exist
in future, though the number will decrease drastically. Firstly, not everyone
likes to read an article through the gadget directly, since they think it is
uncomfortable. They believe that the radiation of computer screen may cause
eye irritation, and give negative effect on their eyes' health. Secondly, it
is undeniable that the development of Internet technology is not equally spread
all over the world. The online services are only available in advanced countries and in some major cities of developing but not in poor countries. As a consequence, people who live in rural or remote areas will still
need the print out version.
In conclusion, although
it is true that the number of electronic books or news have increased
considerably in the past recent years, but the existence of the hardcopy
version will be irreplaceable. As some people do not feel comfortable in
reading an article directly from the computer screen, and others who live in
the countryside might not have the access to the technology.
Reference:
• Your English Exam Support:
Подготовка к экзамену по английскому языку: пособие для учащихся учреждений
общего среднего образования / [сост. Н.А. Сергиенко].
– Мозырь: Белый Ветер, 2015. – 97, [3] с.
No comments:
Post a Comment