FORMS OF MEDIA

Media exist in many forms, the three main categories being: print, broadcast, and new media.

Print media refers to paper publications like newspapers, books, magazines, newsletters and journals. It also includes brochures, posters, flyers, banners and billboards. It is considered the oldest form of media as it is closely tied to the emergence of printing press.

Broadcast media includes radio and television - media that initially used the airwaves to reach their audience. Nowadays, radio and television both use direct satellite broadcasting, which helps them reach audiences worldwide (“Broadcasting”, 2016).

New media is composed of media that use digital technologies like the internet (Manovich, 2016). Under this category are social media, blogs, websites, and streaming media. Producers of print and broadcast media have increasingly relied on new media as a platform because it helps them gain a wide audience and because more and more people are now using new media as a means of communication.