Mass communication bombards readers on a daily basis in the form of both print and electronic media. While each of these types of mass communication has its own character, they both share much in common. In fact, the newspaper industry relies on both print and electronic media to disseminate news to its readership base.
Despite the advent of new technology, books remain vital instruments of communication.
Readability
While both print media and electronic media endeavor to convey textual content, each of these two types of communication must attend to unique concerns in order to deliver readable content. Spell-check and auto-suggest functions in word processing programs often assist authors in writing electronic texts. Additionally, online audiences tend to respond more enthusiastically to images than to text. Thus, sentences in electronic media are often simpler in structure than text contained within printed literature. Factors such as screen glare, font size and website layout can considerably affect the readability of Internet text. Similarly, printable text can be corrupted by aging paper, wrinkling, torn pages or stains.
Searchability
Browsing content contained within print and electronic media requires readers to employ different search strategies. With minimal knowledge and software, computer users can create searchable PDF documents at their homes or in their offices. Similarly, they can also search emails, photos and virtual bookmarks with the aid of search tags. Print media can be disassembled and organized into folders, such as newspaper sections. Depending on a reader's level of comfort, he or she is likely to exhibit a preference to one type of media over another. Thus, searchability of documents of mass communication is deeply related to a reader's own psychology.
Mutability
A level of interactivity is inherent to both tangible as well as intangible examples of mass communication. While electronic documents can often be modified via copy-and-paste options, print media can be manipulated by hand with scissors and glue, and can be easily annotated.
Accessibility
Print media is available 24 hours a day, as long as a reader owns a copy of the printed material in question. By contrast, electronic media may only be available to a reader for part of the day, often depending on whether she is able to access the Internet.
Emerging Trends
A curious symbiotic relationship appears to exist between print and electronic media. Both of these forms of mass media must attract the support of advertisers, while establishing a solid base of readership. News outlets have recognized the massive popularity of electronic media, and many reputable publishers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have substantially modified their long-term business models as a result.
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