Print Media vs.

Electronic
Media
Media refer to different channels that are used to transmit, store and deliver data or some
information from one place to other, one person to other as well as to the masses. This
term is also used as mass media. The need for media rose from the fact that by nature
human being loves to communicate themselves. So from ancient times different
civilizations developed different "mediums or media" of communication. The ancient
cave paintings, hieroglyphs, symbols, maps, and drawings are all the examples of how
human being communicated from time to time. The major forms of media used all around
the world today are print media, electronic media. In this article an attempt has been
made to compare print media and electronic media.
Print media contain materials that are available to us in printed form and which we can
carry with ourselves or we can simply say they are portable. The major types of print
media are books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, posters, brochures, press releases
etc. Books are the oldest medium among all the print media and they are still one of the
most widely used among all. These were the books that contributed to the development of
libraries in medieval times across Asia and Europe. Magazines and newspapers are
relatively new form of print media which gained popularity and became common in the
20th century all over the world, thus becoming leading medium of mass communication.
The advent of newspapers and magazines greatly helped in the communication at the
local, national as well as global levels during the last two centuries. It can also be said
that these acted as agents of globalization to a large extent. They also helped in anticolonial movements across the world.
Electronic media imply to that form of media which can only be accessed by an
electronic device. The largely used electronic media are radio, television and internet.
Radio is no doubt the oldest of electronic media. It came to the public in late 19th and
early 20th century and within few years it became one of the daily items of use for

millions of people worldwide. It became one of prime sources of entertainment,

knowledge as well as information. Radio was also used as an effective medium to
transmit messages during the world wars. The mid-20th century saw the rise of television
as an electronic media and it very quickly became the most fascinating all over the world.
The reason for the success of television is very simple. It appeals to our visual as well as
hearing senses. The visual appeal of television is perhaps unparalleled to any mass media.
Till now it remains the most popular mass media. With the introduction of World Wide
Web (www) the internet also developed into a dynamic force in communication.
According to Internet World Stats there were more than 2.4 billion internet users on June
30, 2012. The internet's popularity as mass media is because of the fact that it enables one
to access any and many information by just click of a button. It is also a two way
communication medium as it helps interacting face to face by the use of appropriate
instruments and internet connection.
Thus we can say that both print and electronic media have contributed greatly in the
process of mass communication. Both have their respective advantages as well as
disadvantages. But to neglect or ignore one for another would not be the ideal way
because each form has its own significance. The books, for example, cannot be replaced
by television, while the attraction of internet and web cannot fully overtake the charm of
newspapers and magazines. Moreover people working in different media fields and their
livelihoods would be affected if any media suffer a setback. But at the same time one
must also be ready to accept the reality that with time it would become difficult for old
media to survive in the new "digital" age. So, for its survival the old media must make
use of new techniques and technologies to upgrade itself and also try to keep intact its
genuineness which by no way is an easy task. But still we can try. The production of the
e-books, e-newspaper and internet radio are some of the successful efforts to assimilate
the old with the new.