{"id":21084,"date":"2020-01-30T14:55:21","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T14:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/mass-media"},"modified":"2026-09-19T14:44:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T14:44:28","slug":"mass-media","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/mass-media","title":{"rendered":"Mass Media"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad wp-image-14603 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/mass_media-1.jpg\" alt=\"Mass media and mass communication channels\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/mass_media-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/mass_media-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mass media<\/strong> are channels and organisations capable of producing and distributing content to large, dispersed audiences. The concept covers both the technical medium and the editorial structures that select, prepare and distribute messages.<\/p>\n<p>The press, radio and television are the most familiar historical examples. News portals, audiovisual services and other digital platforms can also perform this function when they communicate content at scale. Not every digital medium is a mass medium: a private conversation or small community uses digital technology but does not seek mass distribution.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Characteristics of mass media<\/h2>\n<p>Their reach and method of distributing messages help identify this form of communication. Common characteristics include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A large audience.<\/strong> Content is addressed to many people, although it may be adapted by region, schedule, subscription or segment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>One-to-many distribution.<\/strong> An organisation or editorial team prepares a message that reaches numerous recipients. Digital channels can add comments and participation without removing this underlying structure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Continuous production.<\/strong> Media organisations publish through schedules, editions, programmes or catalogues and need processes for selecting, checking, editing and distributing content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public influence.<\/strong> They can give visibility to issues, brands and people, but they do not determine how every recipient will interpret a message.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Types and examples of mass media<\/h2>\n<p>Classification changes as formats and devices converge. Even so, four useful groups can be distinguished:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Print media.<\/strong> Newspapers, magazines and other periodical publications distribute information through physical copies or digital editions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Audio media.<\/strong> Radio and certain audio services distribute news, music, interviews and entertainment live or on demand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Audiovisual media.<\/strong> Television, cinema and video services combine images and sound. Distribution can take place through broadcast, cable, satellite or the internet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public and digital formats.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/ooh-advertising-out-of-home\">Out-of-home advertising<\/a>, urban screens, large portals and some digital services provide broad exposure, although each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/digital-channel\">digital channel<\/a> has its own dynamics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The internet, mass media and social media<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21086 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Printed newspaper beside a laptop computer\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/prensa.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The internet did not replace earlier media in a uniform way. It enabled digital editions, live streaming, on-demand video, podcasts and multiplatform distribution. The same newspaper, radio station or television channel can combine physical formats, linear broadcasting and on-demand consumption.<\/p>\n<p>Social media are based on profiles, networks of contacts, participation and content created or shared by users. Mass media retain more centralized production, even when they use these platforms to distribute material and interact with their audience. The two forms can overlap: a television report may circulate through a social network and become part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/transmedia-content\">transmedia<\/a> narrative without making the concepts equivalent.<\/p>\n<h2>Uses, advertising and measurement<\/h2>\n<p>Mass media inform, entertain, distribute culture and can provide educational or public-interest services. They may also fund part of their work through subscriptions, advertising or sponsorship. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/online-advertising\">Online advertising<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/branded-content\">branded content<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/product-placement\">product placement<\/a> use different mechanisms and should be identified according to their format and context. Coverage obtained without buying the space can be analysed as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/earned-media\">earned media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Measurement depends on the channel. It may include circulation and distribution, estimated audience, audience share, reach, frequency, plays, unique users or consumption time. These figures come from records, panels or attribution models and have margins and limitations. They allow distribution and response to be compared, but they do not demonstrate understanding, trust or behavioural change on their own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition: Mass media are channels and organisations capable of producing and distributing content to large, dispersed audiences. The concept covers both the technical medium and the editorial structures that select, prepare and distribute messages. The press, radio and television are the most familiar historical examples. News portals, audiovisual services and other digital platforms can also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1354],"class_list":["post-21084","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-media-distribution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/21084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=21084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}