The oldest medium of mass communication we are historically conscious of is the print media. The human experience offers us an example of the first use of signs, banners and pictures to communicate messages. The handmade press was first founded in the 10th century. Book printing began in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Since social media developed at the time of imperialism, mass media at first faced a number of constraints.
However, in history, the print media, particularly newspapers, are considered revolutionary because when they began they brought a revolution there. In the minds of the rulers, the advent of print media produced doubts and they took it as a challenge to their rule. The rulers believed that citizens would become conscious of their rights and question their authority. So most of Europe’s rulers took it as a rebellion and declared the citizens participating in mass media capital punishment.
Without a doubt, newspapers will survive with a further decline in market shares. There are likely to be little literacy shifts or other variables linked to possible readership increases in the near future. All digital features such as the internet, four-colour offset printing, electronic newsrooms and many such devices are available in newspaper publishing houses today.
A tablet newspaper with an LCD screen where the content can be collected via telephone lines or cables may be the future of the newspaper. It was possible to view anything on the screen at the click of a button. Another big change may be that it is possible to customize a newspaper, and people will just get to read the items that concern them. In this way, readers can exert a lot of influence over the newspaper’s content, although only a few individuals would have access to such electronics.
MUHAMMAD USMAN
ISLAMABAD
