CHAPTER II

Media Usage

https://www.statista.com/markets/417/topic/1005/media-usage/

Statistics and market data on Media Usage

Media usage, also called media consumption or media diet, is defined as “the sum of information and
entertainment media taken in by an individual or group” (source: Wikipedia). On Statista, users can find
statistics presenting data on various aspects of media usage.

https://www.statista.com/markets/

Media Usage

Social media usage, which also plays a critical role in facilitating crowdfunding, is lagging in Africa, as
only slightly over 160 million people out of a population of over one billion were Facebook users in
2017.

From: Extending Financial Inclusion in Africa, 2019

Written by Macmillan Dictionary

Definition

Radio, television, newspapers, the Internet, and magazines, considered as a group: can be followed by a
singular or plural verb

Origin and usage

The word media is a plural form of the Latin word ‘medium’ meaning ‘middle ground or intermediate’.
Its usage as a word to describe newspapers, radio and other sources of information likely derives from
the term ‘mass media‘ which was a technical term used in the advertising industry from the 1920s on.

The word media refers to any form of communication that delivers information. Common media outlets
include newspapers, radio, television, magazines and internet sources like blogs or online publications.
Today, ‘social media‘ is a term that many people are familiar with; this describes information distributed
on social networking websites.

The main goal of the media is to inform or communicate with the greatest number of people possible,
all at once. The public relies on the media to learn about social and political issues, entertainment,
important world events, popular culture and local and global news.
In the past, the media was mostly limited to newspapers, magazines and other printed publications.
Technology helped to advance the media and expand the options for people to get their daily news and
information, first on the radio and then on television. Now, many millions of people rely on the internet
to get their news and online media outlets have become very popular all over the world.

The term media, which is the plural of medium, refers to the communication channels through which we
disseminate news, music, movies, education, promotional messages and other data. It includes physical
and online newspapers and magazines, television, radio, billboards, telephone, the Internet, fax and
billboards.

It describes the various ways through which we communicate in society. Because it refers to all means
of communication, everything ranging from a telephone call to the evening news on television can be
called media.

When talking about reaching a very large number of people we say mass media. Local media refers to,
for example, your local newspaper, or local/regional TV/radio channels.

Media can be broken down into two main categories: broadcast and print. The Internet has also
emerged as a major player, as a rapidly-growing number of people globally get their news, movies, etc.
online.

Print Media includes all types of publications, including newspapers, journals, magazines, books and
reports. It is the oldest type, and despite suffering since the emergence of the Internet, is still used by a
major proportion of the population.

Broadcast Media refers to radio and TV, which came onto the scene at the beginning and middle of the
20th century respectively. Most people still get their news from TV and radio broadcasts – however,
experts predict that it will not be long before online sources take over.

Over the past twenty years, cable news has grown in importance.

The Internet – specifically websites and blogs – are rapidly emerging as viable and major channels of
communication as more and more people seek news, entertainment and educational material online.
The term ‘viable,’ in business, means capable of generating profits for many years.
Virtually every part of the Internet has become a medium of communication – most free email services
have little boxes that display ads and other messages.

The Internet as we know it today did not really take off until the 1990s. In 1995, just 1% of the world’s
population was online, compared to over 49% today. The notion of the Internet started in the 1960s in
the USA during the Cold War, when the military and scientists were worried about a missile attack,
which could knock out the telephone system.

Stephen Hawking, a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the
Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge, once said: “The media need
superheroes in science just as in every sphere of life, but there is really a continuous range of abilities
with no clear dividing line.”

It all started thousands of years ago

Human communication through designed channels – not through speech or gestures – dates back to
many tens of thousands of years ago when our ancient ancestors painted on the walls of caves.

The cave paintings at Lascaux in southwestern France, estimated to be over 17,000 years old, are no less
viable expressions of media than our current TV shows and magazines.

The Persian Empire – c. 550–330 BC – played a major role in the history of human communication
through designed channels. Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great (c. 550 BC) developed the first ever real
postal system. It was an effective intelligence-gathering apparatus, called Angariae, a term that later
indicated a tax system.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher
claimed in the 1830s that the printing press created the modern world by destroying feudalism. Many
historians say that the advent of the printing press was the birth of what we know today as media.

The term media in its current application relating to channels of communications was first used by
Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), a Canadian professor, philosopher, and public intellectual who said:
“The media are not toys; they should not be in the hands of Mother Goose and Peter Pan executives.
They can be entrusted only to new artists, because they are art forms.”

By the mid-1960s, the term spread to general use in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/media-definition-meaning/amp/

Media consumption or media diet is the sum of information and entertainment media taken in by an
individual or group. It includes activities such as interacting with new media, reading books and
magazines, watching television and film, and listening to radio.

Technology Usage

Technology, which brings together tools to promote development, use and information exchange, has as
its main objective of making tasks easier and the solving of many problems of mankind. The
development of new technologies helps to save lives; it improves work and makes the world better.
Technology (“science of craft”, from Greek τέχνη, techne, “art, skill, cunning of hand”; and -λογία,
-logia[2]) is the sum of any techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or
services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Technology can be the
knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines to allow for
operation without detailed knowledge of their workings. Systems (e.g. machines) applying technology by
taking an input, changing it according to the system’s use, and then producing an outcome are referred
to as technology systems or technological systems. The application of scientific knowledge for practical
purposes, especially in industry. “advances in computer technology”. Machinery and equipment
developed from the application of scientific knowledge. “Iy will reduce the industry’s ability to spend
money on new technology”. The branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.
Technology is the sum of any techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods
or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Technology refers to
methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical
purposes. Technology is changing fast. They should be allowed to wait for cheaper technologies to be
developed. Any set of productive techniques which offers a significant improvement (whether measured
in terms of increased output or savings in costs) over the established technology for a given process in a
specific historical context. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes or
applications, whether in industry or in our everyday lives.