The essentials
Mass media are means of communication that reach large audiences at once: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cinema and digital media. They inform, entertain, shape opinion and help create shared identities.
The printing press made modern mass media possible. In India, newspapers grew during the nineteenth century, and reformers and nationalists used them to spread ideas; James Augustus Hicky's Bengal Gazette of 1780 is often counted as the first newspaper in India. Benedict Anderson argued that print helped people who would never meet each other imagine themselves as members of one nation, an "imagined community". Indian-language newspapers have grown strongly since independence, helped by rising literacy, the spread of readers in small towns and villages, and new printing technology.
After independence, radio and television were run by the state and were seen as tools of national development: spreading information on farming, health and family planning, and promoting national integration. All India Radio became the national broadcaster, and Doordarshan the national television service. Programmes such as Krishi Darshan gave farming information.
From the 1990s, private and satellite channels expanded rapidly, along with advertising. Media became more commercial, competitive and entertainment-oriented. Critics warn of concentration of ownership, the influence of advertisers on content, and reduced coverage of the poor and rural issues. Digital and social media have since made it easier for ordinary people to produce and share content, but also to spread rumours and misinformation.
Key points
- Print helped build nationalism and an "imagined community".
- Early broadcasting in India aimed at development and integration.
- Liberalisation brought commercialisation and satellite television.
- Media both reflect and shape society.
Common mistakes
Do not assume media only report reality; they also select, frame and shape it.