MASS MEDIA. Аdvantages and disadvantages

MASS MEDIA

We live in the world of information. It is everywhere and sometimes it is even more valuable than money. Mass media, that is the press, radio, television and the Internet, play an important role in our society. They inform, educate, entertain and give us all kinds of information.

The press is one of the most powerful kinds of mass media. Nowadays there are daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines. My family is subscribed to Izvestiya which is one of the most famous Russian daily newspapers. I read it every day to know what is happening in the world. My mother buys women’s magazines and my father reads sports magazines. There are also a lot of children’s magazines. They are colourful and full of pictures.

Television plays a big role in our society, too. Most people have several TV sets at home. Television gives a great opportunity for people to learn latest news. There are also a lot of educational programmes, children’s programmes, films and soap operas on TV. Talk shows are also very popular with people nowadays. I usually watch news and films on television. My mother likes soap operas, my father prefers sports programmes and political talk shows. My brother watches cartoons and documentaries. I think that it is impossible to live without television today.

Radio is less popular than newspapers and television. People often listen to the radio in cars. I usually listen to the radio when I do my homework because it helps me think. There is a lot of music on modern radio and very few conversations. Every hour radio stations tell us news in brief. There are different types of radio stations. They are divided according to the style of music they play. There are radio stations where you can hear only classical music, rock or pop music. There are radio stations only with Russian music, for example, Russian Radio. Some of the stations only have news and talk shows. Older people like listening to them.

The Internet is the newest kind of mass media. More and more people use it in Russia regularly, but it is quite expensive and not every place has an Internet connection. The Internet is the greatest source of information. Almost everything can be found there. If you have the Internet, you may not read newspapers or listen to the radio. You may not watch television either. All main newspapers and television companies have websites, so you can read news and watch television without turning on a TV.

I use the Internet every day. I chat with people all over the world online and read news. I use the Internet to find important information for my studies, too. Email has become a popular way of communication. You can send a letter to your friends from other countries without buying an envelope and it will be delivered within a few seconds.

There are advantages and disadvantages of mass media. Mass media educate and entertain people. But you need to have a TV set to watch television, a radio set to listen to the radio. To look for information on the Internet you will need a computer and an Internet connection and they both cost a lot. Another disadvantage is that sometimes this or that information is not reliable. The Internet is full of sites with wrong information.

But in spite of all disadvantages, people still watch TV, listen to the radio and surf the Internet.

Vocabulary:

connection [ kəˈnekʃn ] связь

conversation [ ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃn ] разговор

deliver [ dɪˈlɪvə ] доставлять

divide [ dɪˈvaɪd ] подразделять

educate [ ˈedjukeɪt ] обучать

entertain [ ˌentəˈteɪn ] развлекать

envelope [ ˈenvələʊp ] конверт

in brief [ briːf ] кратко

in spite of [ spaɪt ] несмотря на

mass media [ mæs ˈmiːdiə ] СМИ (средства массовой информации)

opportunity [ ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti ] возможность

powerful [ ˈpaʊəfl ] влиятельный

regularly [ ˈreɡjələli ] регулярно

reliable [ rɪˈlaɪəbl̩ ] надежный

society [ səˈsaɪəti ] общество

source of information [ sɔːs əv ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn ] информационный ресурс

subscribe [ səbˈskraɪb ] подписываться, выписывать

valuable [ ˈvæljuəbl ] ценный