Books are Mass Media Essay

In the aspect of communication, there are many elements and factors commonly considered in the pursuit of achieving effectiveness in this field. Among the different concerns are the two main elements namely the medium to be as the vehicle of the communication and the target audience to which the idea aimed to have an impact upon. Considering these two factors is important to achieve the desired effectiveness in the communication field particularly as required by the significance of the information to be transmitted. Considering the factor of audience population range, the element of medium is considered important as this is directly relative to the effective achievement of the distribution and scope aim of the communication. In the said concern, the role of books as a medium for mass media is commonly debated upon as the nature of this element commonly contradict the definition of mass communication considering its application in the actual scenario. For the book to achieve successfully its communication cycle, it must be written and read by its target population thus, imparting the idea and information contained in its pages. However, in the actual population, books are not always preferred and patronize by the public as resulted from its sales percentages compare thus, making its saturation level in the population awareness to be somewhat insignificant. However, despite of the said nature of the book medium, the approach of book publication is still considered as a form of mass media in terms of its communication influence. In actual view, the publication sale of each book does not generally reflect its influence wherein eventhough a book’s sale is low, the spread of its ideas contained in its pages still expand through its impact on the few readers. Indeed, as part of the circulation and communication cycle of each book, the primary reader is influenced by the book and after which he or she communicates the said idea to others thus, creating the mass population scope of the said book in terms of its communication capability. In addition, books are also effective medium for storing and continuously expanding its influence, as their ideas are effectively preserve within their pages and the readers who are affected by their topics. This influence can be realized in the actual impact of some books that left notable impact on the society in terms of their influence in mass media communication such as the book The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, Noli me Tangere by Jose Rizal, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Kite Runner by Khaled Housinni, and others which have influenced large population regardless of their lesser publication sales. In general, the impact of books in terms of mass communication is not only reflected upon its publication sales and economic value but in terms of its influence and effectiveness on enticing the interest and emotion of its mass audience. With this nature and capability, the book medium indeed is considered as a medium for mass communication able to promote ideas and concepts for wide range and scale of human population. Bibliography Hoveyda, Fereydoun (2000). The Hidden Meaning of Mass Communications: Cinema, Books, and Television in the Age of Computers. Praeger Publishers. ISBN-10: 0275969967.