The development of media as a tool of mass communication started many decades ago with the birth of radio, TV, and now the internet. But in each of these forms of media, there are rich measures of media richness. Radio and television are so rich in their sound quality, pictures, and in the variety of their content that they have an effect on our emotions and actions. We watch programs on television not only because it is entertaining but also because it gives us insights into other people’s lives. We also read books and newspapers because they have great aesthetic value. So it is not surprising that radio and TV are able to leave such deep impressions on people’s lives.
The Internet has the same potential of creating powerful images and powerful words that can influence the users. It also provides easy access to huge amounts of information that can be of great value to the users. But it has some limitations. It depends on the culture in which it is used. And it depends on the technological skills and abilities of the people using it.
So far, the internet has shown positive results. It is gradually gaining ground as a source of information and entertainment. But the question is what can be measured in terms of its success? How well can we measure the impact of its use? There are some fundamental questions that we need to ask about this.
One of these is about the definition of ‘media’. It is true that people define media differently. For example, one could say that writing is a form of media while another might consider magazine publishing as a form of media. Similarly, one could also say that TV is a form of multimedia while another person could consider news agencies as a form of media.
So, how do we measure the impact of media? There are a number of different ways to measure it. First, there is a measurement of sales. This is possible through sales figures. The sale of a medium does not only mean sales but also refers to the amount of traffic that got into the channel.
Other forms of measurement include revenue generated by the media. Media revenues could include advertising dollars or ratings that advertisers pay for being included in the media. An interesting measurement is the amount of time that was spent on media consumption. Media consumption is measured through the total number of minutes or hours that were spent in media. It also measures how many times the media was viewed.