Media Sciences

Ever since John Gutenberg invented the printing press, the printed word has been shaping the civilization of the world. All print media share that is, a feature common that they are composed of words written on paper with ink. Its shape is markedly different from the signs and images streaming TV and movies. During much of their history books have been controversial because of its content rather than form. In an era in which new electronic communication channels are having Indeed, it has heard the question "Is the book survive?" Television and the team to embody the challenge eBooks. However, question it is intended to be read as a whole and may order a hearing to more effectively continue the dissemination of traditional book form - low-cost, compact, portable, requires no equipment to use and easy to handle and read (Singel, 2000).

The real competition between books and computer based technology information could be on the field of books that are designed to be consulted rather than read (books of reference, that is) to which reader seeks specific element or element of concise information instead of expanded text. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, etc. are examples of this type of book. The information contained in these books is of course a database. It may lie in a magnetic memory in a computer, as well as in print. "Looking up" these books for online access to a database is more practical and widely used. The superiority of these systems is its ability of indexing that facilitates easy recovery of pieces of relevant information

Newspapers are another important component of the print media. They are facing strong competition from electronic media. In the old days there used to be a couple of newsletters in the day, but now there are channels devoted exclusively to the press. These news channels "breaking" news throughout the day. Is the era of "live coverage". This is probably one area where newspapers however hard they try can never compete with electronic media (Hills, 2001).

However, the fact is that newspapers are still the cheapest and most efficient means of mass communication. Newspapers play an important role in shaping public opinion. It is the public that keeps turning the wheel of democracy. In a note to say that nothing can be more satisfying than "with the paper in his hand, browsing through the different sections in the paper page by page, column by column. This, together with a cup of tea is a daily morning ritual for many.

New electronic-based technologies offer unique advantages for the transfer of information, flexibility, rapid delivery of low cost storage compact and (interactivity Defleur and Dennis, 1998). But the disadvantages that would result from the wholesale replacement of electronic printing to be little realistic to assume that the new printing technologies move as an important means of dissemination, at least in the foreseeable future. By contrast, the arguments for electronic systems suggest that there should be considerable demand and backup systems set up by the press. There will be many areas where electronic systems can be very useful, but the need to print on paper will continue. In fact, far from threatening the viability of printing, the emergence of a new range of printing technologies can together with increase rather than decrease the use of printed formats, by generating new opportunities for activities for print media that is most appropriate. This interaction exists between television and books. For example, an author whose book has been put on television can expect much higher sales, if it was well presented. Moreover, many popular novels for television can be later also published in book form. Similarly, a complementary relationship between online bibliographic data and systems based on full text in printed form. The editors are no longer limited using only paper, but can also publish online, on CD-ROM, film, interactive laser discs. Publishers of electronic services search offer information and access to specific sections in their publications, maintain databases of their own publications on the Internet.

A new environment is becoming a huge variety of media co-exist. But the print media continue to maintain its own unique position, a position he never will be threatened by the onslaught of electronic media. In book publishers have done much more to gain than to fear from the new technology. The new technologies be a substitute for print in certain areas that are in the margins of printing skills. However, their principal will be, first, to pay rates for the dissemination of information is not possible by the use of print and therefore not previously available, and on the other, to make production, marketing mass communication. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin.

Hills, P. (2001). The future of the printed word. London: Open University Press.

Mead, M. (2000). Print media: a bright future. Information Today, 13 (5), 57-62.

Singel S. (2000). The books, libraries and electronics. New York: Knowledge Industry

Publications.

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Media Sciences

Media Sciences