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media

Definition of Media

(noun) Any digital, electronic, or printed means of communication.

Examples of Media

Media Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: me·di·a

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /mEE-dee-uh/
  • British English – /mE-diuh/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈmidiə/
  • British English – /ˈmiːdɪə/

Usage Note

  • Media is the plural form of medium.

Related Quotation

  • “Informal agents of socialization are unofficial influential agents that shape values, beliefs, and behaviors in which socialization is not the express purpose. Examples include peers, the media, books, advertising, and the Internet. They bring us continuous messages even though their primary purpose is not socialization but entertainment or selling products. Children watch countless advertisements on television, many with messages about what is good and fun to eat and how to be more attractive, more appealing, smarter, and a better person through the consumption of products. This bombardment is a particularly influential part of socialization for children and teenagers” (Ballantine et al. 2018:299).
  • “In recent decades the mass media has become a very influential agent of socialization. Media portrayals—news articles, television programs, videos, films, internet sites—present information about every aspect of daily life and the world around us. These images shape our perception of people, places and events, and thus influence our attitudes toward these objects. The images also shape our scripts, our images of the people and behaviors that are appropriate in various types of relationships. Media portrayals shape the child’s image of self as male or female, as well as their expectations about and treatment of others based on gender (and of course, race and age). Older children and adolescents learn schemas and scripts for various types of relationships from watching familial, romantic, and work relationships unfold on the movie or television screen and on YouTube” (Delamater et al. 2015:80).

Related Video

Additional Information

Related Terms

Reference

Ballantine, Jeanne H., Keith A. Roberts, and Kathleen Odell Korgen. 2018. Our Social World: Introduction to Sociology. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Delamater, John D., Daniel J. Myers, and Jessica L. Collett. 2015. Social Psychology. 8th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Delaney, Tim, and Tim Madigan. 2015. The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Giddens, Anthony, and Philip W. Sutton. 2014. Essential Concepts in Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Jary, David, and Julia Jary. 2000. Collins Dictionary of Sociology. 3rd ed. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Media

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “media.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 13, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/media/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

media. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/media/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “media.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 13, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/media/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“media.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 13 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/media/>.