Internet as the New Mass Medium: Opportunities, Threats, Perspectives

Marta Juza

English version of the article

The article concerns the matter of similarities and differences between Internet and traditional mass media, like newspapers, radio and TV. Internet is often perceived opposite to these media, mostly because of its specific character of a medium involving active participation on the part of receivers, because of its interactivity, ease with which it may take on a role of a mass broadcaster, individualised user circles, diversity of configurations of communication instead of just one, and an impersonal pattern of mass communication. However, the Internet may be considered also as a mass medium because of the institutionalisation of Internet broadcasters, user circles becoming similar to mass audience, the messages becoming standardized, the creation of many individual acts of communication in the mass communication model, and the building of a common system of meanings. When the Internet is conceptualized as mass medium it is still important to remember that not all Internet-based communication replicates traditional pattern of mass communication. The question about the role of the Internet in the process of building the public sphere may also be considered.

KEYWORDS

Internet, mass media, mass communication,mbroadcaster, receiver, audience, medium, message, mass, mass culture, users, interpersonal, communication, WWW pages, clickstream, public sphere