Types of Communication Media

Communication media refers to the means of delivering and receiving data or information. In telecommunication, these means are transmission and storage tools or channels for data storage and transmission.

Different media are employed for transmitting data from one computer terminal to the central computer or to other computer systems inside some kind of network.

There are two forms of communication media:

(i) Analog: Includes conventional radio, telephonic and television transmissions.

(ii) Digital: Computer-mediated communication, computer networking and telegraphy.

The most commonly used data communication media include:

• Wire pairs
• Coaxial cable
• Microwave transmission
• Communication satellites
• Fiber optics

The communication media acts as a channel for linking various computing devices so that they may interact with each other. Contemporary communication media facilitate communication and data exchange among a large number of individuals across long distances via email, teleconferencing, internet forums and many other forms of communication.

Types of communication media

1. Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or coloured, with or without accompanying sound. “Television” may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming, or television transmission

2. Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. In electronics, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of high frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with respect to a modulating signal. Radio was the first truly mass medium of communication, reaching millions of people instantly and altering social attitudes, family relationships, and how people related to their environment.

3. Print Industry

Print industry tried to grasp the new situation and shaped itself into a regular and formal sector but from the start of the 19th century, print media in most countries started specializing in certain areas. Print media is classified in to three categories namely magazine, Newspapers, Books.

4. Outdoor Media

Outdoor media are a form of mass media that comprises billboards, signs, or placards placed inside and outside of commercial buildings, sports stadiums, shops, and buses.

5. Internet

The Internet media Communication which is largest mass media by Internet technologies for various communications in both Internet and mobile networks. Common channels in internet media are Email, Search engines.