mass media
noun
plural of mass medium
: forms of communication designed to reach many people : the newspapers, radio and television stations, websites, etc., through which information is communicated to the public
—used in singular or plural constructions
The twentieth century had been dominated by media that delivered the same material to millions of people at the same time—radio and newspapers, movies and television. These were the kinds of one-to-many, top-down mass media that Orwell's Big Brother had used to stay in power. Now, however, Americans were catching sight of the internet. They believed that it would do what earlier media could not: it would allow people to speak for themselves, directly to one another, around the world.—
Fred Turner
Fred Turner… the country had a really robust history of regulating media in the public interest, a really strong conviction that mass media were so important to—not just the economy—but to politics.—Gary Gerstle
Gary GerstleIn countries where mass media information is unreliable or heavily controlled, social networking sites serve to communicate the truth.—Hitoshi Mitomo
Hitoshi MitomoFilm festivals and Hollywood movie studios alike have been racing to keep up with the trends in mass media, where cell phones, video games, and subscription streaming services are changing the ways consumers engage with screens and stories.—Noel Murray
Noel MurrayBecause of these changes in mass media and also the emergence of radio, this was the first time when the entire country could really obsess together over a scandal out of Washington, D.C., in nearly real time following each day's developments.—Carolyn Kellogg
Carolyn Kellogg
also
: the information or content so communicated
In her 1951 The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt argued that a tyrannical regime, wielding bureaucracy and mass media, could achieve permanence by conscripting the citizenry's consciousness. —George Will
George Will There were various advantages in point-to-point communication—particularly as new forms of transportation arose—but radio also came to be seen as a way to transmit mass media. —Vince Guerrieri
Vince Guerrieri Examples of mass media in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The interaction between genres and mass media is considered to be a driving force that contributes to changes in genres.
—Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
For decades, brand growth was fueled by buying attention through mass media, celebrity endorsements and large-scale campaigns designed to capture audiences.
—Felicity Fellows, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The telephone became mainstream, newspapers and mass media rapidly expanded and the Wright brothers achieved the first successful airplane flight in 1903.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Gallup reported in 2025 that trust in mass media had dropped to 28%, with Democrats remaining far more trusting than Republicans.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Offer advice over the phone and with social and mass media.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The field has experienced a small boost in recent years as Catholicism has risen in prominence within U.S. society; a trend concurrent with the mass media’s ballooning consumption amid the United States’s ongoing culture war.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Apr. 2026
For example, linguists have shown that regional accents in the U.S. are fading and becoming homogenized due to a mix of migration, urbanization, mass media and social media.
—Gayle Rogers, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
These events all drew mass media attention and introduced the sport to new fans.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
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Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
For decades, brand growth was fueled by buying attention through mass media, celebrity endorsements and large-scale campaigns designed to capture audiences.
—Felicity Fellows, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The telephone became mainstream, newspapers and mass media rapidly expanded and the Wright brothers achieved the first successful airplane flight in 1903.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Gallup reported in 2025 that trust in mass media had dropped to 28%, with Democrats remaining far more trusting than Republicans.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Offer advice over the phone and with social and mass media.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
april 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The field has experienced a small boost in recent years as Catholicism has risen in prominence within U.S. society; a trend concurrent with the mass media’s ballooning consumption amid the United States’s ongoing culture war.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Apr. 2026
For example, linguists have shown that regional accents in the U.S. are fading and becoming homogenized due to a mix of migration, urbanization, mass media and social media.
—Gayle Rogers, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
These events all drew mass media attention and introduced the sport to new fans.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mass media.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20media. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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