Mass Media in Pakistan: Historical Evolution, Challenges, and Prospects

Introduction

We live in media-saturated societies wherein media mediates our realities about the social world. In the contemporary mediated world, media exercise a substantial influence on every aspect of human lives. Media shapes our understanding of the nations (Ji et al., 2016), frame conflicts (Lee & Maslog, 2005; Yousaf et al., 2020), build consensus on social issues (Yousaf, 2018), and define the attributes of terrorism issue (Yousaf et al., 2023). Explicating this role of media, Leonard Pitts pointed out that “in a world where media sets the public agenda and drive the dialogue, those things media ignore may as well not exist” (Pitts, 2011, p. A13). At a broader level, mass communication serves an essential function in our societies. A long time ago, Lasswell (1948) identified three essential and broad-level functions of mass communication in a society:

• 1.

  Surveillance Function: This function of mass media is to observe society closely and continuously to inform as well as warn about threatening actions to the mass audience vis-à-vis mass communication. Surveillance can be of two categories:

  • a.

    Instrumental Surveillance: The transmission of information that is useful and helpful in everyday life. We call it instrumental surveillance. For instance; news about films playing at the local theaters, stock market prices, new products, fashion ideas, new recipes, and Forthcoming drams are all examples of instrumental surveillance.

  • b.

    Beware/Warning Surveillance: Warning or beware surveillance occurs when the media warns us about forthcoming threats. For instance; Hurricanes, Erupting volcanoes, depressed economic conditions, Increasing inflation, or Military attack Terrorism. Magazines, movies, newspapers, radio, televisions and the internet are the main sources for finding out what's going around us. Society relies on mass communication for news and information about our daily lives.

• 2.

  The Correlational Function: This function of mass communication investigates the correlation of different societal groups in society. Put differently, mass media vis-à-vis mass communication creates a consensus which is another vital function of mass communication. This function brings diversified segments of society close together regarding the definition of important issues in society. This function relates to how the media’s selection of certain news and its interpretation affects the public's understanding of these issues and consequently their response to these issues (Yousaf, 2018). For instance, media framing of political issues, political figures, events, and public policy influences people's attitudes toward them corresponding to consensus.

• 3.

  Transmission of Cultural Heritage: This function of mass media denotes how media transfers cultural heritage from one generation to another generation and enhances individuals’ consciousness toward cultural trends in society. Mass media create awareness about our cultural heritage and act as a bridge between different generations.

• 4.

  Entertainment: The fourth function of mass communication as proposed by Charles R. Wright, encompasses the entertainment function (Wright, 1974). This function has both positive and negative effects on individuals and society. While the quality of content is frequently criticized for its perceived inadequacies, it is important to recognize the benefits it offers, such as enabling individuals to engage with novel experiences, evoking emotional responses, and facilitating leisure activities.