The Internet belongs to the IT segment. However, the Internet has several facets similar to those of the mass media. The internet is used for personal or point to point communication as in email, but it is also used for mass media consumption like reading the newspaper on the web, listening to radio programmes, watching television programmes, movies, etc. which clearly fall in the realm of mass media. It is also a very major source and resource of obtaining information through an estimated 300 Million web sites. It can provide information on practically any subject, from the most trivial to the most important.
Internet is the newest of the NCITs and has made a very recent entry in India.
The exact date of inception of Internet in India is not known. However, it is safe to assume that the beginning was made less than a decade ago. It made a very slow beginning mainly because of the costs were initially prohibitive and the plans and policies for its growth were either inadequate or silent and definitely not very facilitative. The necessary infrastructure was not at a very advanced stage and was certainly not geared to its use on a large scale. Internet has started growing at a very fast rate.