Critics are wondering whether the old forms of media will survive. New technologies have characterized the development of media, moving from old to new printing technologies, from radio to television. Today new technologies require us to pose new questions. Technical changes not only create new forms, but also cause formerly distinct media forms such as newspapers to blend or overlap functions with newer media, as has occurred with news on television or the Internet. This process is called merging or converging.
Governments enforce rules and regulations to promote social stability and mediate social conflicts.
Whenever a few suppliers dominate a large supply of anything, including access to media information, those suppliers can control its price as well as its form, content, and means of delivery. As corporations strive to control larger and larger portions of a particular media market, their concentrated economic power allows them to dominate its messages. This may allow advertisers to shape the content of the media. However, this system also gives consumers access to information at little or no direct cost. Every culture has means of preparing and conditioning its members to adopt expected social roles and activities.