Stories pertaining to the collective communication outlets or tools that are used to store and deliver information or data to a large number of people. This includes mass media, electronic media, social media, print media and the effects that such modes of communication have on society. Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. The internet is arguably one of the most effective tools in media for communication tools such as e-mail, Skype, Facebook etc., have brought people closer together and created new online communities. However, some argue that certain types of media can hinder face-to-face communication and increase the likelihood of spreading misleading or false information that can result in complications such as increases in societal polarization and propaganda.
A robust and independent mainstream media, supplemented with additional forms of new media, is a crucial pillar of modern democracy, and it will become more important as a means of setting the record straight under a Trump administration that relies on propaganda and fear-mongering to agitate and mobilize disenfranchised segments of the population. At the same time, though, these same segments of the population have become increasingly distrustful of the mainstream media, and the problem of reconciling the public with the mainstream media, and weeding out fake and problematic media sources will be a major issue facing American society in the years to come.