Mass media: sources of order or chaos?

The mass media have gone through an evolutionary path from the first newspaper to the modern comprehensive Internet. Their development was influenced by various factors, contributing to their quantitative and qualitative growth. The mass media have long won the status of the “fourth branch of government”. Their role and place in society are unchanged under any political regimes. For this reason, every State strives to control them. The only difference is in the means and methods. If earlier the importance of the mass media increased during critical periods of social development, now they themselves can create history. The mass media has become a formidable weapon with which interested forces are able to transform the existing reality in any direction, up to its opposite. Further development of mass media will take place in parallel with attempts by various actors (individuals, groups, organizations, states) to strengthen control over them and their users.