Over the last two centuries, many new forms of media have been introduced into society. Two of these mediums, the telegraph and the internet have had very profound effects on society, but were these effects positive or negative? Social theorists have always had two distinct visions when it comes to the introduction of new media; one, a utopia where mass media is used to spread ideas and understanding and two, a nightmarish vision where fascism reigns and people use mass media to transmit only the most vulgar information. To understand where these visions come from, one must look at the social changes that occurred at the times these mediums where introduced.
             First, it is important to understand the basic social theories of mass media. There are three main theories: the Elite-Conservative Mass Society Theory, the Critical Mass Society, and the Functionalist Theory of Mass Media. Supporters of the Elite-Conservative theory believe that a nation needs a clearly defined homogeneous national culture; people need to have good morals and good aesthetics. To them, mass media created a vulgarization of culture. Mass media gave people superficiality and sensationalism, not intellectualism. Critical Mass Society Theory suggests that mass media leads to fascism. It can be used to manipulate the masses, by giving them a sense of pseudo-individualism, the belief that one's self has power when ultimately he is powerless. In this way, mass media will also drawn in those in society who feel alienated; it will also create demagogues. This theory was used to explain the rise of Hitler. The final theory is the Functionalist theory. Function!
             alists believe that mass media will unite people. It will provide an organized forum for data and ideas. It will provide society with an expressive culture and prevent anomie. It will bring about order, control, and stability. But the biggest ideal of all is that it will bring all cultures tog...