Man is an empirical being, it recieves information, processes it and then produces an output. The soundness of his judgment or actions in directly propotional to the amount of information or knowledge he has.
Adding to this, man has always been of an inquistive nature, wanting to know more about everything there is to know because knowling would help him in taking control of the situation. Prerogative to know is not only a cloth for man's insecurity but also a magnifisicant gown which makes him the king of his own life. This need to know has been a major driving force in man's advancements but what has been the real catylist is the need to share; because knowledge confined to one benifits only one but if shared benefits many. Moreever when shared, it never decreases but only increases.
Judiciary, legislature and executive were the 3 tennets on which the base of the ancient civilization rested. As man progressed from one era to another, with the acquisition of more knowledge, science was given birth, to be precise rebirth.
Armed with science man would conquer lands physically as well as mentally. Suddenly the world would become a smaller place. Science would give birth to numerous ways of connection. Now the knowledge wouldnt confine itself only to print ie books and manuscripts, but also other new new forms , thus having its electronic manifestation. Finally it would seem that all the action in the world would now unfold at his doorsteps.
Sharing of information during the bygone times was a prerogative of a few, confining itself to powerful and elite. Moveever, the people had not discovered the world itself. Hence there was little interaction between the various information reservoirs of the world. Science's son technology would build pipes through which now the information would flow effectively and economically from one part of the globe to another; this is matter of few seconds, a far leap from those days of endless months at seas.
Soon people would come to know what is happening at the other side of the world without leaving their own houses. Newspaper would give way to radio, only to be eaten up by televison; both the fishes unaware if a bigger fish, the internet.
Sharing of this information namely perspective, tradations, happenings would have profound macro and micro effects on nations as well as individuals. While individuals would have the ideals of fair skin (fair n lovely), the nations would have their critiques on Iraq war. Hence, this state of increased mobility of information would give rise to a new estate, that which would be a progeny of modern age and a prerequisitie for a neo-modern age. Judiciary, legislature, executive, the 3 estates would belong to the authority, the 4 estate would belong to the masses. Furthermore, this 4th estate would be a medium through which the masses would keep a check on the authority, thus giving way to a better governance and ultimately at a micro level, a better quality of individual life. Hence now the civilization would rest on 4 tennets, this 4th tennet or estate wpuld be to the world, what eyes are to a human body. This medium or the 4th estate would be aptly called MEDIA.
M. Shaahkar Siddiquee