The main function of mass media is to spread information, knowledge, news and ideas etc. to the mass audience. The relationship between mass media and society is dialectical. Both guess each other. The nature and role of mass media is influenced by the society whereas mass media also speculates on the society. During the colonial period, the mass media nurtured and organized the anti-colonial masses but after independence Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister, called upon the media to act as the watchdogs of democracy. 

The media was expected to spread the spirit of self-reliance and national development among the people. In the early years of independence, the media was seen as a means of informing the people about the various developmental efforts of the government. The media was also encouraged to fight against the oppression of social practices like untouchability, child marriage, illiteracy etc. Thus, the functions of mass media change with the nature and needs of the society.

Mass communication differs from other means of communication because it requires a formal structural organization to meet the demands of large-scale capital production and management. The state or market plays a major role in the structure and functioning of mass media. Mass media works through very large organizations with large investments and large body of employees.

As far as the means of mass communication are concerned - it can be classified into two types - print media and electronic media. Newspapers, magazines, magazines, news bulletins, etc. are included in the print media. On the other hand electronic media includes radio, TV, internet, telephone, mobile phone etc.